Seattle to Charlotte Flight Delays
Sample size: 3,735 SEA–CLT flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). 16.65% of Seattle to Charlotte flights arrived at least 15 minutes late. That is 7.5 points better than the 24.2% median for those routes, making this one of the steadier pairings in the network. Departure time moves the odds more than anything else on this route: 05:00 departures run 8.67% late against 23.66% for 13:00. Wednesday is the calmest day at 15.03%, Monday the worst at 21.42%. Cancellations (2024 to 2025) peak in June at 2.42% 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 flight delay prediction before you book.
SEA airport delay guide · CLT airport delay guide · Predict a SEA to CLT flight
Best time to fly SEA to CLT
The best time to fly SEA to CLT is the 5 AM departure and fly on a Wednesday, not a Monday (15.03% against 21.42%): 8.67% of 5 AM flights arrived 15+ minutes late, against 23.66% at 1 PM.
Lowest observed delay rates depart 05:00–06:00, 22:00. The highest sit at 07:00, 13:00, 23:00. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 05:00 | 8.67% | 300 |
| 06:00 | 10.65% | 413 |
| 07:00 | 18.92% | 629 |
| 13:00 | 23.66% | 820 |
| 21:00 | 15.54% | 341 |
| 22:00 | 11.19% | 599 |
| 23:00 | 16.62% | 391 |
SEA to CLT flight time and distance
Scheduled gate-to-gate time from SEA to CLT is a median 5 h 4 min. Flights actually took a median 4 h 53 min gate to gate, including 4 h 22 min in the air. 1.3% ran 30 or more minutes over schedule and 75.4% arrived sooner than scheduled (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
SEA to CLT is 2,279 miles (BTS data).
| Airline | Scheduled (median) | Actual (median) | In the air (median) | 30+ min over schedule | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 5 h 4 min | 4 h 53 min | 4 h 22 min | 1.3% | 3,735 |
How late, and why
When a SEA to CLT flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 116 minutes late (median 38). 5.4% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Of the delay minutes on late SEA to CLT flights, 55.6% were caused by the airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling), 34.9% by a late incoming aircraft, 8.1% by the air-traffic system (volume, non-extreme weather, airport operations), 1.2% by extreme weather and 0.2% by security (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
| Cause | Share of delay minutes |
|---|---|
| airline | 55.6% |
| late incoming aircraft | 34.9% |
| air-traffic system | 8.1% |
| extreme weather | 1.2% |
| security | 0.2% |
BTS assigns causes to delay minutes on flights that arrived 15+ minutes late. "Air-traffic system" includes non-extreme weather that slows traffic.
SEA to CLT delays by day of week
| Day | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 21.42% | 551 |
| Tue | 15.26% | 485 |
| Wed | 15.03% | 519 |
| Thu | 15.66% | 549 |
| Fri | 15.91% | 553 |
| Sat | 16.8% | 518 |
| Sun | 16.25% | 560 |
Month-by-month cancellation pattern
Share of scheduled SEA–CLT 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 | 1.09% | 183 |
| Apr | 0% | 176 |
| May | 1.31% | 229 |
| Jun | 2.42% | 289 |
| Jul | 1.97% | 305 |
| Aug | 0.72% | 276 |
| Sep | 0.81% | 247 |
| Oct | 0% | 227 |
| Nov | 0.61% | 163 |
| Dec | 0% | 176 |
Airlines on SEA to CLT: 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% | 16.65% | 0.92% | 2,597 |
Related pages
- SEA delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- CLT delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- US airline cancellation rates
- Thanksgiving and Christmas 2026 flight delay guide
- Predict a SEA to CLT flight
Check your odds: Will my flight be delayed? · Will my flight be cancelled?
SEA vs CLT: airport conditions
Both ends of a route shape its delay profile. These are DelayGuard's operational scores for Seattle and Charlotte.
| Measure | SEA (Seattle) | CLT (Charlotte) |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion | high | high |
| Weather risk | moderate | moderate |
| NAS vulnerability | moderate | moderate |
| Average taxi-out | 14 min | 15 min |
| Runways | 3 | 4 |
SEA to CLT questions
- How long is the flight from Seattle to Charlotte?
- Scheduled gate-to-gate time from SEA to CLT is a median 5 h 4 min, and flights actually took a median 4 h 53 min including 4 h 22 min in the air. 1.3% ran 30+ minutes over schedule (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
- How often do SEA to CLT flights get delayed?
- Across 3,735 recorded SEA–CLT departures, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), 16.65% arrived at least 15 minutes late. Departure time matters most: 5:00 departures run 8.67% late against 23.66% for 13:00. Actual delay frequency varies by airline, time of day, and season.
- What is the best time of year to fly SEA to CLT?
- Seattle (WA) sees its highest delays during November–February (coastal fog) with generally low risk year-round. Charlotte (NC) peaks during June–September (convective/thunderstorm season). The dominant seasonal risk on this route sits at the destination (Charlotte) — use the DelayGuard predictor to check conditions for your specific travel date.
- Which airline is most reliable on SEA to CLT?
- Among the carriers BTS records on SEA→CLT, 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 SEA to CLT flights when they are delayed?
- When a SEA to CLT flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 116 minutes late (median 38). 5.4% 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.