According to PlainFlights' airport traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), Seattle, WA (SEA) ranks #9 of 382 tracked US airports by total flights (most flights = #1). Seattle, WA posts below-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as one of the busiest U.S. airports.
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SEA on-time rate vs. the national average
Ahead of the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Carrier.
Total delay minutes: 8,961,455.
Late Aircraft28.6% (2,565,832 min)
Carrier44.3% (3,971,615 min)
NAS (National Aviation System)21.0% (1,877,657 min)
Weather5.8% (522,011 min)
Security0.3% (24,340 min)
SEA - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: October (93.3%) · worst: December (89%)
SEA - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
SEA - taxi-out and taxi-in (monthly)
Average taxi-out 21.8 min · taxi-in 11.7 min over the last 24 reported months (U.S. airport mean taxi-out ≈ 16.4 min).
SEA's average taxi-out (21.8 min) runs longer than the recent U.S. airport mean (~16.4 min). The heaviest month in this window is November 2025 at 23.7 min; the lightest is January 2024 at 19.1 min.
Two PlainFlights-derived comparison paths for Seattle, WA, both outside Washington so the neighborhoods are not same-state geography. Axes stay disjoint: volume peers exclude the on-time peer set. Same-state compare stays below.
The standout signal at Seattle, WA is traffic scale: 1,871,155 BTS flights (2020–2025) place it #9 of 382 by book size. That busy-book footprint sits beside a 83.1% on-time rate (4.1 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average), 315,819 delayed departures, and 13,720 cancellations (0.73% of the book).
Delay minutes concentrate in Carrier (28.6% late-aircraft, 44.3% carrier, 21.0% NAS, 5.8% weather, 0.3% security). As a busy airport, that mix matters more for connection planning than for a thin schedule.
On the multi-year calendar, SEA is strongest in October (93.3% on-time) and weakest in December (89%), a 4.3-point swing. Volume peaks in August (~30,041 flights/month). The busiest connecting route is to LAX (Los Angeles) at 84% on-time. Field definitions: on-time performance explained.
Seattle, WA vs. the national on-time distribution
On-time rate among all 382 tracked U.S. airports
83.1%Top 54%higher than 46% of 382 airports
Seattle, WA
60%95%
U.S. airports by on-time rate, bucketed by value
Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more airports. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.
Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data (2020–2025).
Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods. On-time rates exclude cancelled and diverted flights.
SEA's on-time book is mid-pack; month and delay-cause mix move more than the headline rate.
Check the busiest route from SEA before you book a connection. See top routes →
Travel in October rather than December if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns →
Build extra connection buffer when taxi-out spikes. November 2025 averaged 23.7 min. Taxi times →
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers at this airport, not any single flight or airline.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Seattle, WA's on-time rate?
Seattle, WA (SEA) has a 83.1% on-time rate across 1,871,155 BTS-tracked flights (2020-2025), 4.1 pts above the 79% national flight-weighted average; that places it in roughly the below-median on-time performance.
How does SEA rank among U.S. airports by traffic volume?
Seattle, WA ranks #9 of 382 tracked US airports by total BTS flights (most flights = #1), making it one of the busiest U.S. airports.
What's the most common cause of delays at Seattle, WA?
Carrier is the leading delay cause at SEA, accounting for 44.3% of delay minutes. The full breakdown: 28.6% late-aircraft, 44.3% carrier, 21.0% NAS/air-traffic-control, 5.8% weather, and 0.3% security.
When is the best time to fly through Seattle, WA?
October is historically SEA's strongest month at 93.3% on-time, while December is the weakest at 89%, a 4.3-point swing across the BTS historical record.
Data sourced from U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) On-Time Performance data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFlights