PDX to SMF flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Portland International Airport to Sacramento International Airport · 479 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at PDX or SMF right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Portland (PDX) to Sacramento (SMF) arrived on time 82% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.3% were cancelled, and 5% arrived an hour or more late.
- Alaska Airlines was the most punctual airline here (93% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (78%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (98% on time); around 8pm did worst (60%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (91% on time) and Thursday the least (75%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (69%).
Which airline is most on time from PDX 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Alaska Airlines | 93% | 0.8% | 5 min | 1.6% | 390 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 85% | 0.0% | 10 min | 4.4% | 364 |
| Southwest Airlines | 78% | 0.2% | 12 min | 5.6% | 1,212 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am97%137 flights
- 6am98%225 flights
- 7am98%56 flights
- 8am94%52 flights
- 9am88%42 flights
- 10am81%255 flights
- 11am77%79 flights
- 12pm89%117 flights
- 2pm90%209 flights
- 3pm67%27 flights
- 4pm45%22 flights
- 5pm78%344 flights
- 6pm82%33 flights
- 7pm80%134 flights
- 8pm60%98 flights
- 9pm65%69 flights
- 10pm30%53 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday80%0.3% cancelled
- Tuesday91%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday87%0.4% cancelled
- Thursday75%0.0% cancelled
- Friday76%0.3% cancelled
- Saturday86%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday84%0.7% 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 aircraft69%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)23%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion7%
- Extreme weather1%
- Security1%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)80%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion20%
- Extreme weather0%
- Security0%
PDX to SMF: common questions
- How often are PDX to SMF flights on time?
- 82% 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 Portland to Sacramento cancelled?
- 0.3% of scheduled flights were cancelled (5 of 1,966).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 10 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 52 min behind schedule on average, and 4.6% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at PDX?
- Flights on this route spent 13 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SMF to PDX — 83% on time
More flights from Portland
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: PDX → SMF, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.