Flying for the holidays? SEA Airport ranks No. 3 for fewer travel disruptions
Oct 27, 2026, 5:57 PM | Updated: Oct 28, 2026, 11:02 am
Check in gates are quiet at SeattleTacoma International Airport, also known as Sea-Tac Airport. (Photo courtesy: Karen Ducey, Getty Images)
(Photo courtesy: Karen Ducey, Getty Images)
If you’re worried about flying out of Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA) Airport for the holidays, a new consumer report may ease your mind.
SEA ranks third among the best airports for avoiding travel disruptions, according to a ConsumerAffairs report. By utilizing U.S. Department of Transportation data from 2024 and 2025, the study ranks small, medium, and large airports, with Seattle in the large category.
The study compared 30 large airports, and SEA ranked just behind Los Angeles International (LAX) and Phoenix Sky Harbor (PHX) for the best disruption scores. SEA had the lowest severe-delay rate at 0.65% out of all 30 large airports in the study. In comparison, LAX’s severe-delay rate is 1.14%, and PHX’s is 0.93%.
Significant weather delay accounts for 4.51% of SEA’s reported delayed minutes. Maintenance and crew problems are the biggest cause of delays at SEA, accounting for 41.06% of reported delays.
Other findings
For minimal travel disruptions, the West Coast leads among large airports. Salt Lake City International (SLC) ranks fourth behind SEA. Then, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International (ATL) ranks fifth. ATL is the only Southeast representation in the top five within the study.
Local comparisons
- Seattle-Tacoma International (SEA): 23.9% of scheduled departures were canceled or delayed during the holiday season. Typical rate is 21.8%.
- Portland International (PDX): 21.3% experienced disruptions, compared with 17.1% for the rest of the year.
- Spokane International (GEG): 20.3% experienced disruptions, with its baseline rate outside of the holidays at 15.6%.
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Protect your travel
Experts recommend considering travel insurance to help recover costs and weighing potential disruptions — not just price — when booking holiday travel. Allow extra time at smaller airports. If something goes wrong, act quickly, save receipts, and keep checking your airline’s app for updates.
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