SMF to DTW flight delays
Sacramento, CA (SMF) Detroit, MI (DTW) · 2,013 miles
402 flights · July 2024 – July 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
89.22%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
0.5%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
78 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
9 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
The shape of the lateness matters here. Flights on this route are not late often, but when they are late they are late by about 78 minutes — long enough to lose a connection or an evening. The on-time percentage looks reassuring and understates the consequence of being on the wrong flight.
The two directions do not behave alike. DTW to SMF arrives on time 10.5 points less 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.
Flights from Sacramento to Detroit are among the most dependable in the record. A route this punctual is usually a short hop between airports with slots to spare.
This route does better than its own airport. Departures from SMF overall run 7.4 points less punctual than this particular one — so whatever congestion SMF has, this route is largely escaping it.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over July 2024 – July 2026, Delta Air Lines arrived on time most often on SMF to DTW. Flights ran closest to schedule in December and worst in July.
Every airline on SMF to DTW
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 402 | 89.22% | 0.5% | 78 min | A |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
DTW to SMF Detroit back to Sacramento 78.7% on time COther routes from Sacramento
Common questions
Are flights from Sacramento to Detroit usually delayed?
89.22% of flights on the SMF to DTW route arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, so roughly 1 in every ten arrived late. That is better than the average route in this record.
Which airlines fly from Sacramento to Detroit?
Only Delta Air Lines appears in the published record on this route, with 402 flights and 89.22% arriving on time.
How often are SMF to DTW flights cancelled?
0.5% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 5 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly Sacramento to Detroit?
October, when 100% of flights arrived on time. The worst was July at 83.3%.
When SMF to DTW flights are late, how late are they?
About 78 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 SMF to DTW during July 2024 – July 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 →