SEA to SNA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport to John Wayne Orange County International Airport · 978 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SEA or SNA right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Seattle (SEA) to Santa Ana (SNA) arrived on time 85% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.8% were cancelled, and 3% arrived an hour or more late.
- Alaska Airlines was the most punctual airline here (86% on time); SkyWest Airlines was the least (81%).
- Departures scheduled around 8am did best (90% on time); around 3pm did worst (80%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (88% on time) and Thursday the least (80%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (54%).
Which airline is most on time from SEA to SNA?
Ranked by on-time arrival rate. Regional airlines fly under their partner's brand (e.g. SkyWest for Delta Connection or United Express).
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | 1 hr+ late | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | 86% | 0.8% | 7 min | 2.2% | 2,580 |
| Delta Air Lines | 83% | 1.0% | 14 min | 6.5% | 942 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 81% | 0.5% | 10 min | 2.5% | 436 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am95%62 flights
- 7am89%656 flights
- 8am90%136 flights
- 9am82%252 flights
- 10am81%128 flights
- 11am81%419 flights
- 12pm79%44 flights
- 1pm80%337 flights
- 2pm83%127 flights
- 3pm80%527 flights
- 4pm90%90 flights
- 5pm82%288 flights
- 6pm86%305 flights
- 7pm89%587 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday84%1.0% cancelled
- Tuesday88%0.6% cancelled
- Wednesday86%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday80%0.8% cancelled
- Friday84%1.8% cancelled
- Saturday86%1.2% cancelled
- Sunday84%0.2% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)54%
- Late-arriving aircraft22%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion21%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)66%
- Extreme weather22%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion13%
- Security0%
SEA to SNA: common questions
- How often are SEA to SNA flights on time?
- 85% of flights arrived less than 15 minutes late in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, compared with 78% for all US flights.
- How often are flights from Seattle to Santa Ana cancelled?
- 0.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (32 of 3,958).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 9 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 50 min behind schedule on average, and 3.2% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SEA?
- Flights on this route spent 21 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SNA to SEA — 86% on time
More flights from Seattle
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: SEA → SNA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.