Flights Chicago → Seattle
ORD → SEA
How long is the flight from Chicago to Seattle?
The flight from Chicago (ORD) to Seattle (SEA) takes 3h 54m on average. That is the median time recorded across 7 scheduled flights on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
Route overview
This flight route connects Chicago to Seattle and operates with a fleet of Boeing 737-800, Boeing 737-900, Airbus A320, and Boeing 757-200 aircraft. With 1,123 total flights recorded, the route has a 79% on-time performance rate and an average delay of 14.4 minutes.
Your rights on this US flight (DOT)
US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under the US DOT rules, if your flight is cancelled or significantly changed and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Amenities for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.
US flight refund rules & checker →General information, not legal advice.
The Chicago (ORD) → Seattle (SEA) route is operated by American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, United Airlines. Across 3300 flights monitored in recent months, 74% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 18 minutes. The cancellation rate is 1.73%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 25.4/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At Seattle the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Chicago the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes.
Heading to Seattle: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Chicago (ORD) to Seattle (SEA) heads north-west for about 2,762 km, a flight time of roughly 3h 54m.
Departures from Chicago on this leg cluster in the overnight window: about 36% of ORD-SEA flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Chicago the average ATFM delay is 5.5 min (atfm); arriving into Seattle it is 5.5 min (atfm).
Across 3,300 tracked ORD-SEA flights, 74% left on time with an average delay of 18 min and a 1.7% cancellation rate.
Route facts
Flights on this route
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Airline punctuality on this route
| Airline | On-time | Average delay | Cancellations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines (AS) | 85% | -1 min | 0.5% |
| United Airlines (UA) | 83% | 5 min | 1.3% |
| American Airlines (AA) | 79% | 6 min | 1.1% |
Airlines operating ORD-SEA
Airports
Frequently asked questions about ORD-SEA
The flight from Chicago (ORD) to Seattle (SEA) takes 3h 54m on average. That is the median time recorded across 7 scheduled flights on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
On the Chicago (ORD) -> Seattle (SEA) route, on-time performance is 74% with an average delay of 18 minutes, based on 3300 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Chicago-Seattle is 1.73% across 3300 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 3 airlines: American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, United Airlines.
Enter your flight number on FlightGuard for a real-time analysis based on 9 factors: weather at Seattle, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel, airline punctuality and recent trends.
US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under US DOT rules, if the airline cancels or significantly changes your flight and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Meals or hotels for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.
