Seattle to Denver: what the SEA to DEN corridor looks like
- Departure
- Seattle Tacoma International Airport, Seattle, the United States
- Arrival
- Denver International Airport, Denver, the United States
- Great-circle distance
- 1,645 km (888 nm)
- Typical airborne time
- 2h 25m
- Usual cruise levels
- FL330 to FL390
- Initial track
- southeast bound
Route overview
Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA) in Seattle, the United States, to Denver International Airport (DEN) in Denver, the United States, is a great-circle distance of 1,645 km, about 888 nautical miles. At typical jet cruise speeds, and with an allowance for climb, descent and approach, that works out to roughly 2h 25m of airborne time. The great-circle track leaves Seattle southeast bound and spends most of the flight in mid latitude air.
Leaving Seattle
Seattle Tacoma sits between the Olympic and Cascade ranges on Puget Sound. Air funnelled between those ranges gives the climb out its character, particularly in winter storm season. The great-circle track leaves SEA southeast bound, and the first waypoint band of the flight sits close to 45.6N 117.9W. On a sector of 2h 25m, the climb to cruise takes roughly the first twenty to twenty five minutes.
Mountain wave over the Rockies
Along the way the track passes over high terrain close to one of the airports. The midpoint of the SEA to DEN track lies near 43.7N 113.5W, about 823 km from Seattle, which is where the corridor spends its longest continuous stretch at cruise level. The track crosses the Rocky Mountains, where westerly wind lifted over the ridge line oscillates downwind and produces mountain wave turbulence at cruise level. On windy days that gives a defined bumpy segment of roughly twenty to thirty minutes, with settled air before and after it.
Cruise altitudes on this sector
Medium haul sectors typically level off between FL330 and FL390, with a single step climb once fuel burn has lightened the aircraft. Denver sits at about 5,431 ft, so the arrival is flown into higher terrain where local wind can add movement on descent. Choice of level matters because turbulence is layered: a change of two or three thousand feet often puts the aircraft into calmer air, and that is one of the first adjustments a crew will request.
Arriving into Denver
Approaching Denver from the east means descending into air disturbed by the Front Range. On windy winter days the arrival is flown through mountain wave, and the crew briefs it in advance because it is a known local feature. Descent normally begins around 41.8N 109.1W, roughly 411 km before DEN, and takes about half an hour from cruise level to touchdown.
Seasonal pattern
Mountain wave activity follows the strength of the winter westerlies, so the most defined wave segments occur between November and March, and mid summer crossings are typically calm.
Flying this route with less worry
Turbulence on this corridor is a comfort issue rather than a safety one. Airliners are certified to handle loads well beyond anything the atmosphere produces here, crews are trained for it, and the seat belt sign is the tool that keeps the cabin settled. What this page adds is knowing in advance: the map and Calmness Score above use current WAFS forecast data for SEA to DEN, so you can see what to expect before you board.