ON TIMEBOARD

GEG → SMF on time

Spokane (Spokane, WA) to Sacramento (Sacramento, CA). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
86%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.3%
608 flights
Typical arrival
−8 min
median vs schedule
When late
+46 min
average delay
Flights / day
2
1 airline

86% of flights from Spokane to Sacramento arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is better than the typical U.S. route. The 5 a.m. departures ran on time 98% of the time; the 5 p.m. ones 64%. 4% 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 GEG → SMF: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 71% of the time. About 1 in 32 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 304 three hours or more; 0.3% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 608 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
Southwest Airlines60886%0.3%−8 min3.1%+46 minSouthwest 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 GEG). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%5 a.m. departures: 98% on time (291 flights)985a6 a.m. departures: too few flights (71 flights)6a7 a.m. departures: too few flights7a8 a.m. departures: too few flights8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights (3 flights)10a11 a.m. departures: too few flights (9 flights)11anoon departures: too few flights12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights (4 flights)2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights (18 flights)3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights (22 flights)4p5 p.m. departures: 64% on time (163 flights)645p
GEG → 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

Last flight of the day

On GEG → SMF, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.4% of the time, against 0.4% for its earlier flights, about the same. It arrived 3+ hours late 0.8% of the time (earlier flights: 0.0%). It matters more than the numbers suggest. Miss an earlier flight and there's another one that evening; miss the last one and you're usually waiting until morning.

AirlineLast departureLast: cancelledLast: 3h+ lateEarlier: cancelledNext morning
Southwest Airlines5:30 p.m.0.4%0.8%0.4%first flight 5:30 a.m.

Last flight = the airline's last scheduled departure on this route that day, on days it flies the route at least twice; past 12 months. Times are typical scheduled times over the latest three months.

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026. Best: November (90%). Worst: December (82%).

40%70%100%Jan: 83% on time (118 flights)83JanFeb: 88% on time (115 flights)88FebMar: 89% on time (156 flights)89MarApr: 86% on time (159 flights)86AprMay: 90% on time (162 flights)90MayJun: 84% on time (186 flights)84JunJul: 84% on time (200 flights)84JulAug: 85% on time (178 flights)85AugSep: 87% on time (157 flights)87SepOct: 88% on time (138 flights)88OctNov: 90% on time (154 flights)90NovDec: 82% on time (157 flights)82Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday99——
Tuesday77——
Wednesday74——
Thursday95——
Friday99——
Saturday61——
Sunday10381%0.0%

Why flights were late

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

Late inbound plane 73%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 21%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 6%

Cancellations: weather 2

Month by month

Not enough months with data to draw a trend.

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Nov 30, 202530%0

Questions

How often are flights from GEG to SMF on time?

86% of 608 scheduled flights from Spokane, WA to Sacramento, CA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.3% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly GEG to SMF?

Flights scheduled to leave at 5 a.m. were the most reliable (98% on time). The 5 p.m. departures were the least (64%).

What month has the most delays from GEG to SMF?

December (82% on time). The best month is November (90%), over 2023–2026.

Is the last flight of the day from GEG to SMF more likely to be cancelled?

Not much. Each airline's last GEG–SMF flight of the day was cancelled 0.4% of the time over the past year, against 0.4% for its earlier flights. If the last flight is cancelled, the next one is usually the following morning.

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.