ON TIMEBOARD

SMF → GEG on time

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

On time
76%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
0.0%
608 flights
Typical arrival
−2 min
median vs schedule
When late
+50 min
average delay
Flights / day
2
1 airline

76% of flights from Sacramento to Spokane arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is worse than the typical U.S. route. The 11 a.m. departures ran on time 83% of the time; the 8 p.m. ones 62%. 6% 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 SMF → GEG: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 63% of the time. About 1 in 16 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 152 three hours or more; 0.0% 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 Airlines60876%0.0%−2 min6.1%+50 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 SMF). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%6 a.m. departures: too few flights (25 flights)6a7 a.m. departures: too few flights (24 flights)7a8 a.m. departures: too few flights (4 flights)8a9 a.m. departures: too few flights (20 flights)9a10 a.m. departures: too few flights (32 flights)10a11 a.m. departures: 83% on time (110 flights)8311anoon departures: too few flights (18 flights)12p1 p.m. departures: too few flights (12 flights)1p2 p.m. departures: too few flights2p3 p.m. departures: too few flights (8 flights)3p4 p.m. departures: too few flights4p5 p.m. departures: too few flights5p6 p.m. departures: too few flights (23 flights)6p7 p.m. departures: too few flights (78 flights)7p8 p.m. departures: 62% on time (172 flights)628p9 p.m. departures: too few flights (81 flights)9p
SMF → GEG, 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 SMF → GEG, each airline's last flight of the day was cancelled 0.0% of the time, against 0.0% for its earlier flights, about the same. It arrived 3+ hours late 1.7% 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 Airlines8:55 p.m.0.0%1.7%0.0%first flight 11:10 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: March (88%). Worst: June (71%).

40%70%100%Jan: 88% on time (118 flights)88JanFeb: 84% on time (115 flights)84FebMar: 88% on time (156 flights)88MarApr: 80% on time (159 flights)80AprMay: 77% on time (162 flights)77MayJun: 71% on time (187 flights)71JunJul: 77% on time (200 flights)77JulAug: 75% on time (178 flights)75AugSep: 83% on time (157 flights)83SepOct: 77% on time (150 flights)77OctNov: 87% on time (156 flights)87NovDec: 76% on time (157 flights)76Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday99——
Tuesday77——
Wednesday74——
Thursday95——
Friday99——
Saturday61——
Sunday10379%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 75%Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 21%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 3%Security 1%

Month by month

Not enough months with data to draw a trend.

Worst days in the past year

DateFlightsOn timeCancelled
Nov 30, 2025333%0

Questions

How often are flights from SMF to GEG on time?

76% of 608 scheduled flights from Sacramento, CA to Spokane, WA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 0.0% were cancelled.

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

Flights scheduled to leave at 11 a.m. were the most reliable (83% on time). The 8 p.m. departures were the least (62%).

What month has the most delays from SMF to GEG?

June (71% on time). The best month is March (88%), over 2023–2026.

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

Not much. Each airline's last SMF–GEG flight of the day was cancelled 0.0% of the time over the past year, against 0.0% 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.