ON TIMEBOARD

SEA → STL on time

Seattle-Tacoma (Seattle, WA) to St. Louis Lambert (St. Louis, MO). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
84%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.3%
883 flights
Typical arrival
−10 min
median vs schedule
When late
+50 min
average delay
Flights / day
2
2 airlines

84% of flights from Seattle to St. Louis arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is better than the typical U.S. route. The 7 a.m. departures ran on time 95% of the time; the 6 p.m. ones 81%. Most reliable airline: Alaska Airlines (85%). 3% 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 → STL: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 68% of the time. About 1 in 37 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 147 three hours or more; 0.3% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 883 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Alaska Airlines78085%0.3%−12 min2.3%+48 minAlaska Airlines
Southwest Airlines10373%1.0%+2 min5.8%+55 minSouthwest 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: 95% on time (130 flights)957a8 a.m. departures: too few flights (78 flights)8a9 a.m. departures: 88% on time (179 flights)889a10 a.m. departures: too few flights (20 flights)10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (54 flights)11anoon departures: too few flights (74 flights)12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (70 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights (57 flights)5p6 p.m. departures: 81% on time (221 flights)816p
SEA → STL, 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 Airlines
7 a.m.95%
9 a.m.89%
6 p.m.81%

Last flight of the day

On SEA → STL, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.3% of the time, against 0.0% for its earlier flights, about the same. It arrived 3+ hours late 0.7% 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 Airlines6:04 p.m.0.3%0.7%0.0%first flight 7:55 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 (91%). Worst: June (69%).

40%70%100%Jan: 78% on time (108 flights)78JanFeb: 89% on time (114 flights)89FebMar: 91% on time (160 flights)91MarApr: 91% on time (179 flights)91AprMay: 79% on time (238 flights)79MayJun: 69% on time (351 flights)69JunJul: 71% on time (368 flights)71JulAug: 69% on time (332 flights)69AugSep: 78% on time (287 flights)78SepOct: 84% on time (184 flights)84OctNov: 80% on time (158 flights)80NovDec: 84% on time (164 flights)84Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday14080%0.0%
Tuesday10992%0.9%
Wednesday10990%0.0%
Thursday13676%0.0%
Friday14088%0.7%
Saturday11381%0.0%
Sunday13683%0.7%

Why flights were late

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

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 42%Late inbound plane 35%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 18%Severe weather 4%

Cancellations: weather 3

Month by month

40%70%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Jun 2024: 66% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2024: 65% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2024: 71% on time, 0.0% cancelledSep 2024: 78% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2025: 53% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2025: 63% on time, 0.0% cancelledAug 2025: 63% on time, 0.0% cancelledJun 2026: 88% on time, 0.0% cancelledJul 2026: 84% on time, 0.8% cancelledAug 2026: 74% on time, 0.0% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
SEA → STL, 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 6187:55 a.m.16391%0.6%−16 minAlaska Airlines
AS 6156:04 p.m.15183%0.7%−13 minAlaska Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
May 30, 202630%0
May 13, 202630%0
Jul 5, 2026425%0
Aug 24, 2026425%0
Aug 27, 2026425%0

Questions

How often are flights from SEA to STL on time?

84% of 883 scheduled flights from Seattle, WA to St. Louis, MO arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.3% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 7 a.m. were the most reliable (95% on time). The 6 p.m. departures were the least (81%).

Which airline is most on time from SEA to STL?

Alaska Airlines: 85% of its 780 flights on the route arrived on time. Southwest Airlines: 73%.

What month has the most delays from SEA to STL?

June (69% on time). The best month is March (91%), over 2023–2026.

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

Yes. Each airline's last SEA–STL flight of the day was cancelled 0.3% of the time over the past year, against 0.0% 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.