Cleveland (CLE) to Seattle (SEA): On-Time Performance
Data through May 2026
When you fly CLE to SEA matters as much as anything else about the booking: the route swung from 96% on-time in November 2024 to just 21% in December 2025. Across the full period the route averages 70% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (80% vs 64%), which matters most in the rough months.
- On-time
- 70%
- arrived <15 min late
- Avg delay
- 16 min
- completed flights
- Cancelled
- 1.5%
- Flights/day
- 1.3
- last 12 months
- Duration
- 5h 8m
- scheduled
- Distance
- 2,021 mi
Monthly on-time trend
Best time to fly from CLE to SEA
Aim for departures around 7 a.m. (79% on-time); avoid 8 p.m. departures (46%).
By day of week
| Day | On-time | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 62% | 22 min |
| Tuesdaybest | 75% | 12 min |
| Wednesday | 73% | 15 min |
| Thursday | 75% | 13 min |
| Friday | 68% | 17 min |
| Saturday | 71% | 17 min |
| Sunday | 70% | 19 min |
What causes delays on this route
Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft41%
- Airline operations24%
- National airspace system30%
- Weather4%
- Security1%
Frequently asked questions
- How often are flights from CLE to SEA delayed?
- 30% of CLE–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 16 minutes.
- What is the best time of day to fly from CLE to SEA?
- Departures around 7 a.m. have the best record (79% on-time), while departures around 8 p.m. have the worst (46%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
- How long is the flight from CLE to SEA?
- The scheduled CLE–SEA flight time averages 5h 8m over 2,021 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 30% of the time.
- How often are CLE to SEA flights cancelled?
- 1.5% 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 CLE to SEA?
- December 2025 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 21% of arrivals on time. The best was November 2024 at 96%. If your dates are flexible, that 76-point gap is worth planning around.
Explore related pages
More routes from CLE
Based on 889 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.