SFO to SMF flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport to Sacramento International Airport · 86 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SFO or SMF right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from San Francisco (SFO) to Sacramento (SMF) arrived on time 78% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, in line with the national average.
- 1.6% were cancelled, and 7% arrived an hour or more late.
- SkyWest Airlines was the most punctual airline here (79% on time); United Airlines was the least (65%).
- Departures scheduled around 8am did best (86% on time); around 5pm did worst (58%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (86% on time) and Monday the least (73%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (31%).
Which airline is most on time from SFO 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. | 79% | 1.7% | 18 min | 7.4% | 1,270 |
| United Airlines | 65% | 0.0% | 20 min | 8.2% | 85 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 8am86%248 flights
- 9am74%114 flights
- 12pm77%168 flights
- 1pm78%23 flights
- 2pm77%31 flights
- 3pm82%45 flights
- 4pm45%23 flights
- 5pm58%61 flights
- 6pm85%282 flights
- 8pm73%67 flights
- 9pm83%97 flights
- 10pm69%196 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday73%2.5% cancelled
- Tuesday86%1.6% cancelled
- Wednesday78%0.5% cancelled
- Thursday74%1.0% cancelled
- Friday77%2.0% cancelled
- Saturday84%2.2% cancelled
- Sunday74%1.5% 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 aircraft31%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)30%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion23%
- Extreme weather16%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Air traffic control & airport congestion68%
- Extreme weather32%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)0%
- Security0%
SFO to SMF: common questions
- How often are SFO to SMF flights on time?
- 78% 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 San Francisco to Sacramento cancelled?
- 1.6% of scheduled flights were cancelled (22 of 1,355).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 18 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 78 min behind schedule on average, and 7.4% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SFO?
- Flights on this route spent 25 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SMF to SFO — 63% on time
More flights from San Francisco
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: SFO → SMF, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.