ON TIMEBOARD

TUS → SEA on time

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

On time
85%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.7%
1,065 flights
Typical arrival
−9 min
median vs schedule
When late
+64 min
average delay
Flights / day
3
2 airlines

85% of flights from Tucson to Seattle arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is better than the typical U.S. route. The 6 a.m. departures ran on time 93% of the time; the 4 p.m. ones 71%. Most reliable airline: Delta Air Lines (87%). 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 TUS → SEA: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 68% of the time. About 1 in 29 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 133 three hours or more; 0.7% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 1,065 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Alaska Airlines70085%0.7%−7 min3.0%+57 minAlaska Airlines 79%, SkyWest 21%
Delta Air Lines36587%0.5%−11 min4.4%+81 minSkyWest 62%, Delta Air Lines 38%

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 TUS). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%6 a.m. departures: 93% on time (126 flights)936a7 a.m. departures: 90% on time (187 flights)907a8 a.m. departures: too few flights (28 flights)8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights (6 flights)9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights10a11 a.m. departures: 88% on time (117 flights)8811anoon departures: too few flights (54 flights)12p1 p.m. departures: 90% on time (150 flights)901p2 p.m. departures: 79% on time (194 flights)792p3 p.m. departures: too few flights (78 flights)3p4 p.m. departures: 71% on time (108 flights)714p
TUS → SEA, 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
6 a.m.93%—
7 a.m.90%—
11 a.m.—88%
1 p.m.—90%
2 p.m.—82%
4 p.m.71%—

Last flight of the day

On TUS → SEA, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.6% of the time, against 0.6% for its earlier flights, about the same. It arrived 3+ hours late 0.9% 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 Airlines2:29 p.m.0.6%0.9%0.6%first flight 7:10 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: February (89%). Worst: June (74%).

40%70%100%Jan: 84% on time (261 flights)84JanFeb: 89% on time (235 flights)89FebMar: 86% on time (268 flights)86MarApr: 87% on time (270 flights)87AprMay: 81% on time (280 flights)81MayJun: 74% on time (270 flights)74JunJul: 81% on time (279 flights)81JulAug: 80% on time (279 flights)80AugSep: 86% on time (270 flights)86SepOct: 86% on time (253 flights)86OctNov: 83% on time (258 flights)83NovDec: 81% on time (263 flights)81Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday15987%0.6%
Tuesday15087%0.0%
Wednesday15087%0.0%
Thursday15585%0.7%
Friday15679%1.9%
Saturday13992%1.4%
Sunday15681%0.0%

Why flights were late

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

Late inbound plane 47%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 42%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 8%Severe weather 3%

Cancellations: airline 4 · weather 3

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 6412:29 p.m.33579%0.6%−4 minAlaska Airlines

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Dec 12, 202530%0
Mar 13, 202630%2
Nov 5, 2025333%0
Dec 5, 2025333%0
Jan 4, 2026333%0

Questions

How often are flights from TUS to SEA on time?

85% of 1,065 scheduled flights from Tucson, AZ to Seattle, WA 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 TUS to SEA?

Flights scheduled to leave at 6 a.m. were the most reliable (93% on time). The 4 p.m. departures were the least (71%).

Which airline is most on time from TUS to SEA?

Delta Air Lines: 87% of its 365 flights on the route arrived on time. Alaska Airlines: 85%.

What month has the most delays from TUS to SEA?

June (74% on time). The best month is February (89%), over 2023–2026.

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

Not much. Each airline's last TUS–SEA flight of the day was cancelled 0.6% 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.