SMF to SFO flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Sacramento International Airport to San Francisco International Airport · 86 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SMF or SFO 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 San Francisco (SFO) arrived on time 63% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.7% were cancelled, and 11% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (93% on time); SkyWest Airlines was the least (61%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (92% on time); around 7pm did worst (28%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (75% on time) and Monday the least (55%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (44%).
Which airline is most on time from SMF to SFO?
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 | 93% | 0.0% | 6 min | 3.6% | 84 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 61% | 1.8% | 28 min | 11.5% | 1,272 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am92%328 flights
- 7am78%55 flights
- 10am45%170 flights
- 11am63%194 flights
- 2pm64%191 flights
- 3pm53%31 flights
- 4pm73%45 flights
- 6pm30%21 flights
- 7pm28%55 flights
- 8pm45%260 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday55%2.5% cancelled
- Tuesday74%1.6% cancelled
- Wednesday59%0.5% cancelled
- Thursday61%1.5% cancelled
- Friday57%2.0% cancelled
- Saturday75%1.6% cancelled
- Sunday65%2.1% 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 congestion44%
- Late-arriving aircraft25%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)24%
- Extreme weather7%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Air traffic control & airport congestion65%
- Extreme weather35%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)0%
- Security0%
SMF to SFO: common questions
- How often are SMF to SFO flights on time?
- 63% 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 San Francisco cancelled?
- 1.7% of scheduled flights were cancelled (23 of 1,356).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 26 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 70 min behind schedule on average, and 11.0% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SMF?
- Flights on this route spent 27 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SFO to SMF — 78% 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 → SFO, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.