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State · WA · 2020–2025 BTS data

Washington

According to PlainFlights' state traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), Washington ranks #12 of 53 US states by total flight operations (most flights = #1).

Data updated 2026-06-13

83.4%
On-time
+4.4 pts
vs US avg
64 min
Delay when late
0.74%
Cancelled
#12 of 53
Corpus placement

State reliability verdict

According to U.S. DOT BTS data, Washington is a busy-book state: 2,203,929 operations at 9 airports run 83.4% on-time, 4.4 pts above the 79% U.S. average. Among tracked airports, ALW leads locally at 88.8% on-time.

83.4%
statewide on-time
+4.4 pts
vs US average
9
airports tracked
0.74%
cancellation rate

On-time means arrived less than 15 minutes after schedule. Figures are historical BTS averages, not a guarantee for any single flight.

Washington - all airports - flight delay tier distribution Stacked horizontal bar showing what percent of Washington - all airports flights fell into each Bureau of Transportation Statistics delay tier: on-time (under 15 minutes late), delayed (15-60 minutes), heavily delayed (60-120 minutes), severe (120+ minutes), and cancelled. Washington - all airports Flight delay tiers · BTS On-Time Performance methodology 83.4% 16.6% 0% 100% On time <15m · 83.4% Delayed 15–60m · 16.6% Cancelled cnx · 0.7%
Tiers follow Bureau of Transportation Statistics On-Time Performance definitions, a flight is on-time if it arrives less than 15 minutes after schedule.

Washington vs all states by total flight operations

Where this state's BTS On-Time Performance flight count sits among every state with tracked operations (traffic density, not on-time quality)

2,203,929 Top 23% more flights than 77% of 53 states

States, banded by total BTS-tracked flights

Each bar is a band; taller bars hold more states. The dashed line + filled bar mark this entry. Hover or tap any bar for its full count and share, and where it sits relative to this entry.

Source BTS On-Time Performance · 2026-06-13

Airports in Washington

Washington airports ranked by on-time rate

9 BTS-tracked airports, led by ALW at 88.8%

On-time rate by airport

%

What this shows Airports here range from 83.1% to 88.8% on-time.

Code Airport City Flights On-Time Avg Delay (when late)
SEA Seattle, WA Seattle 1,871,155 83.1% 63.4 min
GEG Spokane, WA Spokane 205,595 84.4% 67.4 min
PSC Pasco/Kennewick/Richland, WA Pasco/Kennewick/Richland 63,750 86.9% 78.0 min
BLI Bellingham, WA Bellingham 29,229 85.8% 67.4 min
PAE Everett, WA Everett 19,411 84.3% 61.8 min
PUW Pullman, WA Pullman 4,696 86.6% 61.8 min
ALW Walla Walla, WA Walla Walla 4,519 88.8% 62.1 min
EAT Wenatchee, WA Wenatchee 2,841 87.3% 59.5 min
YKM Yakima, WA Yakima 2,733 88% 57.2 min

Washington traffic-scale reading

The standout signal in Washington is traffic scale: 2,203,929 BTS flights place it #12 of 53 by book size. That busy-book footprint sits beside a 83.4% on-time rate (4.4 pts above the 79% U.S. average), 365,216 delayed departures, and a 0.74% cancellation rate.

As a busy-book state, Seattle, WA (SEA) in Seattle dominates the average with 1,871,155 flights at 83.1% on-time - hub delay mix swings the state figure more than a thin schedule would.

On the recent 24-month tape, delay pressure is lightest in Feb 2024 and heaviest in Dec 2025. On reliability, Walla Walla, WA (ALW) posts the highest on-time rate at 88.8% across 4,519 flights. On-time performance explained.

Using Washington's data

Washington's statewide on-time book is stronger than most peers; remaining risk sits in the busiest airport and delay mix, not a weak headline rate.

  • Walla Walla, WA (ALW) is the most reliable airport in Washington among those with meaningful traffic. ALW profile
  • Seattle, WA handles the most traffic in the state; its performance weighs heavily on the state average. SEA profile
  • See how Washington compares with every other state that has BTS-tracked airports. All states

State averages are flight-weighted across all reporting airports in the state; a single busy airport can dominate the figure.

Data sourced from U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) On-Time Performance data. See our methodology for details. Washington figures formatted by PlainFlights from BTS On-Time Performance.

Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline on-time performance and operational reliability · 2025