ON TIMEBOARD

PAE → PHX on time

Seattle Paine (Everett, WA) to Phoenix Sky Harbor (Phoenix, AZ). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
82%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.6%
668 flights
Typical arrival
−8 min
median vs schedule
When late
+64 min
average delay
Flights / day
2
2 airlines

82% of flights from Everett to Phoenix arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is better than the typical U.S. route. The 10 a.m. departures ran on time 85% of the time; the 4 p.m. ones 78%. 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 PAE → PHX: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 60% of the time. About 1 in 23 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 74 three hours or more; 0.6% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 668 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Alaska Airlines64083%0.6%−8 min3.9%+57 minAlaska Airlines 88%, Horizon Air 12%
Frontier Airlines28—————Frontier 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 PAE). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%7 a.m. departures: too few flights (66 flights)7a8 a.m. departures: too few flights (93 flights)8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights (34 flights)9a10 a.m. departures: 85% on time (134 flights)8510a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (10 flights)11anoon departures: too few flights12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights1p2 p.m. departures: 84% on time (130 flights)842p3 p.m. departures: too few flights (26 flights)3p4 p.m. departures: 78% on time (138 flights)784p5 p.m. departures: too few flights (3 flights)5p6 p.m. departures: too few flights (6 flights)6p7 p.m. departures: too few flights (27 flights)7p
PAE → PHX, 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
10 a.m.86%
2 p.m.84%
4 p.m.78%

Last flight of the day

On PAE → PHX, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.4% of the time, against 1.1% for its earlier flights, so here the last flight is actually the safer one. It arrived 3+ hours late 1.5% 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 Airlines2:52 p.m.0.4%1.5%1.1%first flight 10:36 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: May (91%). Worst: January (68%).

40%70%100%Jan: 68% on time (152 flights)68JanFeb: 81% on time (151 flights)81FebMar: 84% on time (186 flights)84MarApr: 89% on time (178 flights)89AprMay: 91% on time (152 flights)91MayJun: 88% on time (139 flights)88JunJul: 78% on time (153 flights)78JulAug: 84% on time (152 flights)84AugSep: 80% on time (132 flights)80SepOct: 86% on time (145 flights)86OctNov: 77% on time (178 flights)77NovDec: 88% on time (188 flights)88Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday11274%0.9%
Tuesday86——
Wednesday78——
Thursday10185%0.0%
Friday10283%2.0%
Saturday84——
Sunday10575%0.9%

Why flights were late

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

Air traffic & airport (NAS) 34%Late inbound plane 33%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 28%Severe weather 4%Security 1%

Cancellations: airline 2 · weather 2

Month by month

Not enough months with data to draw a trend.

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 74710:36 a.m.14587%0.0%−10 minAlaska Airlines
AS 5152:52 p.m.15976%0.0%−4 minAlaska Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Sep 26, 202530%1
Sep 1, 202530%0
Sep 29, 2025333%0
Nov 9, 2025333%0
Nov 16, 2025333%0

Nearby airport alternatives

Other ways to make the same trip, using airports within 60 miles of Everett or Phoenix. None has been clearly more reliable than PAE → PHX.

RouteFlightsOn timeCancelled
PAE → PHX (this route)66882%0.6%
SEA → PHX Seattle-Tacoma to Phoenix Sky Harbor7,20577%0.7%

Questions

How often are flights from PAE to PHX on time?

82% of 668 scheduled flights from Everett, WA to Phoenix, AZ arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.6% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly PAE to PHX?

Flights scheduled to leave at 10 a.m. were the most reliable (85% on time). The 4 p.m. departures were the least (78%).

What month has the most delays from PAE to PHX?

January (68% on time). The best month is May (91%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from PAE to PHX more likely to be cancelled?

No, the opposite. Each airline's last PAE–PHX flight of the day was cancelled 0.4% of the time over the past year, against 1.1% 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.