SMF to SLC flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Sacramento International Airport to Salt Lake City International Airport · 532 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SMF or SLC 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 Salt Lake City (SLC) arrived on time 87% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 0.8% were cancelled, and 5% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines was the most punctual airline here (89% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (82%).
- Departures scheduled around 8am did best (97% on time); around 6pm did worst (64%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (92% on time) and Friday the least (84%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (59%).
Which airline is most on time from SMF to SLC?
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 92% | 0.0% | 5 min | 2.7% | 73 |
| Delta Air Lines | 89% | 1.1% | 9 min | 4.8% | 1,510 |
| Southwest Airlines | 82% | 0.2% | 12 min | 7.1% | 577 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 5am96%392 flights
- 6am94%50 flights
- 8am97%68 flights
- 9am92%393 flights
- 10am94%100 flights
- 11am91%33 flights
- 1pm88%360 flights
- 5pm83%356 flights
- 6pm64%114 flights
- 7pm73%166 flights
- 8pm73%71 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday87%1.2% cancelled
- Tuesday87%0.7% cancelled
- Wednesday88%0.3% cancelled
- Thursday86%0.3% cancelled
- Friday84%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday92%1.2% cancelled
- Sunday89%2.2% 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 aircraft59%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)36%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion4%
- Extreme weather1%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)94%
- Extreme weather6%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
SMF to SLC: common questions
- How often are SMF to SLC flights on time?
- 87% 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 Salt Lake City cancelled?
- 0.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (18 of 2,160).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 10 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 76 min behind schedule on average, and 5.3% 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: SLC to SMF — 86% 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 → SLC, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.