SMF to CLT flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Sacramento International Airport to Charlotte Douglas International Airport · 2,244 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SMF or CLT right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Sacramento (SMF) to Charlotte (CLT) arrived on time 88% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.9% were cancelled, and 4% arrived an hour or more late.
- American Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 12pm did best (97% on time); around 10pm did worst (87%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (98% on time) and Monday the least (82%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (53%).
Which airline is most on time from SMF to CLT?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 88% | 1.9% | 14 min | 4.3% | 429 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am95%19 flights
- 8am79%14 flights
- 12pm97%33 flights
- 10pm87%344 flights
- 11pm93%15 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday82%1.6% cancelled
- Tuesday92%3.3% cancelled
- Wednesday98%1.6% cancelled
- Thursday88%1.7% cancelled
- Friday84%1.6% cancelled
- Saturday87%1.6% cancelled
- Sunday87%1.6% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)53%
- Late-arriving aircraft42%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion3%
- Extreme weather1%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather88%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)13%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
SMF to CLT: common questions
- How often are SMF to CLT flights on time?
- 88% 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 Sacramento to Charlotte cancelled?
- 1.9% of scheduled flights were cancelled (8 of 429).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 14 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 111 min behind schedule on average, and 4.3% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SMF?
- Flights on this route spent 13 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: CLT to SMF — 80% on time
More flights from Sacramento
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: SMF → CLT, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.