Seattle to Tucson

What the Data Says About SEA to TUS

The Seattle to Tucson corridor (SEA → TUS) covers roughly 1,216 miles and is served by 11 carriers, based on Bureau of Transportation Statistics reporting. Across 5,852 flights in the dataset, this route posts a 82.1% on-time rate with an average delay of 57.1 minutes when flights run late. Over the most recent 24 months of BTS data, 2,104 flights were recorded on this pairing — 5 cancelled (0.2%) and 1 diverted (0.0%). Those baseline metrics tell you what to expect before you book.

Having 11 carriers on the route matters: more carriers generally means more daily schedule options, competitive pricing, and redundancy when flights are cancelled. With 5,852 total flights analyzed, the 82.1% on-time figure is statistically meaningful rather than a small-sample fluke. The 57.1-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 88% on-time, while Aug 2024 came in at 62% on-time — a 26-point gap between best and worst recent month. For travelers evaluating the SEA to TUS route, the combination of a 82.1% on-time rate, 57.1-minute average delay, 0.2% recent cancellation rate, and 11 available carriers is the concrete summary of what BTS data shows about reliability on this pairing.