MCO to SMF flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Orlando International Airport to Sacramento International Airport · 2,408 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at MCO or SMF right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Orlando (MCO) to Sacramento (SMF) arrived on time 72% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.6% were cancelled, and 8% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 8am did best (97% on time); around 3pm did worst (50%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (77% on time) and Saturday the least (63%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (42%).
Which airline is most on time from MCO 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 | 72% | 0.6% | 16 min | 7.8% | 323 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am96%23 flights
- 8am97%31 flights
- 9am82%33 flights
- 11am69%29 flights
- 12pm57%14 flights
- 1pm61%33 flights
- 2pm67%42 flights
- 3pm50%22 flights
- 4pm74%35 flights
- 5pm69%16 flights
- 6pm63%21 flights
- 7pm59%17 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday75%0.0% cancelled
- Tuesday65%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday77%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday75%0.0% cancelled
- Friday76%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday63%1.9% cancelled
- Sunday76%1.9% 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)42%
- Late-arriving aircraft37%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion16%
- Extreme weather5%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)50%
- Extreme weather50%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
MCO to SMF: common questions
- How often are MCO to SMF flights on time?
- 72% 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 Orlando to Sacramento cancelled?
- 0.6% of scheduled flights were cancelled (2 of 323).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 16 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 51 min behind schedule on average, and 7.8% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at MCO?
- Flights on this route spent 18 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SMF to MCO — 84% on time
More flights from Orlando
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: MCO → SMF, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.