ON TIMEBOARD
CLT Charlotte / SMF Sacramento

CLT → SMF on time

Charlotte Douglas (Charlotte, NC) to Sacramento (Sacramento, CA). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
81%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.9%
372 flights
Typical arrival
−10 min
median vs schedule
When late
+69 min
average delay
Flights / day
1
1 airline

81% of flights from Charlotte to Sacramento arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. 7% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for CLT → SMF: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 62% of the time. About 1 in 20 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 93 three hours or more; 1.9% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 372 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
American Airlines37281%1.9%−10 min5.1%+69 minAmerican Airlines

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at CLT). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%8 a.m. departures: too few flights (24 flights)8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights (9 flights)9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (2 flights)11anoon departures: too few flights12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights (1 flights)2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights (2 flights)3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights (84 flights)5p6 p.m. departures: 76% on time (239 flights)766p
CLT → SMF, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: September (89%). Worst: July (41%).

30%65%100%Jan: too few flights (91 flights)JanFeb: too few flights (81 flights)FebMar: too few flights (93 flights)MarApr: too few flights (90 flights)AprMay: too few flights (93 flights)MayJun: 54% on time (112 flights)54JunJul: 41% on time (120 flights)41JulAug: too few flights (96 flights)AugSep: 89% on time (120 flights)89SepOct: too few flights (94 flights)OctNov: too few flights (87 flights)NovDec: 79% on time (103 flights)79Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday54——
Tuesday54——
Wednesday53——
Thursday52——
Friday53——
Saturday53——
Sunday53——

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Late inbound plane 60%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 24%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 11%Severe weather 4%

Cancellations: weather 6 · airline 1

Month by month

Not enough months with data to draw a trend.

Questions

How often are flights from CLT to SMF on time?

81% of 372 scheduled flights from Charlotte, NC to Sacramento, CA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.9% were cancelled.

What month has the most delays from CLT to SMF?

July (41% on time). The best month is September (89%), over 2023–2026.

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.