ON TIMEBOARD

SEA → PSP on time

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

On time
82%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.0%
1,685 flights
Typical arrival
−7 min
median vs schedule
When late
+49 min
average delay
Flights / day
5
2 airlines

82% of flights from Seattle to Palm Springs arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 7 a.m. departures ran on time 91% of the time; the 7 p.m. ones 76%. Most reliable airline: Alaska Airlines (82%). 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 → PSP: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 70% of the time. About 1 in 28 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 187 three hours or more; 1.0% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,685 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Alaska Airlines1,50682%0.9%−7 min3.6%+48 minAlaska Airlines 71%, SkyWest 26%, Horizon Air 3%
Delta Air Lines17981%2.2%−5 min3.4%+53 minDelta Air Lines

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: 91% on time (163 flights)917a8 a.m. departures: 89% on time (109 flights)898a9 a.m. departures: too few flights9a10 a.m. departures: 81% on time (316 flights)8110a11 a.m. departures: 79% on time (201 flights)7911anoon departures: too few flights12p1 p.m. departures: 81% on time (114 flights)811p2 p.m. departures: too few flights (66 flights)2p3 p.m. departures: 77% on time (149 flights)773p4 p.m. departures: too few flights4p5 p.m. departures: 82% on time (105 flights)825p6 p.m. departures: too few flights (79 flights)6p7 p.m. departures: 76% on time (236 flights)767p8 p.m. departures: 83% on time (113 flights)838p9 p.m. departures: too few flights (34 flights)9p
SEA → PSP, 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.91%—
8 a.m.89%—
10 a.m.81%—
11 a.m.—81%
1 p.m.81%—
3 p.m.77%—
5 p.m.82%—
7 p.m.76%—
8 p.m.83%—

Last flight of the day

On SEA → PSP, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 1.6% of the time, against 0.6% for its earlier flights (2.7× as often). It arrived 3+ hours late 0.0% of the time (earlier flights: 0.6%). 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 Airlines7:55 p.m.1.6%0.0%0.6%first flight 10:20 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 PSP tonight, book an earlier flight so there's a backup if it's cancelled.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: April (88%). Worst: August (75%).

40%70%100%Jan: 81% on time (562 flights)81JanFeb: 81% on time (556 flights)81FebMar: 81% on time (652 flights)81MarApr: 88% on time (628 flights)88AprMay: 84% on time (368 flights)84MayJun: 81% on time (212 flights)81JunJul: 79% on time (185 flights)79JulAug: 75% on time (198 flights)75AugSep: 82% on time (217 flights)82SepOct: 83% on time (454 flights)83OctNov: 85% on time (506 flights)85NovDec: 82% on time (490 flights)82Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday25183%0.8%
Tuesday24086%1.3%
Wednesday23580%0.4%
Thursday23785%0.0%
Friday24280%1.7%
Saturday24181%2.1%
Sunday23980%0.8%

Why flights were late

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

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 40%Late inbound plane 35%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 21%Severe weather 4%

Cancellations: airline 9 · weather 4 · air traffic/airport 4

Month by month

60%80%100%Sep 2023Jan 2024Jan 2025Jan 2026Oct 2023: 86% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2023: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledDec 2023: 84% on time, 0.6% cancelledJan 2024: 71% on time, 11.7% cancelledFeb 2024: 82% on time, 0.0% cancelledMar 2024: 82% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2024: 83% on time, 0.5% cancelledMay 2024: 85% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2024: 79% on time, 0.0% cancelledNov 2024: 90% on time, 1.2% cancelledDec 2024: 86% on time, 0.0% cancelledJan 2025: 90% on time, 0.0% cancelledFeb 2025: 80% on time, 0.6% cancelledMar 2025: 82% on time, 0.0% cancelledApr 2025: 90% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2025: 77% on time, 0.0% cancelledOct 2025: 83% on time, 0.7% cancelledNov 2025: 82% on time, 0.6% cancelledDec 2025: 76% on time, 0.6% cancelledJan 2026: 81% on time, 1.6% cancelledFeb 2026: 80% on time, 1.1% cancelledMar 2026: 78% on time, 1.9% cancelledApr 2026: 91% on time, 0.0% cancelledMay 2026: 89% on time, 1.6% cancelled
Share of flights on time, by month (hover a point for cancellations)
SEA → PSP, 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 69210:20 a.m.24977%1.2%−1 minAlaska Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Mar 13, 202670%3
Dec 31, 202550%0
Jan 3, 202650%2
Jan 4, 202650%1
Nov 17, 2025617%0

Questions

How often are flights from SEA to PSP on time?

82% of 1,685 scheduled flights from Seattle, WA to Palm Springs, CA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.0% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 7 a.m. were the most reliable (91% on time). The 7 p.m. departures were the least (76%).

Which airline is most on time from SEA to PSP?

Alaska Airlines: 82% of its 1,506 flights on the route arrived on time. Delta Air Lines: 81%.

What month has the most delays from SEA to PSP?

August (75% on time). The best month is April (88%), over 2023–2026.

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

Yes. Each airline's last SEA–PSP flight of the day was cancelled 1.6% of the time over the past year, against 0.6% 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.