SMF to DFW flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Sacramento International Airport to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport · 1,431 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SMF or DFW 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 Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) arrived on time 81% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 2.6% were cancelled, and 7% arrived an hour or more late.
- American Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (90% on time); around 2pm did worst (68%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (86% on time) and Sunday the least (75%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (46%).
Which airline is most on time from SMF to DFW?
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 | 81% | 2.6% | 19 min | 7.3% | 1,631 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am83%104 flights
- 6am90%334 flights
- 7am80%101 flights
- 8am88%190 flights
- 10am83%67 flights
- 11am78%280 flights
- 2pm68%321 flights
- 3pm85%37 flights
- 11pm80%194 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday79%3.0% cancelled
- Tuesday84%2.2% cancelled
- Wednesday86%1.3% cancelled
- Thursday86%1.7% cancelled
- Friday79%2.5% cancelled
- Saturday75%3.5% cancelled
- Sunday75%3.7% 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)46%
- Late-arriving aircraft35%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion16%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather88%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)12%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
SMF to DFW: common questions
- How often are SMF to DFW flights on time?
- 81% 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 Dallas/Fort Worth cancelled?
- 2.6% of scheduled flights were cancelled (42 of 1,631).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 19 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 96 min behind schedule on average, and 7.3% 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: DFW to SMF — 67% 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 → DFW, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.