ON TIMEBOARD

RNO → SEA on time

Reno Tahoe (Reno, NV) to Seattle-Tacoma (Seattle, WA). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
75%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.0%
1,290 flights
Typical arrival
−4 min
median vs schedule
When late
+49 min
average delay
Flights / day
4
1 airline

75% of flights from Reno to Seattle arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 6 a.m. departures ran on time 87% of the time; the 7 p.m. ones 55%. 6% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for RNO → SEA: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 68% of the time. About 1 in 20 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 143 three hours or more; 1.0% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,290 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Alaska Airlines1,29075%1.0%−4 min5.1%+49 minAlaska Airlines 61%, Horizon Air 30%, SkyWest 9%

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at RNO). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%6 a.m. departures: 87% on time (275 flights)876a7 a.m. departures: too few flights (55 flights)7a8 a.m. departures: too few flights8a9 a.m. departures: 76% on time (253 flights)769a10 a.m. departures: too few flights (22 flights)10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights11anoon departures: too few flights (90 flights)12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights1p2 p.m. departures: 69% on time (253 flights)692p3 p.m. departures: too few flights (8 flights)3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights (24 flights)5p6 p.m. departures: too few flights (29 flights)6p7 p.m. departures: 55% on time (164 flights)557p8 p.m. departures: 79% on time (117 flights)798p
RNO → SEA, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

Last flight of the day

On RNO → SEA, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 1.4% of the time, against 0.9% for its earlier flights (1.6× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 0.8% of the time (earlier flights: 0.7%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
Alaska Airlines7:50 p.m.1.4%0.8%0.9%first flight 6:03 a.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

If you need to be in SEA tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: November (83%). Worst: August (64%).

40%70%100%Jan: 80% on time (296 flights)80JanFeb: 78% on time (244 flights)78FebMar: 75% on time (291 flights)75MarApr: 76% on time (310 flights)76AprMay: 76% on time (351 flights)76MayJun: 66% on time (390 flights)66JunJul: 68% on time (423 flights)68JulAug: 64% on time (418 flights)64AugSep: 74% on time (392 flights)74SepOct: 77% on time (311 flights)77OctNov: 83% on time (308 flights)83NovDec: 80% on time (293 flights)80Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday20472%0.0%
Tuesday16680%1.2%
Wednesday17583%0.6%
Thursday19072%0.5%
Friday19972%3.0%
Saturday15780%0.6%
Sunday19972%1.0%

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Late inbound plane 43%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 30%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 23%Severe weather 4%

Cancellations: weather 8 · airline 5

Month by month

40%70%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 81% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2024: 78% on time, 1.0% cancelledApr 2024: 82% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2024: 75% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2024: 72% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2024: 74% on time, 0.7% cancelledAug 2024: 70% on time, 1.3% cancelledSep 2024: 68% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2024: 73% on time, 0.9% cancelledNov 2024: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2024: 82% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2025: 75% on time, 2.0% cancelledMar 2025: 71% on time, 1.0% cancelledApr 2025: 73% on time, 0.9% cancelledMay 2025: 66% on time, 2.6% cancelledJun 2025: 51% on time, 1.4% cancelledJul 2025: 59% on time, 2.0% cancelledAug 2025: 60% on time, 0.7% cancelledSep 2025: 75% on time, 1.6% cancelledOct 2025: 73% on time, 0.9% cancelledNov 2025: 73% on time, 1.8% cancelledDec 2025: 73% on time, 1.0% cancelledJan 2026: 85% on time, 0.9% cancelledMay 2026: 86% on time, 0.9% cancelledJun 2026: 77% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2026: 72% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2026: 61% on time, 0.0% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
RNO → SEA, monthly on-time and cancellation rate.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
AS 3236:00 a.m.21487%0.9%−11 minAlaska Airlines
AS 6012:46 p.m.34371%1.2%−3 minAlaska Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Dec 5, 202530%0
Dec 4, 202530%0
Mar 13, 202630%2
Oct 3, 2025520%0
Aug 10, 2026425%0

Questions

How often are flights from RNO to SEA on time?

75% of 1,290 scheduled flights from Reno, NV to Seattle, WA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.0% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly RNO to SEA?

Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. were the most reliable (87% on time). The 7 p.m. departures were the least (55%).

What month has the most delays from RNO to SEA?

August (64% on time). The best month is November (83%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from RNO to SEA more likely to be cancelled?

Yes. Each airline's last RNO–SEA flight of the day was cancelled 1.4% of the time over the past year, against 0.9% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.