HNL to SMF flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Daniel K. Inouye International Airport to Sacramento International Airport · 2,462 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at HNL or SMF right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Honolulu (HNL) to Sacramento (SMF) arrived on time 78% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, in line with the national average.
- 0.3% were cancelled, and 7% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines was the most punctual airline here (87% on time); Alaska Airlines was the least (68%).
- Departures scheduled around 11am did best (85% on time); around 12pm did worst (70%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (84% on time) and Monday the least (71%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (72%).
Which airline is most on time from HNL 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 87% | 0.3% | 8 min | 3.3% | 365 |
| Hawaiian Airlines | 69% | 0.0% | 21 min | 8.6% | 153 |
| Alaska Airlines | 68% | 0.5% | 32 min | 13.3% | 212 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 11am85%145 flights
- 12pm70%202 flights
- 1pm82%281 flights
- 2pm71%101 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday71%1.9% cancelled
- Tuesday81%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday84%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday73%0.0% cancelled
- Friday79%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday75%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday82%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)72%
- Late-arriving aircraft19%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion7%
- Security1%
- Extreme weather1%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)100%
- Extreme weather0%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
HNL to SMF: common questions
- How often are HNL to SMF flights on time?
- 78% 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 Honolulu to Sacramento cancelled?
- 0.3% of scheduled flights were cancelled (2 of 730).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 18 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 71 min behind schedule on average, and 7.3% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at HNL?
- Flights on this route spent 19 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SMF to HNL — 81% on time
More flights from Honolulu
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: HNL → SMF, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.