SMF to IAD flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Sacramento International Airport to Washington Dulles International Airport · 2,357 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SMF or IAD 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 Washington (IAD) arrived on time 96% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.6% were cancelled, and 1% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 7am did best (98% on time); around 11pm did worst (95%).
- Thursday was the most reliable day to fly (100% on time) and Saturday the least (92%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (53%).
Which airline is most on time from SMF to IAD?
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 | 96% | 1.6% | 2 min | 0.6% | 365 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 7am98%130 flights
- 8am95%216 flights
- 11pm95%19 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday94%5.8% cancelled
- Tuesday96%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday96%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday100%1.9% cancelled
- Friday100%1.9% cancelled
- Saturday92%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday94%1.9% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Air traffic control & airport congestion53%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)43%
- Late-arriving aircraft4%
- Extreme weather0%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Extreme weather100%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)0%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
SMF to IAD: common questions
- How often are SMF to IAD flights on time?
- 96% 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 Washington cancelled?
- 1.6% of scheduled flights were cancelled (6 of 365).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 2 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 32 min behind schedule on average, and 0.6% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SMF?
- Flights on this route spent 14 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: IAD to SMF — 81% 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 → IAD, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.