SMF to PHX flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Sacramento International Airport to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport · 647 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SMF or PHX 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 Phoenix (PHX) arrived on time 81% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.6% were cancelled, and 6% arrived an hour or more late.
- American Airlines was the most punctual airline here (87% on time); SkyWest Airlines was the least (78%).
- Departures scheduled around 5am did best (96% on time); around 2pm did worst (66%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (85% on time) and Monday the least (78%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (57%).
Which airline is most on time from SMF to PHX?
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 | 87% | 0.6% | 14 min | 5.7% | 1,020 |
| Envoy AirRegional airline operating American Eagle flights. | 83% | 0.7% | 11 min | 7.0% | 143 |
| Southwest Airlines | 79% | 0.5% | 11 min | 5.1% | 2,135 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 78% | 0.6% | 15 min | 8.5% | 332 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am96%337 flights
- 6am92%452 flights
- 7am88%131 flights
- 8am93%167 flights
- 9am86%124 flights
- 10am91%299 flights
- 11am78%91 flights
- 12pm80%353 flights
- 1pm82%217 flights
- 2pm66%123 flights
- 3pm67%158 flights
- 4pm72%430 flights
- 5pm71%87 flights
- 6pm67%159 flights
- 7pm76%334 flights
- 8pm66%91 flights
- 9pm71%71 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday78%1.1% cancelled
- Tuesday82%0.4% cancelled
- Wednesday84%0.2% cancelled
- Thursday80%0.4% cancelled
- Friday81%0.9% cancelled
- Saturday85%0.5% cancelled
- Sunday79%0.4% 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 aircraft57%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)31%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion11%
- Extreme weather1%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)45%
- Extreme weather40%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion15%
- Security0%
SMF to PHX: common questions
- How often are SMF to PHX 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 Phoenix cancelled?
- 0.6% of scheduled flights were cancelled (20 of 3,630).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 13 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 61 min behind schedule on average, and 5.7% 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: PHX 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 → PHX, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.