MDW to SMF flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Chicago Midway International Airport to Sacramento International Airport · 1,790 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at MDW or SMF right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Chicago (MDW) to Sacramento (SMF) arrived on time 69% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.9% were cancelled, and 9% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 8am did best (90% on time); around 11am did worst (48%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (76% on time) and Sunday the least (58%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (49%).
Which airline is most on time from MDW 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 | 69% | 0.9% | 19 min | 9.3% | 675 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am84%84 flights
- 8am90%100 flights
- 10am76%124 flights
- 11am48%43 flights
- 1pm60%10 flights
- 2pm94%18 flights
- 3pm72%25 flights
- 5pm50%16 flights
- 6pm60%43 flights
- 8pm69%52 flights
- 9pm48%152 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday62%1.9% cancelled
- Tuesday75%1.0% cancelled
- Wednesday76%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday69%1.0% cancelled
- Friday67%0.9% cancelled
- Saturday73%1.2% cancelled
- Sunday58%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.
- Late-arriving aircraft49%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)32%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion15%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather83%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)17%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
MDW to SMF: common questions
- How often are MDW to SMF flights on time?
- 69% 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 Chicago to Sacramento cancelled?
- 0.9% of scheduled flights were cancelled (6 of 675).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 19 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 55 min behind schedule on average, and 9.3% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at MDW?
- Flights on this route spent 17 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SMF to MDW — 86% on time
More flights from Chicago
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: MDW → SMF, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.