SMX to PHX flight delays
Santa Maria, CA (SMX) Phoenix, AZ (PHX) · 494 miles
405 flights · July 2024 – July 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
84%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
1.23%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
137 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
22 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 137 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 season swings this route hard. In October it ran 21.8 points more punctual than in February — 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.
Only SkyWest 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.
This is a thin route — 405 flights across the whole period. On a route this infrequent a cancellation is far more costly than the rate suggests, because the next departure may not be the same day.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over July 2024 – July 2026, SkyWest Airlines arrived on time most often on SMX to PHX. Flights ran closest to schedule in October and worst in February.
Every airline on SMX to PHX
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyWest Airlines | 405 | 84% | 1.23% | 137 min | B |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
The return leg
PHX to SMX Phoenix back to Santa Maria 84.85% on time BOther routes from Santa Maria
Common questions
Are flights from Santa Maria to Phoenix usually delayed?
84% of flights on the SMX to PHX route arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, so roughly 2 in every ten arrived late. That is better than the average route in this record.
Which airlines fly from Santa Maria to Phoenix?
Only SkyWest Airlines appears in the published record on this route, with 405 flights and 84% arriving on time.
How often are SMX to PHX flights cancelled?
1.23% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 12 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly Santa Maria to Phoenix?
October, when 96.8% of flights arrived on time. The worst was February at 75%.
When SMX to PHX flights are late, how late are they?
About 137 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 SMX to PHX 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 →