WestJet Captain Calls Out Seattle Airport After 737 Burns 800 Lbs Of Fuel Just To Reach The Runway

Published Oct 11, 2026, 2:41 AM EDT Journalist – Aaron is an aviation and travel journalist with 14 years of experience in the travel and tourism industry. His background spans airport operations, aviation infrastructure, and travel consulting, having worked with global organizations across New Zealand, Europe, and North America. Combining industry expertise with firsthand travel experience across more than 52 countries and five continents, Aaron covers airlines, airports, aviation policy, and the wider travel sector. He is based in Canterbury, New Zealand. His work has been published in Simple Flying and featured by MSN, SAM CHUI Aviation & Travel, EIN News, Pakistan Defence, and Climate Depot. A pilot at WestJet has voiced his frustration over ground delays at one of America's busiest airports recently, after the flight was forced to wait in Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) and burn up to 800 pounds (362 kg) of fuel before the aircraft was able to depart. The WestJet captain was operating a flight on Thursday, October 8, from Seattle to Calgary International Airport (YYC). For Canada's second-largest airline, WestJet, the latest ordeal was recounted by Airlive, where the pilot claimed that the simple round-trip service from Alberta to Washington faced significant schedule disruptions, which saw the plane operate more than three hours behind its scheduled time. Ground Delays Led To WestJet Flight Burning 800 Pounds Of Fuel Before Takeoff Credit: Markus Maink | Shutterstock WestJet flight 1553 was more than three hours delayed from departing from Seattle on Thursday, an ordeal that already had passengers upset. The Boeing 737-800 was then forced to wait a further 32 minutes to navigate the congested taxiways before it was able to reach Runway 16L. The captain notified the airline that after the prolonged ground transit, the narrowbody twinjet had burned through 800 lbs of fuel just from idling and maneuvering on the ground, before the plane had even taken off. For the pilot, he acknowledged that a half-hour taxi delay has become usual at Seattle, noting that this operational risk necessitated the captain to request additional fuel over the standard planned quantity prior to departure. This was undertaken as a precaution in case of excessive taxiing that would have otherwise seen the plane needing to potentially return to the gate to remain in the legal minimum takeoff fuel requirements. WS1553 Departs After a Three-Hour Delay And 30 Minutes Of Taxiing Credit: Robin Guess | Shutterstock WS1553 is a scheduled daily service between Seattle and Calgary. The route is contested between Canadian carrier WestJet and Seattle-based Alaska Airlines. On Thursday, October 8, the scheduled departure time of the flight, as per Simple Flying's flight tracker, suggested the service should have departed at 10:30 AM local time. The service was delayed on departure and eventually pushed back from the gate at 1:03 PM. As noted by Airlive, the aircraft was forced into more than 30 minutes of ground taxiing and maneuvering across the taxiways to reach its planned runway for departure. Once the aircraft was airborne, at 1:35 PM, it made the one-hour and 59-minute journey northeast, arriving into Alberta's largest city, Calgary, at 4:02 PM. The recent events for this WestJet flight highlight the ongoing concerns for ground congestion and taxi times at major US airports, and the pressures placed on airlines for operational costs, efficiency, and fuel management. The incident highlights the role airline crews play when anticipating potential ground delays, and the need to consider additional fuel to avoid gate returns or further disruption. Canadian Destinations On Offer From Seattle Credit: Austin Deppe | Shutterstock There are four airlines serving Seattle with Canadian destinations in their route map. Canadian carriers Air Canada and WestJet are by far the largest operators, followed by Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines. Full details in the table below: Destination Airport Destination Airport IATA Code Airline Operating From Seattle Notes Calgary International Airport YYC Alaska Airlines, WestJet, WestJet Encore Edmonton International Airport YEG Alaska Airlines Kelowna International Airport YLW Alaska Airlines, WestJet Encore WestJet Encore operated seasonally Montréal-Pierre Elliott Trudeau International Airport YUL Air Canada Seasonal, resuming on May 1, 2027 Toronto Pearson International Airport YYZ Air Canada, Alaska Airlines Vancouver International Airport YVR Air Canada Express, Alaska Airlines, Delta Connection Victoria International Airport YYJ Alaska Airlines Vancouver is the busiest Canadian destination from the airport, with data from The Frequent Flyer suggesting that between July 2025 and June 2026 more than 624,000 passengers traveled between the two airports. The route sits third overall for all international routes from the airport, behind Taipei (778,000) and Seoul (631,000).