PlainFlights

Route · SEA → MSY · 2020–2025 BTS data

Seattle to New Orleans

According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), SEA to MSY (Seattle to New Orleans) ranks #3306 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).

Data updated 2026-06-13

80.4%
On-time
+1.4 pts
vs US avg
46 min
Delay when late
2,982
Flights
#3306 of 4927
Corpus placement

Cancelled

0.7%

Best Month

Feb 2024 91%

Worst Month

Jul 2025 57%

Distance

2,086 mi

Carriers

3

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of route data.

Period Flights Delayed Cancelled Diverted Carriers
Dec 2025 54 17 0 0 AS
Nov 2025 59 14 0 0 AS
Oct 2025 54 8 0 0 AS
Sep 2025 47 4 1 1 DL,AS
Aug 2025 57 15 0 0 AS
Jul 2025 61 26 0 0 AS
Jun 2025 60 25 1 2 AS
May 2025 62 12 0 0 AS
Apr 2025 60 21 0 0 AS
Mar 2025 47 8 0 0 AS,DL
Feb 2025 43 10 0 0 AS,DL
Jan 2025 62 9 5 0 AS
Dec 2024 55 12 0 0 AS
Nov 2024 56 6 0 0 AS
Oct 2024 54 5 0 0 AS
Sep 2024 48 9 1 0 AS
Aug 2024 56 13 1 0 AS
Jul 2024 62 26 0 0 AS
Jun 2024 60 18 0 0 AS
May 2024 62 12 0 0 AS
Apr 2024 60 12 0 0 AS
Mar 2024 62 14 0 0 AS
Feb 2024 58 5 0 0 AS
Jan 2024 68 21 1 0 AS

SEA–MSY seasonal on-time pattern

Best: October (88.2%) · weakest: July (68.6%)

65%70%75%80%85%90% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 78.9%

Strongest calendar month

October

88.2% on-time · ~44 flights/mo

Busiest calendar month

May

~53 flights/mo avg

Weakest calendar month

July

68.6% on-time · ~49 flights/mo

Cancellation Rate

0.7%

10 of 1,367 flights

Diversion Rate

0.2%

3 of 1,367 flights

Explore origin & destination

On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.

SEA - Seattle

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Seattle, WA.

SEA on-time profile

MSY - New Orleans

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for New Orleans, LA.

MSY on-time profile

Compare the two airports

See SEA and MSY side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.

Compare SEA vs MSY

Origin-hub reliability standing

Mid-pack among SEA departures

From SEA, this corridor sits with 63 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 89 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (25 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 1 below 75%). Destination: New Orleans · fleet on-time rank #3000 of 4927.

What the Data Says About SEA to MSY

2,982 tracked flights put the SEA to MSY pairing (Seattle to New Orleans) at a 80.4% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 46.3 minutes on average. Across the 2,086-mile route and its 3 carriers, the trailing 24 months show 0.7% cancelled and 0.2% diverted (1,367 flights sampled).

The monthly split is wide on this route: Feb 2024 posted the strongest performance at 91% on-time, while Jul 2025 came in at just 57% - a 34-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.

On the multi-year calendar, SEA–MSY peaks in October at 88.2% on-time while May carries the heaviest traffic (~53 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 68.6%, a 19.6-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does SEA to MSY rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking, SEA to MSY ranks #3306 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1). That ordinal matches our busiest-routes listing (total_flights DESC). See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.
How often are flights delayed from SEA to MSY? ▼
Flights from Seattle to New Orleans have a 80.4% on-time rate based on 2,982 flights. The average delay is 46.3 minutes. The best recent month was Feb 2024 with 91% on-time.
What is the cancellation rate for SEA to MSY? ▼
Over the last 24 months, 0.7% of flights on this route were cancelled (10 of 1,367 flights) and 0.2% were diverted.
How far is the flight from SEA to MSY? ▼
The flight distance from Seattle (SEA) to New Orleans (MSY) is approximately 2,086 miles. This route is served by 3 carriers.
When is the best time to fly from SEA to MSY? ▼
The best recent month for on-time performance was Feb 2024 (91% on-time). The worst was Jul 2025 (57% on-time). Consider booking during months with historically better performance.

Airports on this route

SEA Airport

Seattle
MSY Airport

New Orleans
Data source

Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data. Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Using SEA–MSY data

SEA–MSY is mid-pack at 80.4% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.

  • Compare SEA and MSY airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. SEA airport
  • If your dates flex, October (88.2% on-time) beats July (68.6%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
  • 4 other routes post a similar 80.4% on-time rate; compare before you commit to this pairing. Similar routes

On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers on this origin–destination pair, not any single flight or booking recommendation.

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

Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates this specific route's on-time performance and monthly trend, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.