ON TIMEBOARD

SEA → ONT on time

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

On time
82%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.1%
2,487 flights
Typical arrival
−5 min
median vs schedule
When late
+50 min
average delay
Flights / day
7
3 airlines

82% of flights from Seattle to Ontario arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 7 a.m. departures ran on time 90% of the time; the 9 p.m. ones 70%. Most reliable airline: Delta Air Lines (88%). 5% 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 → ONT: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 67% of the time. About 1 in 24 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 226 three hours or more; 1.0% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 2,487 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Alaska Airlines1,25776%1.5%−3 min4.9%+46 minAlaska Airlines
Delta Air Lines1,06188%0.4%−8 min2.8%+52 minSkyWest 99%, Delta Air Lines 1%
Frontier Airlines16983%1.8%−6 min5.9%+78 minFrontier 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%7 a.m. departures: 90% on time (119 flights)907a8 a.m. departures: 89% on time (495 flights)898a9 a.m. departures: too few flights (57 flights)9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights (92 flights)10a11 a.m. departures: 82% on time (231 flights)8211anoon departures: 84% on time (160 flights)8412p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (82 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: 85% on time (314 flights)852p3 p.m. departures: 78% on time (120 flights)783p4 p.m. departures: too few flights (53 flights)4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights (50 flights)5p6 p.m. departures: too few flights (44 flights)6p7 p.m. departures: 85% on time (288 flights)857p8 p.m. departures: 79% on time (218 flights)798p9 p.m. departures: 70% on time (162 flights)709p
SEA → ONT, 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 AirlinesDelta Air Lines
7 a.m.90%—
8 a.m.86%91%
noon81%—
2 p.m.—85%
3 p.m.77%—
7 p.m.—87%
8 p.m.70%—
9 p.m.70%—

Last flight of the day

On SEA → ONT, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.4% of the time, against 1.3% for its earlier flights, so here the last flight is actually the safer one. It arrived 3+ hours late 0.3% of the time (earlier flights: 0.4%). 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 Airlines8:33 p.m.0.5%0.3%1.9%first flight 8:33 a.m.
Delta Air Lines7:50 p.m.0.3%0.3%0.4%first flight 8:25 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: April (87%). Worst: July (73%).

40%70%100%Jan: 79% on time (472 flights)79JanFeb: 79% on time (421 flights)79FebMar: 84% on time (524 flights)84MarApr: 87% on time (609 flights)87AprMay: 84% on time (763 flights)84MayJun: 79% on time (777 flights)79JunJul: 73% on time (834 flights)73JulAug: 79% on time (783 flights)79AugSep: 86% on time (647 flights)86SepOct: 87% on time (613 flights)87OctNov: 81% on time (634 flights)81NovDec: 80% on time (574 flights)80Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday39281%0.8%
Tuesday33586%0.0%
Wednesday32582%0.6%
Thursday36479%1.1%
Friday38078%2.6%
Saturday30987%1.0%
Sunday38281%1.1%

Why flights were late

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

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 52%Late inbound plane 26%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 15%Severe weather 7%

Cancellations: airline 14 · air traffic/airport 7 · weather 5

Month by month

60%80%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Sep 2023: 85% on time, 0.5% cancelledOct 2023: 83% on time, 0.5% cancelledNov 2023: 77% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2023: 84% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2024: 73% on time, 10.5% cancelledFeb 2024: 83% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2024: 82% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2024: 82% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2024: 83% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2024: 79% on time, 0.7% cancelledJul 2024: 81% on time, 1.5% cancelledAug 2024: 81% on time, 1.1% cancelledSep 2024: 81% on time, 0.4% cancelledOct 2024: 90% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2024: 86% on time, 0.4% cancelledDec 2024: 85% on time, 1.0% cancelledJan 2025: 80% on time, 0.6% cancelledFeb 2025: 70% on time, 4.1% cancelledMar 2025: 84% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2025: 90% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2025: 85% on time, 0.8% cancelledJun 2025: 75% on time, 0.8% cancelledJul 2025: 70% on time, 3.3% cancelledAug 2025: 77% on time, 0.4% cancelledSep 2025: 91% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2025: 87% on time, 1.0% cancelledNov 2025: 80% on time, 3.3% cancelledDec 2025: 72% on time, 1.0% cancelledJan 2026: 85% on time, 0.6% cancelledFeb 2026: 84% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2026: 85% on time, 1.7% cancelledApr 2026: 90% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2026: 86% on time, 0.8% cancelledJun 2026: 84% on time, 1.7% cancelledJul 2026: 67% on time, 1.6% cancelledAug 2026: 77% on time, 0.4% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
SEA → ONT, 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
DL 40708:25 a.m.17787%0.0%−6 minSkyWest
AS 13648:30 a.m.29487%3.7%−8 minAlaska Airlines
DL 40312:30 p.m.34886%0.3%−7 minSkyWest
AS 5923:37 p.m.24472%0.0%−2 minAlaska Airlines
AS 4898:33 p.m.22469%0.4%+2 minAlaska Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Jul 16, 202690%1
Mar 13, 202660%3
Dec 31, 202550%0
Dec 24, 202550%0
Jan 7, 2026425%0

Nearby airport alternatives

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

RouteFlightsOn timeCancelled
SEA → ONT (this route)2,48782%1.1%
SEA → SNA Seattle-Tacoma to Orange County John Wayne3,94584%0.9%
SEA → LAX Seattle-Tacoma to Los Angeles LAX7,54481%0.8%
SEA → BUR Seattle-Tacoma to Hollywood Burbank1,65878%2.2%

Questions

How often are flights from SEA to ONT on time?

82% of 2,487 scheduled flights from Seattle, WA to Ontario, CA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.1% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 7 a.m. were the most reliable (90% on time). The 9 p.m. departures were the least (70%).

Which airline is most on time from SEA to ONT?

Delta Air Lines: 88% of its 1,061 flights on the route arrived on time. Alaska Airlines: 76%. Frontier Airlines: 83%.

What month has the most delays from SEA to ONT?

July (73% on time). The best month is April (87%), over 2023–2026.

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

No, the opposite. Each airline's last SEA–ONT flight of the day was cancelled 0.4% of the time over the past year, against 1.3% 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.