Airport · SMX · Santa Maria, California
Santa Maria, CA
Santa Maria, CA posts bottom-quartile on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a smaller regional airport. According to the U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, drawn from 2,193 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is late aircraft.
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 76.6%
- On-time
- Top 94%
- on-time, US airports
- 97 min
- Delay when late
- 2.33%
- Cancelled
Key Performance Metrics
Total Flights
2,193
Best Month
Jan 92.1%
Worst Month
Jul 81.4%
Delayed
513
Cancelled
51
SMX on-time rate vs. the national average
Behind the U.S. average across all 382 tracked airports.
Where SMX sits among all 382 tracked airports
SMX's 76.6% on-time rate falls in the 75-80% band, the 48-airport band it shares.
National on-time-rate distribution
- 60-65% 1
1 airport between 60% and 65% on-time
1 airports
- 65-70% 4
4 airports between 65% and 70% on-time
4 airports
- 70-75% 9
9 airports between 70% and 75% on-time
9 airports
- 75-80% 48
48 airports between 75% and 80% on-time
48 airports
- 80-85%
192 airports between 80% and 85% on-time
192 airports
- 85-90%
116 airports between 85% and 90% on-time
116 airports
- 90-95% 12
12 airports between 90% and 95% on-time
12 airports
What this shows SMX is marked in the 75-80% band.
Delay Cause Breakdown
Top delay cause: Late Aircraft. Total delay minutes: 29,754.
SMX - seasonal on-time pattern
Best: January (92.1%) · worst: July (81.4%)
Seasonal Performance Patterns
Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: January (92.1% on-time). Most delays: July (81.4% on-time).
| Month | Avg Flights | Avg Delayed | Avg Cancelled | On-Time % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| December | 46 | 10 | 1 | 88.8% |
| November | 48 | 10 | 1 | 88.6% |
| October | 38 | 8 | 1 | 89.3% |
| September | 23 | 7 | 0 | 81.6% |
| August | 28 | 7 | 1 | 85.7% |
| July | 31 | 12 | 1 | 81.4% |
| June | 27 | 8 | 1 | 85.2% |
| May | 28 | 4 | 2 | 91.1% |
| April | 24 | 5 | 1 | 89.6% |
| March | 25 | 7 | 1 | 86.8% |
| February | 21 | 5 | 0 | 88.7% |
| January | 27 | 4 | 0 | 92.1% |
Year-Over-Year Performance
Annual flight volume and on-time trends at SMX.
SMX - on-time rate by year
2020–2025, year-over-year trend.
| Year | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | On-Time % |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2025 | 517 | 55 | 4 | 89.4% |
| 2024 | 212 | 33 | 0 | 84.4% |
| 2023 | 214 | 44 | 1 | 79.4% |
| 2022 | 277 | 48 | 9 | 82.7% |
| 2021 | 657 | 76 | 16 | 88.4% |
| 2020 | 316 | 16 | 21 | 94.9% |
Cancellation & Diversion Analysis
Flight disruption statistics for Santa Maria, CA.
Cancellation Rate
2.33%
51 of 2,193 flights
Diversion Rate
0.05%
1 of 2,193 flights
Delay Rate
23.4%
513 of 2,193 flights
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of flight data.
| Period | Flights | Dep Delayed | Arr Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 142 | 12 | 9 | 2 | 0 |
| Nov 2025 | 138 | 14 | 10 | 1 | 0 |
| Oct 2025 | 81 | 6 | 6 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2025 | 16 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 2025 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 2025 | 18 | 2 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 2025 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| May 2025 | 18 | 1 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 2025 | 16 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2025 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 2025 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 1 | 0 |
| Jan 2025 | 18 | 3 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Dec 2024 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Nov 2024 | 18 | 4 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Oct 2024 | 18 | 4 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Sep 2024 | 18 | 6 | 4 | 0 | 0 |
| Aug 2024 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jul 2024 | 16 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jun 2024 | 18 | 3 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| May 2024 | 18 | 1 | 1 | 0 | 0 |
| Apr 2024 | 16 | 0 | 0 | 0 | 0 |
| Mar 2024 | 18 | 2 | 3 | 0 | 0 |
| Feb 2024 | 18 | 2 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
| Jan 2024 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 0 | 0 |
Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate
Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to Santa Maria, CA's 76.6%.
Other Airports in California
Compare performance with other California airports.
Los Angeles, CA
Los Angeles · 2,137,032 flights
San Francisco, CA
San Francisco · 1,466,784 flights
San Diego, CA
San Diego · 973,807 flights
Sacramento, CA
Sacramento · 592,833 flights
San Jose, CA
San Jose · 546,547 flights
Santa Ana, CA
Santa Ana · 482,186 flights
Oakland, CA
Oakland · 472,036 flights
Burbank, CA
Burbank · 319,148 flights
Keep exploring
More flight data around Santa Maria, CA.
California flight data
Statewide on-time and delay aggregates, plus every reporting airport in California.
View CA data →Airport rankings
See where SMX sits among U.S. airports on on-time rate and average delay.
Best on-time airports →Compare airports
Put SMX head-to-head with another airport on delays and reliability.
Open comparison tool →What the Data Says About SMX
Santa Maria, CA in Santa Maria, California handled 2,193 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 76.6% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 513 experienced delays, 51 were cancelled, and 1 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 2.33%, the diversion rate to 0.05%, and the average delay when departures run late is 97.2 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing SMX against other airports in the same state and nationally.
Breaking down what drives delays at SMX, Late Aircraft leads the pack. Late Aircraft accounts for 53.0% of total delay minutes, followed by Carrier at 27.6% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 9.9%. Weather contributes 9.2% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.2%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.
Seasonally, January runs the cleanest at SMX with a 92.1% on-time rate, while July is the roughest at 81.4% - a 11-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in November, when average flights hit 48. Combine these numbers - 76.6% on-time, 97.2-minute average delay, 2.33% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Santa Maria, CA.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the on-time performance rate at Santa Maria, CA (SMX)? ▼
What is the most common cause of delays at SMX? ▼
What is the average delay time at SMX? ▼
What is the best month to fly from SMX? ▼
What is the worst month for delays at SMX? ▼
How many routes operate from SMX? ▼
What is the cancellation rate at SMX? ▼
Flight Guides
Data-driven guides to help you understand airport and flight performance.
Explore PlainFlights
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Using SMX's data
An airport-level on-time rate is a starting point, not a guarantee for your specific flight.
- Compare SMX against airports with a similar on-time rate. Compare airports
- Travel in January rather than July if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns
- Scores vary by airline and route within the same airport; check the specific carrier you're flying. Browse airlines
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers at this airport, not any single flight or airline.
Related
Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline on-time performance and operational reliability · 2025
Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. Airport figures are computed directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.