DTW to SMF flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport to Sacramento International Airport · 2,013 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DTW or SMF right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Detroit (DTW) to Sacramento (SMF) arrived on time 85% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0% were cancelled, and 4% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 8am did best (88% on time); around 7pm did worst (83%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (93% on time) and Monday the least (72%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (78%).
Which airline is most on time from DTW to SMF?
Ranked by on-time arrival rate. Regional airlines fly under their partner's brand (e.g. SkyWest for Delta Connection or United Express).
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | 1 hr+ late | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 85% | 0.0% | 15 min | 3.5% | 200 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 8am88%130 flights
- 7pm83%60 flights
- 8pm50%10 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday72%0.0% cancelled
- Tuesday89%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday93%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday86%0.0% cancelled
- Friday89%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday82%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday80%0.0% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)78%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion16%
- Late-arriving aircraft5%
- Extreme weather1%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
No cancellation causes recorded in this period.
DTW to SMF: common questions
- How often are DTW to SMF flights on time?
- 85% of flights arrived less than 15 minutes late in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, compared with 78% for all US flights.
- How often are flights from Detroit to Sacramento cancelled?
- 0.0% of scheduled flights were cancelled (0 of 200).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 15 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 86 min behind schedule on average, and 3.5% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DTW?
- Flights on this route spent 18 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SMF to DTW — 89% on time
More flights from Detroit
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DTW → SMF, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.