Newark to Seattle Flight Delays
Sample size: 5,999 EWR–SEA flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). 25.82% of Newark to Seattle flights arrived at least 15 minutes late. That is 1.6 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: 06:00 departures run 6.54% late against 39.34% for 19:00. Tuesday is the calmest day at 20.58%, Saturday the worst at 28.66%. Cancellations (2024 to 2025) peak in January at 8.1% of scheduled flights and bottom out in March at 0.38%. Last updated: 2026-10-01.
These figures are historical US domestic rates, not a forecast for one departure. Use the US domestic delay forecast before you book.
EWR airport delay guide · SEA airport delay guide · Predict a EWR to SEA flight
Best time to fly EWR to SEA
The best time to fly EWR to SEA is the 6 AM departure and fly on a Tuesday, not a Saturday (20.58% against 28.66%): 6.54% of 6 AM flights arrived 15+ minutes late, against 39.34% at 7 PM.
Lowest observed delay rates depart 06:00, 08:00, 10:00. The highest sit at 14:00, 17:00, 19:00. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 06:00 | 6.54% | 153 |
| 07:00 | 18.79% | 1,442 |
| 08:00 | 17.82% | 348 |
| 10:00 | 16.57% | 175 |
| 14:00 | 38.4% | 125 |
| 15:00 | 21.03% | 390 |
| 16:00 | 18.74% | 870 |
| 17:00 | 35.9% | 312 |
| 18:00 | 34.39% | 1,236 |
| 19:00 | 39.34% | 666 |
EWR to SEA flight time and distance
Scheduled gate-to-gate time from EWR to SEA is a median 6 h 12 min. Flights actually took a median 6 h gate to gate, including 5 h 23 min in the air. 5.6% ran 30 or more minutes over schedule and 70.6% arrived sooner than scheduled (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
EWR to SEA is 2,402 miles (BTS data).
| Airline | Scheduled (median) | Actual (median) | In the air (median) | 30+ min over schedule | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | 6 h 12 min | 6 h 1 min | 5 h 24 min | 6.4% | 3,038 |
| United Airlines | 6 h 13 min | 5 h 59 min | 5 h 22 min | 4.9% | 2,961 |
How late, and why
When a EWR to SEA flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 73 minutes late (median 44). 9.8% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Of the delay minutes on late EWR to SEA flights, 44.8% were caused by a late incoming aircraft, 24.4% by the air-traffic system (volume, non-extreme weather, airport operations), 24.2% by the airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling), 5.9% by extreme weather and 0.8% by security (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
| Cause | Share of delay minutes |
|---|---|
| late incoming aircraft | 44.8% |
| air-traffic system | 24.4% |
| airline | 24.2% |
| extreme weather | 5.9% |
| security | 0.8% |
BTS assigns causes to delay minutes on flights that arrived 15+ minutes late. "Air-traffic system" includes non-extreme weather that slows traffic.
EWR to SEA delays by day of week
| Day | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 25.93% | 883 |
| Tue | 20.58% | 860 |
| Wed | 23.82% | 865 |
| Thu | 28.44% | 858 |
| Fri | 28.08% | 876 |
| Sat | 28.66% | 785 |
| Sun | 25.46% | 872 |
Month-by-month cancellation pattern
Share of scheduled EWR–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 | 8.1% | 247 |
| Feb | 0.92% | 218 |
| Mar | 0.38% | 261 |
| Apr | 0.74% | 271 |
| May | 0.61% | 328 |
| Jun | 1.58% | 380 |
| Jul | 3% | 433 |
| Aug | 2.93% | 444 |
| Sep | 0.46% | 432 |
| Oct | 1.31% | 383 |
| Nov | 2.56% | 313 |
| Dec | 1.56% | 321 |
Airlines on EWR to SEA: delays and cancellations
Alaska Airlines and United Airlines fly 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | 52% | 26.99% | 2.92% | 2,088 |
| United Airlines | 48% | 24.62% | 0.93% | 1,943 |
Related pages
- EWR 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 EWR to SEA flight
Check your odds: Will my flight be delayed? · Will my flight be cancelled?
EWR vs SEA: airport conditions
Both ends of a route shape its delay profile. These are DelayGuard's operational scores for Newark and Seattle.
| Measure | EWR (Newark) | SEA (Seattle) |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion | high | high |
| Weather risk | high | moderate |
| NAS vulnerability | high | moderate |
| Average taxi-out | 25 min | 14 min |
| Runways | 3 | 3 |
EWR to SEA questions
- How long is the flight from Newark to Seattle?
- Scheduled gate-to-gate time from EWR to SEA is a median 6 h 12 min, and flights actually took a median 6 h including 5 h 23 min in the air. 5.6% ran 30+ minutes over schedule (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
- How often do EWR to SEA flights get delayed?
- Across 5,999 recorded EWR–SEA departures, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), 25.82% arrived at least 15 minutes late. Departure time matters most: 6:00 departures run 6.54% late against 39.34% for 19:00. Actual delay frequency varies by airline, time of day, and season.
- What is the best time of year to fly EWR to SEA?
- Newark (NJ) sees its highest delays during December–February (winter weather) and June–August (summer storms). 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 (Newark) — use the DelayGuard predictor to check conditions for your specific travel date.
- Which airline is most reliable on EWR to SEA?
- On EWR→SEA, United Airlines has the lowest measured delay rate at 24.62% of 2,961 flights, and Alaska Airlines the highest at 26.99% (BTS, January 2023 to December 2025). United Airlines cancels the fewest at 0.93% (2024 to 2025). These are route-specific figures, not airline-wide averages.
- How late are EWR to SEA flights when they are delayed?
- When a EWR to SEA flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 73 minutes late (median 44). 9.8% 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.