SAN to SMF flight delays
San Diego, CA (SAN) Sacramento, CA (SMF) · 480 miles
5,177 flights · January 2025 – August 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
76.44%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
0.81%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
47 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
12 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
This is one of the heavily flown routes in the record — 5,177 flights in the period. Frequency is itself a form of insurance: when a flight goes wrong there is another one within hours, which is not true of the thin routes elsewhere on this site.
The 3 airlines here are separated by under 5 points — close enough to call a tie. Choose on price and departure time.
The San Diego to Sacramento route sits close to the middle of the record — neither notably punctual nor notably late.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over January 2025 – August 2026, SkyWest Airlines arrived on time most often on SAN to SMF. Southwest Airlines was late most often. Flights ran closest to schedule in January and worst in June.
Every airline on SAN 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 3,807 | 75.46% | 0.55% | 47 min | C |
| SkyWest Airlines | 1,185 | 79.52% | 1.35% | 49 min | C |
| Alaska Airlines | 185 | 77.22% | 2.7% | 43 min | D |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
SMF to SAN Sacramento back to San Diego 73.26% on time DOther routes from San Diego
Common questions
Are flights from San Diego to Sacramento usually delayed?
76.44% of flights on the SAN to SMF route arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, so roughly 2 in every ten arrived late. That is about the same as the average route in this record.
Which airline is most on time from San Diego to Sacramento?
SkyWest Airlines, at 79.52% on time across 1,185 flights. The least punctual on the route was Southwest Airlines at 75.46%.
How often are SAN to SMF flights cancelled?
0.81% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 8 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly San Diego to Sacramento?
January, when 82.4% of flights arrived on time. The worst was June at 66.7%.
When SAN to SMF flights are late, how late are they?
About 47 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 SAN 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 →