Route profile
SEA→PHX
Flight reliability, delays and best times to fly from Seattle to Phoenix, 1,107 miles.
Right now
Aviation weather is not currently a factor.
Aviation weather is not currently a factor.
Route reliability
July 2023 – July 2026
Better than 76% of comparable major US routes (4,598 compared)
Calculated from 22,328 flights. How this is calculated
SEA → PHX arrives on time 79.4% of the time; the return trip, PHX → SEA, arrives on time 82.7% of the time, a 3.3-point gap between the two directions of the same city pair.
SEA → PHX spends 28.2 minutes on the ground on a 1,107-mile trip: 21.0 minutes from pushback to wheels-up at SEA and 7.2 minutes from touchdown to gate at PHX.
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics · Data covering July 2023 – July 2026
What stands out
This route holds up about the same all year, a steadier seasonal pattern than 91% of 3,357 comparable routes.
84.1% on time in its best month (April) against 73.0% in its worst (July).
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · Ranked against every other route with the same kind of figure and at least 3,357 in the comparison.
Why SEA → PHX flights are cancelled
July 2023 – July 2026
SEA → PHX cancelled 135 of 22,328 scheduled flights — about 1 in every 165. The reason filed most often was the airline, 78.5% of the cancellations coded on this route — about 1 in every 211 scheduled flights.
Share of cancellations
Of 135 cancelled departures carrying a reason code.
What each reason means
Crew, maintenance, aircraft cleaning, baggage or fueling: what BTS counts as within the carrier’s own control.
106 cancellations, 78.5% of the total.
Conditions the carrier judged severe enough to stop the flight: a blizzard, a hurricane, a line of thunderstorms.
24 cancellations, 17.8% of the total.
Airport capacity, air traffic control flow programs, heavy traffic and ordinary bad weather. A system decision, not the airline’s.
5 cancellations, 3.7% of the total.
A terminal evacuation, a security breach, screening equipment failure, or screening queues over 29 minutes.
0 cancellations, 0.0% of the total.
Reason codes are the operating airline’s own filing with US DOT, not an independent finding of fault. Ordinary bad weather is filed under air traffic, so weather’s full share is larger than its bar.
135 coded cancellations were recorded on SEA → PHX; the section appears from 50.
When it goes wrong
July 2023 – July 2026
33 min late
against a median of 4 min early
Percentiles over 22,328 operations; cancelled and diverted flights are counted separately.
Will your connection be tight enough?
Layovers at PHX after arriving from SEA.
| Connection time | Chance of missing | Reads as |
|---|---|---|
| 30 min | 40% | Likely to miss |
| 45 min | 20% | High risk |
| 60 min | 11% | Some risk |
| 90 min | 4.5% | Low risk |
| 120 min | 2.5% | Low risk |
This is one leg of a connection. Gate changes and the next flight's own schedule matter too. And a connection can fail before delay is even the question — this route cancels 0.60% of the time and diverts 0.18% of the time, which a late arrival never shows up in.
Chance of missing is the share of 22,153 arrivals on this route that landed later than the connection time less 30 minutes to reach the next gate.
The worst tenth of arrivals on this route land at least 33 minutes late (90th-percentile gate arrival delay), over 22,328 operations.
Any other layover length: connection checker.
Best time to fly
SEA → PHX flights departing 5–9 AM arrived on time 90.6% of the time, against 67.4% for 9 PM–5 AM departures, a gap of 23.2 percentage points.
By day and hour
On-time arrival rate for each weekday and scheduled departure hour, in local time at the departure airport (SEA).
Hour of departure matters more than day of the week: hourly averages sit a typical 6.8 points from the route-wide rate, weekday averages 2.4 points.
| Hour | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
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| 8 PM–9 PM |
On-time rate, % · stronger color, fewer on time
- 60–64
- 65–69
- 70–74
- 75–79
- 80–84
- 85–89
- 90–94
- Fewer than 120 flights, not scored
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – July 2026 · On time is arrival within 15 minutes of schedule. Cells round to whole percentages; the table shows one decimal.
No slot is named best or worst: too few reach 500 flights. Departures after 9 PM (470 flights) are not drawn: no slot in those hours has enough flights to score.
View as tableHide table
| Hour | Monday | Tuesday | Wednesday | Thursday | Friday | Saturday | Sunday |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 5 AM–6 AM | 109 flights, too few to score | 100 flights, too few to score | 95 flights, too few to score | 108 flights, too few to score | 106 flights, too few to score | 93.8% on time131 flights | 94.2% on time138 flights |
| 6 AM–7 AM | 92.8% on time236 flights | 90.0% on time202 flights | 91.7% on time194 flights | 94.1% on time236 flights | 91.6% on time237 flights | 93.1% on time217 flights | 88.0% on time205 flights |
| 7 AM–8 AM | 90.0% on time302 flights | 92.1% on time305 flights | 90.6% on time307 flights | 91.0% on time302 flights | 90.5% on time297 flights | 90.6% on time277 flights | 93.5% on time281 flights |
| 8 AM–9 AM | 95 flights, too few to score | 115 flights, too few to score | 110 flights, too few to score | 101 flights, too few to score | 99 flights, too few to score | 83 flights, too few to score | 100 flights, too few to score |
| 9 AM–10 AM | 81.0% on time238 flights | 85.6% on time250 flights | 80.4% on time251 flights | 83.1% on time239 flights | 84.3% on time242 flights | 83.2% on time258 flights | 83.7% on time247 flights |
| 10 AM–11 AM | 79.3% on time122 flights | 116 flights, too few to score | 100 flights, too few to score | 117 flights, too few to score | 77.8% on time121 flights | 85.4% on time124 flights | 102 flights, too few to score |
| 11 AM–12 PM | 72.9% on time486 flights | 81.8% on time448 flights | 80.4% on time455 flights | 71.6% on time475 flights | 75.3% on time478 flights | 76.4% on time471 flights | 77.9% on time472 flights |
| 12 PM–1 PM | 77 flights, too few to score | 48 flights, too few to score | 64 flights, too few to score | 63 flights, too few to score | 75 flights, too few to score | 87 flights, too few to score | 38 flights, too few to score |
| 1 PM–2 PM | 71.4% on time194 flights | 83.4% on time214 flights | 80.0% on time212 flights | 73.2% on time192 flights | 76.7% on time194 flights | 73.7% on time186 flights | 74.9% on time184 flights |
| 2 PM–3 PM | 106 flights, too few to score | 76.5% on time136 flights | 79.0% on time143 flights | 103 flights, too few to score | 97 flights, too few to score | 94 flights, too few to score | 72.0% on time158 flights |
| 3 PM–4 PM | 73.0% on time310 flights | 81.1% on time291 flights | 80.5% on time283 flights | 71.6% on time325 flights | 72.8% on time329 flights | 79.6% on time270 flights | 77.6% on time287 flights |
| 4 PM–5 PM | 75.9% on time134 flights | 96 flights, too few to score | 99 flights, too few to score | 66.1% on time126 flights | 119 flights, too few to score | 104 flights, too few to score | 98 flights, too few to score |
| 5 PM–6 PM | 74.4% on time262 flights | 76.3% on time241 flights | 78.1% on time243 flights | 71.5% on time269 flights | 71.4% on time257 flights | 81.5% on time235 flights | 74.9% on time279 flights |
| 6 PM–7 PM | 68.9% on time196 flights | 77.2% on time173 flights | 80.8% on time194 flights | 65.9% on time221 flights | 72.6% on time204 flights | 75.1% on time191 flights | 71.4% on time214 flights |
| 7 PM–8 PM | 78.4% on time185 flights | 80.0% on time160 flights | 80.5% on time154 flights | 72.5% on time173 flights | 65.4% on time188 flights | 73.1% on time135 flights | 67.6% on time178 flights |
| 8 PM–9 PM | 72.9% on time191 flights | 108 flights, too few to score | 78.0% on time124 flights | 74.1% on time174 flights | 70.4% on time192 flights | 94 flights, too few to score | 62.0% on time187 flights |
By departure window
By departure hour
- 12 AM to 4 AM: too few flights to score
- 5 AM: 92.5% on time from 787 flights
- 6 AM: 91.7% on time from 1,527 flights
- 7 AM: 91.2% on time from 2,071 flights
- 8 AM: 84.4% on time from 703 flights
- 9 AM: 83.1% on time from 1,725 flights
- 10 AM: 80.2% on time from 802 flights
- 11 AM: 76.6% on time from 3,285 flights
- 12 PM: 76.0% on time from 452 flights
- 1 PM: 76.3% on time from 1,376 flights
- 2 PM: 76.6% on time from 837 flights
- 3 PM: 76.4% on time from 2,095 flights
- 4 PM: 74.4% on time from 776 flights
- 5 PM: 75.3% on time from 1,786 flights
- 6 PM: 72.9% on time from 1,393 flights
- 7 PM: 73.7% on time from 1,173 flights
- 8 PM: 72.5% on time from 1,070 flights
- 9 PM: 66.9% on time from 429 flights
- 10 PM to 11 PM: too few flights to score
Why SEA → PHX runs late
July 2023 – July 2026
crew, maintenance, boarding and fueling, all within the carrier’s control
the inbound aircraft was late, so this flight started late
airspace and airport capacity, including weather-driven flow control
weather severe enough to stop this flight specifically
screening or terminal security incidents
Share of the delay minutes US DOT attributed to each cause for SEA → PHX. Only delays of 15 minutes or more are attributed.
How this route holds up in bad weather
July 2023 – July 2026
The harder-hit end is PHX, where the flight lands. Its figure counts departures from PHX, so it says more about how that airport copes than about this route. Bad weather cancels 3.9 times the normal rate at PHX against 1.9 times at SEA. Cancelled in bad weather against normal hours: SEA 1.5% against 0.8%, PHX 2.5% against 0.6%. Flights that did leave PHX in bad weather arrived on time 53.7% of the time, against 80.6% in normal hours.
Bad weather and normal hours at the airports
Scheduled departures, July 2023 – July 2026| Departures from | SEA | PHX |
|---|---|---|
| Cancelled in bad weather | 1.5% | 2.5% |
| Cancelled in normal hours | 0.8% | 0.6% |
| Arrived on time, bad weather | 75.4% | 53.7% |
| Arrived on time, normal hours | 79.3% | 80.6% |
| Departures in bad weather | 43,416 | 6,215 |
Of the carriers on this route, Southwest Airlines (0.4% cancelled against 1.5% for the other carriers at SEA) cancelled the fewest departures from SEA in bad weather and Alaska Airlines (1.8% cancelled against 1.2% for the other carriers at SEA) the most. 2 more carriers fly this route but has too few bad-weather departures from SEA to compare.
This route’s airlines in bad weather at SEA
All departures from SEA| Airline | Bad-weather departures | Cancelled | Other carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 2,229 | 0.4%below the others | 1.5% |
| Delta Air Lines | 9,020 | 1.1%below the others | 1.6% |
| American Airlines | 1,665 | 1.0%about level | 1.5% |
| SkyWest Airlines | 6,711 | 1.9%above the others | 1.5% |
| Alaska Airlines | 20,261 | 1.8%above the others | 1.2% |
These are airport figures, not route figures: every scheduled departure from SEA and PHX, to any destination, in hours the weather report called bad. The airline rows count each carrier’s departures from SEA on every route.
Weather source and limits. In full: SEA (airlines), PHX, What Weather Costs Each Airport, Who Cancels More When the Weather Turns, Airports That Change Places When Weather Turns.
Airlines on this route
Carriers with at least 200 flights, by the airline that operated each one.
| Carrier | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Median delay | Severe |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | 9,137 | 77.1% | 0.89% | -2 min | 3.7% |
| Delta Air Lines | 5,416 | 85.1% | 0.50% | -8 min | 4.4% |
| Southwest Airlines | 3,110 | 72.4% | 0.35% | 1 min | 5.4% |
| SkyWest Airlines | 1,776 | 83.3% | 0.17% | -6 min | 5.3% |
| Envoy Air | 1,454 | 84.0% | 0.00% | -10 min | 5.5% |
| Frontier Airlines | 778 | 73.0% | 1.41% | -4 min | 9.7% |
| American Airlines | 657 | 85.1% | 0.30% | -7 min | 5.7% |
Alaska Airlines flew 40.9% of the 22,328 flights listed. Frontier Airlines cancelled 1.41% of its flights here against 0.00% for Envoy Air.
American Airlines arrived on time 12.7 percentage points more often than Southwest Airlines on this route.
Flights on this route
Flight numbers with at least 600 operations here and still on the schedule.
| Flight | Scheduled | Operations | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| AS700 Alaska Airlines | 11:20 AM | 1,098 | 71.3% |
| AS632 Alaska Airlines | 3:55 PM | 985 | 73.5% |
| AS744 Alaska Airlines | 3:59 PM | 906 | 72.6% |
| AS644 Alaska Airlines | 8:55 PM | 819 | 76.0% |
| DL2447 Delta Air Lines | 5:59 PM | 714 | 84.5% |
| DL2698 Delta Air Lines | 7:50 PM | 696 | 79.2% |
| DL2442 Delta Air Lines | 3:15 PM | 656 | 82.9% |
DL2447 (5:59 PM) arrived on time 84.5% of the time, 13.2 points more often than AS700 (11:20 AM) at 71.3%.
Weekly and seasonal patterns
By day of week
Tuesday is historically the most reliable day and Thursday the least, a gap of 6.5 percentage points.
By month
- Jan: 82.3%
- Feb: 83.9%
- Mar: 80.6%
- Apr: 84.1%
- May: 82.1%
- Jun: 76.1%
- Jul: 73.0%
- Aug: 73.3%
- Sep: 80.7%
- Oct: 81.7%
- Nov: 78.4%
- Dec: 78.3%
July is historically the weakest month and April the strongest, a spread of 11.1 percentage points.
Reliability over time
July 2023 – July 2026
- July 2023: 78.2% from 573 flights
- August 2023: 75.3% from 575 flights
- September 2023: 77.6% from 604 flights
- October 2023: 81.0% from 612 flights
- November 2023: 80.7% from 571 flights
- December 2023: 83.8% from 586 flights
- January 2024: 76.6% from 543 flights
- February 2024: 86.4% from 573 flights
- March 2024: 80.4% from 671 flights
- April 2024: 81.2% from 633 flights
- May 2024: 82.9% from 607 flights
- June 2024: 74.7% from 593 flights
- July 2024: 72.8% from 613 flights
- August 2024: 69.1% from 588 flights
- September 2024: 80.8% from 569 flights
- October 2024: 84.6% from 598 flights
- November 2024: 83.7% from 579 flights
- December 2024: 79.4% from 609 flights
- January 2025: 86.7% from 597 flights
- February 2025: 79.5% from 573 flights
- March 2025: 81.2% from 683 flights
- April 2025: 85.1% from 664 flights
- May 2025: 80.9% from 650 flights
- June 2025: 76.3% from 618 flights
- July 2025: 73.7% from 621 flights
- August 2025: 75.7% from 585 flights
- September 2025: 84.2% from 545 flights
- October 2025: 79.5% from 599 flights
- November 2025: 70.9% from 596 flights
- December 2025: 72.2% from 628 flights
- January 2026: 82.6% from 586 flights
- February 2026: 85.8% from 565 flights
- March 2026: 80.2% from 686 flights
- April 2026: 85.8% from 665 flights
- May 2026: 82.7% from 623 flights
- June 2026: 77.5% from 569 flights
- July 2026: 67.1% from 578 flights
Over the most recent 12 months (2025-08 to 2026-07), on-time arrivals averaged 78.7% against 80.1% in the 12 months before — broadly unchanged.
Data and methodology
Calculated by FlyerIntel from 22,328 SEA → PHX flight records from the US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, covering July 2023 – July 2026. Late means 15 or more minutes past scheduled arrival; cancelled and diverted flights are left out of on-time rates.
Full methodology · Data sources · Report a problem
Related research: How Long a Layover Needs to Be · Two Airlines on One Route · Best Time of Day to Fly From Major US Airports
Analysis last recomputed