ON TIMEBOARD

SEA → EWR on time

Seattle-Tacoma (Seattle, WA) to Newark (Newark, NJ). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
81%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
2.1%
2,264 flights
Typical arrival
−15 min
median vs schedule
When late
+67 min
average delay
Flights / day
6
2 airlines

81% of flights from Seattle to Newark arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 6 a.m. departures ran on time 96% of the time; the 1 p.m. ones 66%. Most reliable airline: United Airlines (82%). 9% 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 SEA → EWR: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 51% of the time. About 1 in 17 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 113 three hours or more; 2.1% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 2,264 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Alaska Airlines1,27480%2.3%−14 min4.9%+54 minAlaska Airlines
United Airlines99082%1.9%−16 min7.5%+87 minUnited Airlines

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 SEA). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%6 a.m. departures: 96% on time (223 flights)966a7 a.m. departures: 88% on time (316 flights)887a8 a.m. departures: 79% on time (251 flights)798a9 a.m. departures: too few flights (74 flights)9a10 a.m. departures: 70% on time (248 flights)7010a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (14 flights)11anoon departures: 71% on time (129 flights)7112p1 p.m. departures: 66% on time (104 flights)661p2 p.m. departures: too few flights (66 flights)2p3 p.m. departures: 67% on time (180 flights)673p4 p.m. departures: too few flights4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights5p6 p.m. departures: too few flights6p7 p.m. departures: too few flights7p8 p.m. departures: too few flights (1 flights)8p9 p.m. departures: 94% on time (131 flights)949p10 p.m. departures: 84% on time (258 flights)8410p11 p.m. departures: 82% on time (267 flights)8211p
SEA → EWR, 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

By airline and hour

DepartsAlaska AirlinesUnited Airlines
6 a.m.94%97%
7 a.m.87%89%
8 a.m.79%—
10 a.m.70%—
noon—71%
1 p.m.—66%
3 p.m.60%—
9 p.m.94%—
10 p.m.81%—
11 p.m.—82%

Last flight of the day

On SEA → EWR, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 2.0% of the time, against 2.2% for its earlier flights, about the same. It arrived 3+ hours late 0.3% of the time (earlier flights: 1.2%). 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 Airlines10:40 p.m.1.7%0.0%2.5%first flight 7:05 a.m.
United Airlines11:00 p.m.2.2%0.6%1.8%first flight 7:30 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.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: March (85%). Worst: July (65%).

40%70%100%Jan: 78% on time (363 flights)78JanFeb: 83% on time (321 flights)83FebMar: 85% on time (429 flights)85MarApr: 81% on time (451 flights)81AprMay: 73% on time (541 flights)73MayJun: 76% on time (605 flights)76JunJul: 65% on time (679 flights)65JulAug: 72% on time (673 flights)72AugSep: 79% on time (639 flights)79SepOct: 85% on time (566 flights)85OctNov: 82% on time (459 flights)82NovDec: 81% on time (469 flights)81Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday33878%1.2%
Tuesday32086%2.2%
Wednesday31588%0.9%
Thursday33078%1.5%
Friday33179%3.0%
Saturday29481%2.4%
Sunday33678%3.6%

Why flights were late

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

Air traffic & airport (NAS) 45%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 27%Late inbound plane 22%Severe weather 6%

Cancellations: weather 33 · air traffic/airport 11 · airline 4

Month by month

40%70%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 70% on time, 1.5% cancelledOct 2023: 86% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2023: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2023: 80% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2024: 67% on time, 14.0% cancelledFeb 2024: 84% on time, 0.9% cancelledMar 2024: 87% on time, 0.8% cancelledApr 2024: 75% on time, 0.7% cancelledMay 2024: 72% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2024: 75% on time, 0.9% cancelledJul 2024: 66% on time, 2.8% cancelledAug 2024: 70% on time, 5.1% cancelledSep 2024: 80% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2024: 89% on time, 0.6% cancelledNov 2024: 81% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2024: 83% on time, 0.7% cancelledJan 2025: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledFeb 2025: 84% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2025: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2025: 76% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2025: 51% on time, 1.5% cancelledJun 2025: 71% on time, 0.6% cancelledJul 2025: 58% on time, 3.2% cancelledAug 2025: 70% on time, 0.9% cancelledSep 2025: 87% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2025: 80% on time, 1.5% cancelledNov 2025: 78% on time, 5.3% cancelledDec 2025: 80% on time, 0.6% cancelledJan 2026: 81% on time, 4.2% cancelledFeb 2026: 81% on time, 7.8% cancelledMar 2026: 83% on time, 1.2% cancelledApr 2026: 90% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2026: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2026: 82% on time, 0.9% cancelledJul 2026: 70% on time, 4.9% cancelledAug 2026: 75% on time, 2.6% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
SEA → EWR, 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
UA 19007:30 a.m.12487%4.0%−18 minUnited Airlines
AS 47710:05 a.m.33074%2.7%−5 minAlaska Airlines
AS 31410:40 p.m.20986%1.4%−20 minAlaska Airlines
UA 34111:45 p.m.19182%1.1%−13 minUnited Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Nov 9, 202560%2
Dec 14, 202560%0
Feb 22, 202640%4
Feb 23, 202640%4
Jan 25, 202640%4

Nearby airport alternatives

Other ways to make the same trip, using airports within 60 miles of Seattle or Newark. None has been clearly more reliable than SEA → EWR.

RouteFlightsOn timeCancelled
SEA → EWR (this route)2,26481%2.1%
SEA → JFK Seattle-Tacoma to New York JFK2,90675%3.2%

Questions

How often are flights from SEA to EWR on time?

81% of 2,264 scheduled flights from Seattle, WA to Newark, NJ arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 2.1% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. were the most reliable (96% on time). The 1 p.m. departures were the least (66%).

Which airline is most on time from SEA to EWR?

United Airlines: 82% of its 990 flights on the route arrived on time. Alaska Airlines: 80%.

What month has the most delays from SEA to EWR?

July (65% on time). The best month is March (85%), over 2023–2026.

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

Not much. Each airline's last SEA–EWR flight of the day was cancelled 2.0% of the time over the past year, against 2.2% 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.