Seattle to Los Angeles

What the Data Says About SEA to LAX

The Seattle to Los Angeles corridor (SEA → LAX) covers roughly 954 miles and is served by 43 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 41,859 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 84% on-time rate with an average delay of 61.6 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 14,774 flights were recorded on this pairing — 137 cancelled (0.9%) and 8 diverted (0.1%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 43 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 41,859 total flights analyzed, the 84% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 61.6-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, Jan 2025 posted the best performance on this corridor at 91% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at 74% on-time — a 17-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the SEA to LAX route, the combination of a 84% on-time rate, 61.6-minute average delay, 0.9% recent cancellation rate, and 43 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.