SMF to EWR flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Sacramento International Airport to Newark Liberty International Airport · 2,500 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SMF or EWR 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 Newark (EWR) arrived on time 76% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 2.1% were cancelled, and 7% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 11pm did best (78% on time); around 10pm did worst (73%).
- Thursday was the most reliable day to fly (89% on time) and Wednesday the least (68%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (44%).
Which airline is most on time from SMF to EWR?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 76% | 2.1% | 15 min | 6.9% | 283 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 10pm73%88 flights
- 11pm78%191 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday79%2.4% cancelled
- Tuesday81%5.0% cancelled
- Wednesday68%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday89%5.0% cancelled
- Friday73%2.4% cancelled
- Saturday73%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday73%0.0% 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 aircraft44%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)41%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion11%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather83%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)17%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
SMF to EWR: common questions
- How often are SMF to EWR flights on time?
- 76% 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 Newark cancelled?
- 2.1% of scheduled flights were cancelled (6 of 283).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 15 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 60 min behind schedule on average, and 6.9% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SMF?
- Flights on this route spent 15 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: EWR to SMF — 70% 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 → EWR, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.