How long does it really take to fly from Indianapolis to Seattle? Here's a sample itinerary for a commercial flight plan. If you want to know the total travel time to reach Seattle, you need to include time at the airports. Eventually, you'll be able to customize this itinerary to select other nearby airports and choose your preferred airline.
Thursday, 1:56 pm: start in Indianapolis
drive for about 24 minutes
most airlines recommend you get to the airport at least 90 minutes before your flight, so arrive by 3:15 pm at the latest
2:20 pm: Indianapolis International (IND)
if you need to check luggage, make sure you do it at least 30-60 minutes before departure, or in this case, by 3:45 pm
2:50 pm: get your boarding pass and go through TSA security
allow enough time for long security lines during busy travel seasons or holidays, and prepare for the wait time
3:50 pm: arrive at the gate
once you're ready to board, you can get something to eat in the airport or just relax near the gate
4:20 pm: prepare for boarding
check your boarding pass for your group number or listen to the gate agent as they announce boarding, some airlines require you to be in the boarding area 10-15 minutes before departure or risk losing your seat
4:35 pm: board American Airlines Inc. flight
you can scroll down to view other airlines that fly this route
4:45 pm: this is your scheduled departure time
but this flight is usually delayed by an average of 12 minutes
4:57 pm: so this is your actual departure time
it takes the plane an average of 15 minutes to taxi to the runway
5:12 pm: wheels up! take-off from IND
fly for about 4.5 hours in the air
6:39 pm (local time): Los Angeles International (LAX)
Los Angeles, CA is 3 hours behind Indianapolis, IN
so the time in Indianapolis is actually 9:39 pm
land at the connecting airport
taxi on the runway for an average of 10 minutes to the gate
6:49 pm (local time): arrive at the connecting airport
make sure you schedule enough time for your layover
there may be a minimum connection time for your flight
7:20 pm (local time): get to your connection gate
with the average delay, you have about 31 minutes
if your incoming flight was delayed, you may need to run
7:35 pm (local time): board Alaska Airlines Inc. connecting flight
you can scroll down to view other airlines that fly this route
7:45 pm (local time): scheduled departure time for connecting flight
but this flight is usually delayed by an average of 15 minutes
8:00 pm (local time): actual departure time for connecting flight
it takes the plane an average of 20 minutes to taxi to the runway
8:20 pm (local time): wheels up again! take-off from MDW
fly for about 2.5 hours in the air
10:38 pm (local time): Seattle/Tacoma International (SEA)
Seattle is 3 hours behind Indianapolis
so the time in Indianapolis is actually 1:38 am
taxi on the runway for an average of 12 minutes to the gate
10:50 pm (local time): arrive at the gate at SEA
deboard the plane, and claim any baggage
if you're renting a car, check if you need to take a shuttle to car rental agency, otherwise you can ride in a cab, limo, or Uber for about 33 minutes to your destination
11:23 pm (local time): arrive in Seattle
Total travel time: 12 hours
How far is Seattle from Indianapolis? Here's the quick answer if you have a private jet and you can fly in the fastest possible straight line.
Flight distance: 1,872 miles or 3013 km
Flight time: 4 hours, 15 minutes
Compare this to a whole day of commercial travel with the airports and waiting in line for security, which ends up taking a total of 12 hours, 27 minutes.
Flying private is roughly 3.1x faster, and saves you about 8.5 hours in your total travel time.
Because of the curvature of the Earth, the shortest distance is actually the "great circle" distance, or "as the crow flies" which is calculated using an iterative Vincenty formula. For a long distance, this appears as a curve on the map, and this is often the route that commercial airlines will take so it's a good estimate of the frequent flyer miles you'll accumulate as well.
This is a medium length flight, so unless you have a nice private jet, you might be booking a commercial flight. In that case, your travel time would really need to include how many minutes to get to your local airport, wait for security, board and taxi on the runway, land at the other airport, and get to your destination. The flight itinerary at the top of the page takes into account all these factors to get a more accurate estimate of your actual flight time.
Looking at flights on American Airlines Inc. from IND to LAX, and connecting flights on Alaska Airlines Inc. from LAX to SEA, here's a breakdown of the number of flights available each day:
Based on these statistical results, we chose Thursday for the flight itinerary above.
The most common route is IND to LAX, then connecting to SEA, so that's what we used in the sample itinerary. However, you may want to explore travel alternatives, you could try one of these routes:
We picked American Airlines Inc. for your main flight, and Alaska Airlines Inc. for your connecting flight, but there are other airlines that you should check if you're looking for the cheapest flight, or you need a different schedule. Check the websites of these airlines:
Trippy has a ton of information that can help you plan your trip to Seattle, Washington. Start by reading the Trippy page on where to stay in Seattle. If you're looking for a place to stay, you might want to check out Ace Hotel. A great place to eat might be Serious Pie. Trippy members can suggest things to do in Seattle like Pike Place Market. Check out some of the questions people have asked about Seattle like Is the Space Needle worth seeing? Click the button below to explore Seattle in detail.
The distance is the same either way if you're flying a straight line. But for a real trip, there can be plenty of differences so go ahead and check the reverse flight itinerary to fly from Seattle to Indianapolis, or go to the main page to calculate other flight times.
You can also compare the travel time if you were to drive instead. Get the full itinerary for a Indianapolis to Seattle road trip. Or if you're more interested in the distance, How far is it from Indianapolis to Seattle?
If you happen to know Indianapolis, don't forget to help other travelers and answer some questions about Indianapolis!