FlightRecord

Nashville (BNA) to Seattle (SEA): On-Time Performance

Data through May 2026

When you fly BNA to SEA matters as much as anything else about the booking: the route swung from 91% on-time in October 2024 to just 54% in December 2025. Across the full period the route averages 77% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (83% vs 65%), which matters most in the rough months.

On-time
77%
arrived <15 min late
Avg delay
13 min
completed flights
Cancelled
0.8%
Flights/day
4.0
last 12 months
Duration
5h 7m
scheduled
Distance
1,978 mi

Best airline from BNA to SEA

3 airlines flew this route regularly between 2024-06 and 2026-05.

AirlineOn-timeAvg delayCancelledFlights
Delta Air Linesmost reliable85%9 min0.3%868
Alaska Airlines75%14 min1.0%1,719
Southwest Airlines58%20 min0.0%154

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly on-time percentage for BNA to SEA flights50%75%100%June 2024: 75% on-time (125 flights)75Jun 2024July 2024: 84% on-time (128 flights)84August 2024: 82% on-time (126 flights)82September 2024: 85% on-time (125 flights)85Sep 2024October 2024: 91% on-time (113 flights)91November 2024: 88% on-time (88 flights)88December 2024: 77% on-time (91 flights)77Dec 2024January 2025: 85% on-time (82 flights)85February 2025: 71% on-time (76 flights)71March 2025: 82% on-time (90 flights)82Mar 2025April 2025: 78% on-time (98 flights)78May 2025: 85% on-time (124 flights)85June 2025: 72% on-time (173 flights)72Jun 2025July 2025: 72% on-time (188 flights)72August 2025: 64% on-time (176 flights)64September 2025: 75% on-time (135 flights)75Sep 2025October 2025: 77% on-time (117 flights)77November 2025: 76% on-time (88 flights)76December 2025: 54% on-time (90 flights)54Dec 2025January 2026: 68% on-time (81 flights)68February 2026: 84% on-time (76 flights)84March 2026: 71% on-time (91 flights)71Mar 2026April 2026: 84% on-time (118 flights)84May 2026: 79% on-time (142 flights)79

Best time to fly from BNA to SEA

Aim for departures around 8 a.m. (90% on-time); avoid 2 p.m. departures (36%).

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour, BNA to SEA7 a.m.: 81% on-time (1,406 flights)78 a.m.: 90% on-time (31 flights)89 a.m.: 87% on-time (346 flights)92 p.m.: 36% on-time (33 flights)143 p.m.: 67% on-time (46 flights)154 p.m.: 79% on-time (169 flights)165 p.m.: 70% on-time (452 flights)176 p.m.: 58% on-time (173 flights)187 p.m.: 43% on-time (47 flights)19scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday77%12 min
Tuesday80%10 min
Wednesdaybest83%9 min
Thursday72%18 min
Friday72%15 min
Saturday82%10 min
Sunday75%15 min

What causes delays on this route

Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.

  • Late-arriving aircraft31%
  • Airline operations35%
  • National airspace system29%
  • Weather4%

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights from BNA to SEA delayed?
23% of BNA–SEA flights arrived 15 or more minutes late (the US DOT definition of a delay) between 2024-06 and 2026-05. The average arrival delay across completed flights was 13 minutes.
Which airline is most reliable from BNA to SEA?
Delta Air Lines has the best on-time record on this route at 85%, based on 868 flights. 3 airlines flew BNA–SEA frequently enough to compare in this period.
What is the best time of day to fly from BNA to SEA?
Departures around 8 a.m. have the best record (90% on-time), while departures around 2 p.m. have the worst (36%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
How long is the flight from BNA to SEA?
The scheduled BNA–SEA flight time averages 5h 7m over 1,978 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 23% of the time.
How often are BNA to SEA flights cancelled?
0.8% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-06 and 2026-05, at or below the national rate of 1.6%.
What is the worst month to fly from BNA to SEA?
December 2025 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 54% of arrivals on time. The best was October 2024 at 91%. If your dates are flexible, that 37-point gap is worth planning around.

Based on 2,741 flights, 2024-062026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.