Seattle to Minneapolis

What the Data Says About SEA to MSP

The Seattle to Minneapolis corridor (SEA → MSP) covers roughly 1,399 miles and is served by 3 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 15,522 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 87% on-time rate with an average delay of 64.3 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 5,441 flights were recorded on this pairing — 32 cancelled (0.6%) and 7 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 15,522 total flights analyzed, the 87% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 64.3-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, Apr 2025 posted the best performance on this corridor at 95% on-time, while Jul 2024 came in at 73% on-time — a 23-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the SEA to MSP route, the combination of a 87% on-time rate, 64.3-minute average delay, 0.6% recent cancellation rate, and 3 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.