EWR to SMF flight delays
Newark, NJ (EWR) Sacramento, CA (SMF) · 2,500 miles
283 flights · January 2025 – August 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
68.95%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
1.77%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
74 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
24 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
The season swings this route hard. In November it ran 34.8 points more punctual than in October — a difference bigger than the one between the best and worst airlines on most routes. If the date is flexible, it is worth more than the carrier.
This route does worse than its own airport. EWR as a whole runs 10.7 points more punctual than these flights, which points at something specific to the route — the time of day it is scheduled, or the aircraft that feed it — rather than the airport.
The two directions do not behave alike. SMF to EWR arrives on time 5.7 points more often than the outbound. Delay accumulates through the flying day, so whichever direction is scheduled later tends to carry the worse record — which is an argument for booking the morning departure if the choice exists.
Only United Airlines flies this route in the published record, so there is no choice to weigh — the route's figures and the airline's are the same figures.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over January 2025 – August 2026, United Airlines arrived on time most often on EWR to SMF. Flights ran closest to schedule in March and worst in January.
Every airline on EWR to SMF
Ranked by how many flights each one operated. A carrier with fewer than 100 flights in the period is listed but not graded.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 283 | 68.95% | 1.77% | 74 min | D |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
SMF to EWR Sacramento back to Newark 74.64% on time DOther routes from Newark
Common questions
Are flights from Newark to Sacramento usually delayed?
68.95% of flights on the EWR to SMF route arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, so roughly 3 in every ten arrived late. That is worse than the average route in this record.
Which airlines fly from Newark to Sacramento?
Only United Airlines appears in the published record on this route, with 283 flights and 68.95% arriving on time.
How often are EWR to SMF flights cancelled?
1.77% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 18 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly Newark to Sacramento?
November, when 80% of flights arrived on time. The worst was October at 45.2%.
When EWR to SMF flights are late, how late are they?
About 74 minutes on average across the flights that arrived more than 15 minutes behind schedule.
What these figures do and do not tell you
Everything on this page is counted from the flights that actually operated on EWR to SMF during January 2025 – August 2026, as reported by the airlines to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics. "On time" is the federal definition: arriving at the gate within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.
A route's record is a description of the past, not a forecast. Weather, air traffic control and the aircraft's earlier flights that day drive most delays, and none of them are predictable from a historical rate. What the record does tell you is whether this route runs late more often than others, and which carrier on it has the better history — which is the part you can actually act on when you book.
Cancellations are counted separately from delays because they are a different problem for a traveller: a late flight still gets you there. How the grade is calculated →