SMF to HOU flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Sacramento International Airport to William P. Hobby Airport · 1,624 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SMF or HOU 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 Houston (HOU) arrived on time 75% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.5% were cancelled, and 3% arrived an hour or more late.
- Southwest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (93% on time); around 2pm did worst (48%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (82% on time) and Friday the least (67%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (42%).
Which airline is most on time from SMF to HOU?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 75% | 0.5% | 11 min | 2.5% | 364 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am85%27 flights
- 6am93%27 flights
- 7am76%18 flights
- 8am87%15 flights
- 10am76%17 flights
- 11am73%63 flights
- 12pm75%120 flights
- 1pm76%48 flights
- 2pm48%29 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday77%0.0% cancelled
- Tuesday69%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday80%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday78%0.0% cancelled
- Friday67%1.9% cancelled
- Saturday82%1.9% 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 aircraft42%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)42%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion16%
- Extreme weather0%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather50%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion50%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)0%
- Security0%
SMF to HOU: common questions
- How often are SMF to HOU flights on time?
- 75% 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 Houston cancelled?
- 0.5% of scheduled flights were cancelled (2 of 364).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 11 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 35 min behind schedule on average, and 2.5% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SMF?
- Flights on this route spent 12 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: HOU to SMF — 79% 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 → HOU, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.