PSP to SMF flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Palm Springs International Airport to Sacramento International Airport · 439 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at PSP or SMF right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Palm Springs (PSP) to Sacramento (SMF) arrived on time 83% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.6% were cancelled, and 4% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (100% on time); around 6pm did worst (73%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (93% on time) and Sunday the least (77%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (68%).
Which airline is most on time from PSP 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 | 83% | 0.6% | 10 min | 4.1% | 522 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am97%65 flights
- 7am100%32 flights
- 10am93%41 flights
- 11am100%14 flights
- 4pm77%13 flights
- 5pm84%83 flights
- 6pm73%195 flights
- 7pm81%53 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday84%0.0% cancelled
- Tuesday93%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday82%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday80%0.0% cancelled
- Friday83%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday87%1.8% cancelled
- Sunday77%2.5% 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 aircraft68%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)24%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion5%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Air traffic control & airport congestion67%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)33%
- Extreme weather0%
- Security0%
PSP to SMF: common questions
- How often are PSP to SMF flights on time?
- 83% 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 Palm Springs to Sacramento cancelled?
- 0.6% of scheduled flights were cancelled (3 of 522).
- 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 55 min behind schedule on average, and 4.1% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at PSP?
- Flights on this route spent 11 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SMF to PSP — 88% on time
More flights from Palm Springs
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: PSP → SMF, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.