Seattle to Phoenix

What the Data Says About SEA to PHX

The Seattle to Phoenix corridor (SEA → PHX) covers roughly 1,107 miles and is served by 43 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 38,549 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 82.3% on-time rate with an average delay of 62.0 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 14,535 flights were recorded on this pairing — 96 cancelled (0.7%) and 28 diverted (0.2%). 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 38,549 total flights analyzed, the 82.3% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 62.0-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 87% on-time, while Aug 2024 came in at 69% on-time — a 18-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the SEA to PHX route, the combination of a 82.3% on-time rate, 62.0-minute average delay, 0.7% recent cancellation rate, and 43 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.