SEA to SMF flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Seattle–Tacoma International Airport to Sacramento International Airport · 605 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SEA or SMF right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Seattle (SEA) to Sacramento (SMF) arrived on time 82% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.4% were cancelled, and 4% arrived an hour or more late.
- SkyWest Airlines was the most punctual airline here (89% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (73%).
- Departures scheduled around 5am did best (97% on time); around 11am did worst (69%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (86% on time) and Thursday the least (78%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (43%).
Which airline is most on time from SEA 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 89% | 0.3% | 7 min | 3.2% | 1,888 |
| Alaska Airlines | 80% | 0.5% | 10 min | 4.1% | 1,353 |
| Southwest Airlines | 73% | 0.4% | 14 min | 5.7% | 1,140 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am97%199 flights
- 6am94%164 flights
- 7am88%149 flights
- 8am92%388 flights
- 9am88%295 flights
- 10am85%357 flights
- 11am69%284 flights
- 12pm84%303 flights
- 1pm85%88 flights
- 2pm85%240 flights
- 3pm81%114 flights
- 4pm77%416 flights
- 5pm81%120 flights
- 6pm73%165 flights
- 7pm78%552 flights
- 8pm78%210 flights
- 9pm74%315 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday84%0.1% cancelled
- Tuesday86%0.3% cancelled
- Wednesday84%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday78%0.6% cancelled
- Friday79%0.9% cancelled
- Saturday84%0.4% cancelled
- Sunday80%0.2% 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 aircraft43%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)39%
- Extreme weather9%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion9%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)50%
- Extreme weather38%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion13%
- Security0%
SEA to SMF: common questions
- How often are SEA 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 Seattle to Sacramento cancelled?
- 0.4% of scheduled flights were cancelled (16 of 4,381).
- 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 50 min behind schedule on average, and 4.2% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SEA?
- Flights on this route spent 22 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SMF to SEA — 83% on time
More flights from Seattle
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: SEA → SMF, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.