ON TIMEBOARD

SEA → BWI on time

Seattle-Tacoma (Seattle, WA) to Baltimore/Washington (Baltimore, MD). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
80%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.7%
719 flights
Typical arrival
−8 min
median vs schedule
When late
+40 min
average delay
Flights / day
2
2 airlines

80% of flights from Seattle to Baltimore arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 9 a.m. departures ran on time 85% of the time; the 10 p.m. ones 75%. Most reliable airline: Alaska Airlines (84%). 4% 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 → BWI: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 77% of the time. About 1 in 36 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 240 three hours or more; 0.7% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 719 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Alaska Airlines59984%0.7%−10 min1.8%+39 minAlaska Airlines
Southwest Airlines12060%0.8%+6 min7.5%+40 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%9 a.m. departures: 85% on time (201 flights)859a10 a.m. departures: 80% on time (164 flights)8010a11 a.m. departures: too few flights11anoon departures: too few flights12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights3p4 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 flights8p9 p.m. departures: 77% on time (237 flights)779p10 p.m. departures: 75% on time (117 flights)7510p
SEA → BWI, 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
9 a.m.85%
10 a.m.80%
9 p.m.88%

Last flight of the day

On SEA → BWI, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.9% of the time, against 0.4% for its earlier flights (2.0× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 0.0% of the time (earlier flights: 0.0%). 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 Airlines9:36 p.m.0.9%0.0%0.4%first flight 9:03 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 BWI 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 (88%). Worst: July (67%).

40%70%100%Jan: too few flights (88 flights)JanFeb: too few flights (77 flights)FebMar: too few flights (93 flights)MarApr: 82% on time (120 flights)82AprMay: 71% on time (178 flights)71MayJun: 79% on time (237 flights)79JunJul: 67% on time (250 flights)67JulAug: 70% on time (249 flights)70AugSep: 81% on time (209 flights)81SepOct: 86% on time (139 flights)86OctNov: 88% on time (130 flights)88NovDec: 83% on time (145 flights)83Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday10979%0.0%
Tuesday99——
Wednesday10284%0.0%
Thursday10571%1.9%
Friday10584%0.0%
Saturday93——
Sunday10674%1.9%

Why flights were late

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

Late inbound plane 44%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 36%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 16%Severe weather 4%

Cancellations: airline 3 · 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 3789:03 a.m.33782%0.6%−9 minAlaska Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Jul 2, 202630%0
Aug 14, 202630%0
Sep 17, 202530%0
Aug 3, 202630%0
Jul 7, 202630%0

Nearby airport alternatives

Other ways to make the same trip, using airports within 60 miles of Seattle or Baltimore. SEA → IAD has been 4 points more reliable.

RouteFlightsOn timeCancelled
SEA → BWI (this route)71980%0.7%
SEA → IAD Seattle-Tacoma to Washington Dulles1,82284%0.6%
SEA → DCA Seattle-Tacoma to Washington Reagan National1,09281%1.4%

Questions

How often are flights from SEA to BWI on time?

80% of 719 scheduled flights from Seattle, WA to Baltimore, MD arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.7% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 9 a.m. were the most reliable (85% on time). The 10 p.m. departures were the least (75%).

Which airline is most on time from SEA to BWI?

Alaska Airlines: 84% of its 599 flights on the route arrived on time. Southwest Airlines: 60%.

What month has the most delays from SEA to BWI?

July (67% on time). The best month is November (88%), over 2023–2026.

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

Yes. Each airline's last SEA–BWI flight of the day was cancelled 0.9% of the time over the past year, against 0.4% 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.