Charlotte to Seattle Flight Delays
Sample size: 3,739 CLT–SEA flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). 30.41% of Charlotte to Seattle flights arrived at least 15 minutes late. That is 6.2 points worse than the 24.2% median for those routes, so schedule padding matters here. Departure time moves the odds more than anything else on this route: 09:00 departures run 16.25% late against 53.03% for 20:00. Tuesday is the calmest day at 28.07%, Sunday the worst at 34.53%. Cancellations (2024 to 2025) peak in June at 2.41% of scheduled flights and bottom out in February at 0%. Last updated: 2026-10-01.
These figures are historical US domestic rates, not a forecast for one departure. Use the per-flight delay estimate before you book.
CLT airport delay guide · SEA airport delay guide · Predict a CLT to SEA flight
Best time to fly CLT to SEA
The best time to fly CLT to SEA is the 9 AM departure and fly on a Tuesday, not a Sunday (28.07% against 34.53%): 16.25% of 9 AM flights arrived 15+ minutes late, against 53.03% at 8 PM.
Lowest observed delay rates depart 08:00–09:00, 16:00. The highest sit at 18:00–20:00. Only departure hours with at least 100 recorded flights are listed, so sparse hours are blank rather than estimated.
| Departure hour | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| 08:00 | 23.76% | 101 |
| 09:00 | 16.25% | 874 |
| 15:00 | 33.47% | 487 |
| 16:00 | 31.32% | 779 |
| 18:00 | 35.09% | 607 |
| 19:00 | 38.25% | 217 |
| 20:00 | 53.03% | 396 |
CLT to SEA flight time and distance
Scheduled gate-to-gate time from CLT to SEA is a median 5 h 45 min. Flights actually took a median 5 h 36 min gate to gate, including 5 h 3 min in the air. 2.9% ran 30 or more minutes over schedule and 72.2% arrived sooner than scheduled (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
CLT to SEA is 2,279 miles (BTS data).
| Airline | Scheduled (median) | Actual (median) | In the air (median) | 30+ min over schedule | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 5 h 45 min | 5 h 36 min | 5 h 3 min | 2.9% | 3,739 |
How late, and why
When a CLT to SEA flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 72 minutes late (median 42). 10.8% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Of the delay minutes on late CLT to SEA flights, 43.6% were caused by a late incoming aircraft, 32.4% by the airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling), 13.5% by the air-traffic system (volume, non-extreme weather, airport operations), 10.0% by extreme weather and 0.5% by security (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
| Cause | Share of delay minutes |
|---|---|
| late incoming aircraft | 43.6% |
| airline | 32.4% |
| air-traffic system | 13.5% |
| extreme weather | 10.0% |
| security | 0.5% |
BTS assigns causes to delay minutes on flights that arrived 15+ minutes late. "Air-traffic system" includes non-extreme weather that slows traffic.
CLT to SEA delays by day of week
| Day | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 30.34% | 557 |
| Tue | 28.07% | 488 |
| Wed | 28.9% | 519 |
| Thu | 31.03% | 551 |
| Fri | 29.38% | 548 |
| Sat | 30.19% | 520 |
| Sun | 34.53% | 556 |
Month-by-month cancellation pattern
Share of scheduled CLT–SEA flights cancelled in each month, from BTS 2024–2025 on-time reporting. These are cancellations, not delays. Delay figures on this page cover January 2023 to December 2025.
| Month | Cancelled | Flights scheduled |
|---|---|---|
| Jan | 0.58% | 172 |
| Feb | 0% | 154 |
| Mar | 0.55% | 183 |
| Apr | 0% | 176 |
| May | 0.87% | 230 |
| Jun | 2.41% | 290 |
| Jul | 1.97% | 305 |
| Aug | 0.72% | 277 |
| Sep | 1.22% | 246 |
| Oct | 0% | 227 |
| Nov | 0% | 162 |
| Dec | 0% | 176 |
Airlines on CLT to SEA: delays and cancellations
American Airlines flies this route today. Only carriers with at least 200 scheduled flights on the pairing are listed. Delay rates cover January 2023 to December 2025; cancellation rates cover 2024 to 2025.
| Airline | Share of flights | Delayed 15+ min | Cancelled | Flights scheduled |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 100% | 30.41% | 0.85% | 2,598 |
Related pages
- CLT delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- SEA delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- US airline cancellation rates
- Thanksgiving and Christmas 2026 flight delay guide
- Predict a CLT to SEA flight
Check your odds: Will my flight be delayed? · Will my flight be cancelled?
CLT vs SEA: airport conditions
Both ends of a route shape its delay profile. These are DelayGuard's operational scores for Charlotte and Seattle.
| Measure | CLT (Charlotte) | SEA (Seattle) |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion | high | high |
| Weather risk | moderate | moderate |
| NAS vulnerability | moderate | moderate |
| Average taxi-out | 15 min | 14 min |
| Runways | 4 | 3 |
CLT to SEA questions
- How long is the flight from Charlotte to Seattle?
- Scheduled gate-to-gate time from CLT to SEA is a median 5 h 45 min, and flights actually took a median 5 h 36 min including 5 h 3 min in the air. 2.9% ran 30+ minutes over schedule (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
- How often do CLT to SEA flights get delayed?
- Across 3,739 recorded CLT–SEA departures, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), 30.41% arrived at least 15 minutes late. Departure time matters most: 9:00 departures run 16.25% late against 53.03% for 20:00. Actual delay frequency varies by airline, time of day, and season.
- What is the best time of year to fly CLT to SEA?
- Charlotte (NC) sees its highest delays during June–September (convective/thunderstorm season). Seattle (WA) peaks during November–February (coastal fog) with generally low risk year-round. The dominant seasonal risk on this route sits at the origin (Charlotte) — use the DelayGuard predictor to check conditions for your specific travel date.
- Which airline is most reliable on CLT to SEA?
- Among the carriers BTS records on CLT→SEA, ranked by each airline's network-wide delay rate — the share of that airline's flights that arrived 15 or more minutes late, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), not measured on this route — the strongest are American Airlines (25.0%). Use the DelayGuard predictor above to check your specific airline, date, and departure hour — conditions vary significantly by day.
- How late are CLT to SEA flights when they are delayed?
- When a CLT to SEA flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 72 minutes late (median 42). 10.8% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
- How accurate is DelayGuard's delay prediction for this route?
- DelayGuard's delay risk score comes from an ML model trained on BTS data (3.95 million US domestic flights, 2023 to mid-2025), with live weather data (within 5 days of departure) and FAA NAS advisories (within 6 hours) — a likelihood of delay, not a guarantee.
Delay figures reflect arrivals 15 or more minutes late in BTS on-time reporting. Cancellation figures are separate and count flights that never operated. Hours, days and months with fewer than 100 recorded flights are omitted rather than estimated.