Seattle to New York Flight Delays
Sample size: 8,789 SEA–JFK flights, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS). 26.21% of Seattle to New York flights arrived at least 15 minutes late. That is 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: 07:00 departures run 19.43% late against 43.97% for 14:00. Tuesday is the calmest day at 20.42%, Sunday the worst at 29.29%. Cancellations (2024 to 2025) peak in January at 6.02% of scheduled flights and bottom out in September at 0.19%. 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.
SEA airport delay guide · JFK airport delay guide · Predict a SEA to JFK flight
Best time to fly SEA to JFK
The best time to fly SEA to JFK is the 7 AM departure and fly on a Tuesday, not a Sunday (20.42% against 29.29%): 19.43% of 7 AM flights arrived 15+ minutes late, against 43.97% at 2 PM.
Lowest observed delay rates depart 07:00, 15:00, 21:00. The highest sit at 10:00, 13:00–14:00. 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 |
|---|---|---|
| 07:00 | 19.43% | 1,853 |
| 08:00 | 27.54% | 207 |
| 10:00 | 41.51% | 106 |
| 11:00 | 29.14% | 1,009 |
| 13:00 | 38.51% | 309 |
| 14:00 | 43.97% | 1,069 |
| 15:00 | 20.82% | 706 |
| 21:00 | 21.92% | 1,054 |
| 22:00 | 25.16% | 628 |
| 23:00 | 24.03% | 1,565 |
SEA to JFK flight time and distance
Scheduled gate-to-gate time from SEA to JFK is a median 5 h 23 min. Flights actually took a median 5 h 16 min gate to gate, including 4 h 43 min in the air. 4.3% ran 30 or more minutes over schedule and 66.1% arrived sooner than scheduled (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
SEA to JFK is 2,422 miles (BTS data).
| Airline | Scheduled (median) | Actual (median) | In the air (median) | 30+ min over schedule | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | 5 h 21 min | 5 h 18 min | 4 h 44 min | 6.6% | 4,012 |
| Delta Air Lines | 5 h 29 min | 5 h 16 min | 4 h 42 min | 2.4% | 3,867 |
| JetBlue Airways | 5 h 17 min | 5 h 9 min | 4 h 42 min | 2.3% | 910 |
How late, and why
When a SEA to JFK flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 63 minutes late (median 36). 7.7% of all completed flights arrived an hour or more late (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
Of the delay minutes on late SEA to JFK flights, 35.4% were caused by the airline (crew, maintenance, ground handling), 34.7% by the air-traffic system (volume, non-extreme weather, airport operations), 22.3% by a late incoming aircraft, 7.3% by extreme weather and 0.3% by security (BTS data, 2023 to 2025).
| Cause | Share of delay minutes |
|---|---|
| airline | 35.4% |
| air-traffic system | 34.7% |
| late incoming aircraft | 22.3% |
| extreme weather | 7.3% |
| security | 0.3% |
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 JFK delays by day of week
| Day | Delayed 15+ min | Flights observed |
|---|---|---|
| Mon | 29.01% | 1,265 |
| Tue | 20.42% | 1,244 |
| Wed | 22.21% | 1,247 |
| Thu | 28.45% | 1,269 |
| Fri | 27.75% | 1,272 |
| Sat | 26.19% | 1,222 |
| Sun | 29.29% | 1,270 |
Month-by-month cancellation pattern
Share of scheduled SEA–JFK 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 | 6.02% | 349 |
| Feb | 0.88% | 339 |
| Mar | 0.45% | 441 |
| Apr | 0.21% | 481 |
| May | 0.36% | 558 |
| Jun | 0.93% | 540 |
| Jul | 3.23% | 558 |
| Aug | 2.33% | 557 |
| Sep | 0.19% | 539 |
| Oct | 0.96% | 521 |
| Nov | 1.28% | 468 |
| Dec | 2.77% | 469 |
Airlines on SEA to JFK: delays and cancellations
Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines and JetBlue Airways 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 | 46% | 30.48% | 2.04% | 2,697 |
| Delta Air Lines | 45% | 18.93% | 1.06% | 2,644 |
| JetBlue Airways | 8% | 38.35% | 1.46% | 479 |
Related pages
- SEA delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- JFK delays: rate, worst hours and live risk
- US airline cancellation rates
- Thanksgiving and Christmas 2026 flight delay guide
- Predict a SEA to JFK flight
Check your odds: Will my flight be delayed? · Will my flight be cancelled?
SEA vs JFK: airport conditions
Both ends of a route shape its delay profile. These are DelayGuard's operational scores for Seattle and New York.
| Measure | SEA (Seattle) | JFK (New York) |
|---|---|---|
| Congestion | high | high |
| Weather risk | moderate | moderate |
| NAS vulnerability | moderate | high |
| Average taxi-out | 14 min | 28 min |
| Runways | 3 | 4 |
SEA to JFK questions
- How long is the flight from Seattle to New York?
- Scheduled gate-to-gate time from SEA to JFK is a median 5 h 23 min, and flights actually took a median 5 h 16 min including 4 h 43 min in the air. 4.3% ran 30+ minutes over schedule (BTS data, January 2023 to December 2025).
- How often do SEA to JFK flights get delayed?
- Across 8,789 recorded SEA–JFK departures, January 2023 to December 2025 (BTS), 26.21% arrived at least 15 minutes late. Departure time matters most: 7:00 departures run 19.43% late against 43.97% for 14:00. Actual delay frequency varies by airline, time of day, and season.
- What is the best time of year to fly SEA to JFK?
- Seattle (WA) sees its highest delays during November–February (coastal fog) with generally low risk year-round. New York (NY) peaks during December–February (winter weather) and June–August (summer storms). The dominant seasonal risk on this route sits at the destination (New York) — use the DelayGuard predictor to check conditions for your specific travel date.
- Which airline is most reliable on SEA to JFK?
- On SEA→JFK, Delta Air Lines has the lowest measured delay rate at 18.93% of 3,867 flights, and JetBlue Airways the highest at 38.35% (BTS, January 2023 to December 2025). Delta Air Lines cancels the fewest at 1.06% (2024 to 2025). These are route-specific figures, not airline-wide averages.
- How late are SEA to JFK flights when they are delayed?
- When a SEA to JFK flight was late (15+ minutes), it arrived an average of 63 minutes late (median 36). 7.7% 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.