Minneapolis to Seattle

What the Data Says About MSP to SEA

The Minneapolis to Seattle corridor (MSP → SEA) covers roughly 1,399 miles and is served by 3 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 15,524 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 87% on-time rate with an average delay of 61.7 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 5,444 flights were recorded on this pairing — 38 cancelled (0.7%) and 5 diverted (0.1%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 3 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 15,524 total flights analyzed, the 87% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 61.7-minute average delay applies only to flights that actually ran late, so it is not the average wait across all departures — the majority of flights on this route depart on time under the BTS definition of a delay (15+ minutes past schedule).

Looking at recent months, Feb 2024 posted the best performance on this corridor at 95% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at 52% on-time — a 43-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the MSP to SEA route, the combination of a 87% on-time rate, 61.7-minute average delay, 0.7% recent cancellation rate, and 3 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.