81% of flights leaving Sacramento (SMF) arrived on time over the past 12 months, 5 points better than the national average of 76%. That ranks 12 of 76 large U.S. airports. About 158 flights leave SMF on a typical day; 0.8% were cancelled. 80% pushed back from the gate on time, so most of the lateness is already there when the flight leaves the gate.
At a glance
- Best hour to fly: 5 a.m. (94% on time). Worst: 9 p.m. (70%).
- Best month: February (86%). Worst: July (77%).
- Most reliable airline here: Delta Air Lines (90%), vs Southwest Airlines at 79%.
- Biggest delay cause: late-arriving aircraft (46% of delay minutes).
- Year on year: getting worse (83% → 81%).
How late?
The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for flights leaving SMF: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 63% of the time. About 1 in 21 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 136 three hours or more; 0.7% were cancelled outright.
- On time or early81%
- 15–30 min late7.9%
- 30–60 min late5.5%
- 1–2 hours late3.1%
- 2–3 hours late0.8%
- 3+ hours late0.7%
- Diverted0.2%
- Cancelled0.7%
Share of all 57,634 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.
Best time of day to fly out of SMF
Time of day matters more at SMF than almost anything else you control. Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. arrived on time 94% of the time; at 9 p.m. it was 70%, a 24-point gap. Taken together, early departures (5–9 a.m.) ran 91% on time against 72% for the evening bank (5–10 p.m.). Early planes usually start the day at the airport, so they haven't had a chance to pick up delays elsewhere. By evening a late inbound aircraft, a crew running out of duty hours or an afternoon thunderstorm can push one late flight into the next. Cancellations cluster too: 11 p.m. departures were cancelled 2.0% of the time, against 0.8% overall.
Hour × month
Combine the two and the spread is wider still. The most reliable combination at SMF was a 5 a.m. departure in October (96% on time); the least, 11 p.m. in July (61%). If you can only move one thing, move the hour. Departure hour usually shifts the odds more than the month does.
Each cell: on-time rate for that departure hour in that calendar month, 2023–2026. Find your travel month, then look along the row for the greenest hour.
Best and worst months
July is the hardest month at SMF, with 77% of flights on time across 2023–2026; February is the best at 86%. Summer (June–August) runs 6 points worse than autumn: heavy schedules, peak loads and afternoon thunderstorms. Cancellations peak in January (1.3% of flights).
Airlines at SMF
Southwest Airlines runs 55% of departures from SMF, so SMF is effectively its hub. When Southwest Airlines has a bad day, so does the airport. Among airlines with at least 1,000 departures here, Delta Air Lines was the most reliable (90% on time) and Southwest Airlines the least (79%), a 11-point difference. On a route where both fly, that difference is worth more than a small fare gap.
| Airline | Departures | On time | Left on time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 31,928 | 79% | 76% | 0.4% | −4 min |
| Delta Air Lines | 7,289 | 90% | 90% | 0.7% | −13 min |
| United Airlines | 6,311 | 81% | 84% | 0.9% | −8 min |
| Alaska Airlines | 6,082 | 80% | 83% | 1.5% | −5 min |
| American Airlines | 4,750 | 82% | 81% | 1.5% | −10 min |
| Frontier Airlines | 672 | 75% | 77% | 1.3% | −7 min |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 367 | 79% | 81% | 1.1% | −3 min |
| JetBlue | 167 | 63% | 56% | 5.4% | +4 min |
Why flights are late at SMF
Airlines report a cause for every flight that arrives 15 or more minutes late. At SMF, 46% of delay minutes came from late-arriving aircraft: the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Next is the airlines themselves at 31%. That's why the first flight of the morning is the safest bet: it has no earlier flight to inherit a delay from. Of the 431 cancellations, 42% were blamed on weather.
The average taxi from gate to takeoff is 14 minutes, shorter than at most large U.S. airports.
Month by month
Over the latest 12 months 81% of SMF departures were on time, against 83% in the 12 months before, a decline of 2 points. The best recent month was February 2026 (85%); the worst, June 2026 (77%).
Worst cancellation days
The worst single day in the past year was Sunday, Nov 9, 2025, when 10% of 178 scheduled departures were cancelled. Days like that are usually a major storm, a system outage or a holiday peak hitting bad weather. No average predicts them, so on a stormy forecast, check your airline's travel waivers.
| Date | Departures | Cancelled | On time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nov 9, 2025 | 178 | 10% | 65% |
| Jan 24, 2026 | 108 | 6% | 87% |
| Jan 25, 2026 | 155 | 6% | 77% |
| Nov 11, 2025 | 154 | 5% | 86% |
| Mar 13, 2026 | 166 | 5% | 72% |
| Nov 10, 2025 | 174 | 5% | 66% |
| Nov 14, 2025 | 175 | 5% | 73% |
| Jan 27, 2026 | 132 | 5% | 86% |
| Nov 13, 2025 | 178 | 4% | 82% |
| Jan 19, 2026 | 156 | 4% | 77% |
Last flights of the day
The last flight of the day is a different bet. Across routes from SMF, each airline's final departure was cancelled 0.9% of the time, against 0.7% for its earlier flights (1.3× as often). Late in the day crews run short on duty hours, aircraft arrive late from elsewhere, and with no later flight to fold passengers into, cancelling is easier for the airline. 0.9% of last flights landed 3+ hours late. The riskiest last flight out was American Airlines to Chicago (2.6% cancelled).
| Last flight to | Airline | Leaves | Cancelled | 3h+ late | On time |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | American Airlines | 7:22 p.m. | 2.6% | 3.5% | 81% |
| SFO San Francisco | United Airlines | 7:03 p.m. | 2.7% | 3.0% | 43% |
| LAS Las Vegas | Delta Air Lines | — | 3.7% | 1.8% | 87% |
| DFW Dallas | American Airlines | 11:45 p.m. | 3.6% | 1.9% | 74% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | Delta Air Lines | 7:18 p.m. | 2.2% | 1.6% | 84% |
| SAN San Diego | Alaska Airlines | 5:37 p.m. | 3.6% | 0.0% | 62% |
| ORD Chicago | United Airlines | 11:43 p.m. | 1.4% | 1.7% | 77% |
| PDX Portland | Alaska Airlines | 7:17 p.m. | 0.8% | 1.6% | 77% |
| LAX Los Angeles | American Airlines | 7:21 p.m. | 0.9% | 1.4% | 80% |
| ATL Atlanta | Delta Air Lines | 10:00 p.m. | 1.7% | 0.5% | 93% |
| PHX Phoenix | American Airlines | 4:13 p.m. | 1.1% | 1.1% | 73% |
| SAN San Diego | Southwest Airlines | 8:25 p.m. | 1.6% | 0.3% | 62% |
Each airline's last scheduled departure of the day on a route, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Riskiest first.
Tips for flying out of SMF
- Book the earliest departure you can live with. At SMF the 5 a.m. flights do best.
- Traveling in July? Leave extra slack for anything that can't move: cruises, weddings, the last connection of the day.
- Choosing between airlines? Delta Air Lines has the better record here.
- Need to arrive tonight? Don't book the last flight out of SMF; the one before it leaves you a backup.
- Delayed already? Most delays at SMF come from late-arriving aircraft. If your inbound plane is late, your flight will be too, whatever the board says.
Routes from SMF
Where you're going matters too. From SMF, the most reliable busy route was to Salt Lake City (SLC, 86% on time) and the least reliable to San Francisco (SFO, 61%). Flights into congested airports inherit their delays: an air traffic program at the destination holds planes on the ground here.
Least reliable first. Routes with at least 365 flights a year.
| To | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Typical arrival |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SFO San Francisco | 1,360 | 61% | 1.7% | +3 min |
| SAN San Diego | 5,646 | 68% | 1.3% | +3 min |
| DAL Dallas | 661 | 73% | 0.6% | +1 min |
| GEG Spokane | 608 | 76% | 0.0% | −2 min |
| ORD Chicago | 1,347 | 78% | 1.5% | −6 min |
| AUS Austin | 378 | 78% | 0.3% | 0 min |
| LAS Las Vegas | 4,009 | 78% | 0.7% | −5 min |
| DFW Dallas | 1,601 | 79% | 2.4% | −11 min |
| PHX Phoenix | 3,615 | 80% | 0.5% | −5 min |
| EUG Eugene | 365 | 81% | 0.0% | −7 min |
| HNL Honolulu | 730 | 81% | 0.1% | −6 min |
| SEA Seattle | 4,569 | 82% | 0.4% | −8 min |
| DEN Denver | 3,844 | 82% | 0.2% | −5 min |
| PDX Portland | 2,541 | 83% | 0.8% | −7 min |
| BOI Boise | 1,235 | 83% | 0.3% | −6 min |
| BUR Burbank | 2,596 | 83% | 1.7% | −9 min |
| SNA Santa Ana | 2,288 | 84% | 0.3% | −7 min |
| ONT Ontario | 2,108 | 84% | 0.3% | −7 min |
| LAX Los Angeles | 5,717 | 85% | 0.4% | −9 min |
| LGB Long Beach | 1,852 | 85% | 0.3% | −7 min |
| OGG Kahului | 480 | 86% | 1.5% | −5 min |
| MDW Chicago | 674 | 86% | 0.3% | −5 min |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 2,165 | 86% | 0.9% | −12 min |
| CLT Charlotte | 372 | 86% | 2.1% | −15 min |
| KOA Kona | 522 | 87% | 0.4% | −9 min |
| PSP Palm Springs | 523 | 87% | 0.2% | −6 min |
| SBA Santa Barbara | 366 | 89% | 0.8% | −12 min |
| IAH Houston | 670 | 91% | 0.1% | −8 min |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,007 | 91% | 1.4% | −13 min |
| MSP Minneapolis | 593 | 92% | 0.7% | −14 min |
| IAD Washington | 365 | 94% | 1.6% | −18 min |
Flights into SMF
Arriving rather than leaving? These are the routes into Sacramento, least reliable first. The weakest is from Chicago (66% on time).
| From | Flights | On time | Cancelled |
|---|---|---|---|
| ORD Chicago | 1,347 | 66% | 1.6% |
| MDW Chicago | 672 | 67% | 0.9% |
| DFW Dallas | 1,603 | 67% | 2.3% |
| DAL Dallas | 661 | 70% | 0.6% |
| AUS Austin | 378 | 72% | 0.0% |
| DEN Denver | 3,853 | 73% | 0.3% |
| SAN San Diego | 5,648 | 73% | 1.1% |
| OGG Kahului | 480 | 74% | 0.8% |
| HNL Honolulu | 730 | 75% | 0.3% |
| SFO San Francisco | 1,359 | 75% | 1.6% |
| LAS Las Vegas | 4,005 | 77% | 0.5% |
| IAD Washington | 365 | 79% | 1.4% |
| PHX Phoenix | 3,606 | 80% | 0.4% |
| CLT Charlotte | 372 | 81% | 1.9% |
| IAH Houston | 669 | 81% | 0.1% |
| ATL Atlanta | 1,007 | 81% | 1.2% |
| SEA Seattle | 4,573 | 81% | 0.5% |
| MSP Minneapolis | 593 | 82% | 0.5% |
| PSP Palm Springs | 522 | 83% | 0.6% |
| SBA Santa Barbara | 365 | 83% | 0.5% |
| PDX Portland | 2,541 | 83% | 0.4% |
| SLC Salt Lake City | 2,165 | 84% | 0.9% |
| LAX Los Angeles | 5,708 | 84% | 0.4% |
| ONT Ontario | 2,119 | 85% | 0.3% |
| BUR Burbank | 2,596 | 85% | 1.5% |
Showing the 25 least reliable of 31 routes into SMF.
Questions about SMF delays
What is the best time to fly out of SMF?
Flights scheduled at 5 a.m.: over the past year 94% of SMF departures at that hour arrived on time, against 70% at 9 p.m., the worst hour.
What month has the most flight delays at SMF?
July (77% on time). February is the best month (86%).
Which airline is most on time at SMF?
Delta Air Lines: 90% of its SMF departures arrived on time over the past year. Southwest Airlines had the weakest record at 79%.
Why are flights delayed at SMF?
The biggest cause was late-arriving aircraft (46% of delay minutes): the plane showed up late from its previous flight, so the delay started somewhere else. Then the airlines themselves (31%).
How often are flights cancelled at SMF?
0.8% of scheduled departures over the past 12 months, peaking in January at 1.3%.
Hours are scheduled local departure times. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes late at the destination; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Method.