Route · EWR → SMF · 2020–2025 BTS data
Newark to Sacramento
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), EWR to SMF (Newark to Sacramento) ranks #4399 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 66.7%
- On-time
- -12.3 pts
- vs US avg
- 74 min
- Delay when late
- 1,132
- Flights
- #4399 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
2.6%
Best Month
N/A
Worst Month
N/A
Distance
2,500 mi
Carriers
1
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 31 | 11 | 1 | 1 | UA |
| Nov 2025 | 30 | 6 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Oct 2025 | 31 | 17 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Sep 2025 | 30 | 6 | 1 | 0 | UA |
| Aug 2025 | 31 | 10 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Jul 2025 | 31 | 10 | 2 | 0 | UA |
| Jun 2025 | 30 | 7 | 0 | 1 | UA |
| May 2025 | 31 | 8 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Apr 2025 | 30 | 13 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Dec 2024 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Nov 2024 | 30 | 6 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Oct 2024 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Sep 2024 | 30 | 5 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Aug 2024 | 31 | 19 | 3 | 0 | UA |
| Jul 2024 | 31 | 15 | 4 | 0 | UA |
| Jun 2024 | 30 | 17 | 1 | 0 | UA |
| May 2024 | 31 | 14 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Apr 2024 | 30 | 5 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Dec 2023 | 31 | 3 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Nov 2023 | 30 | 5 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Oct 2023 | 31 | 10 | 0 | 1 | UA |
| Sep 2023 | 30 | 6 | 2 | 0 | UA |
| Aug 2023 | 31 | 8 | 1 | 0 | UA |
| Jul 2023 | 31 | 20 | 4 | 0 | UA |
EWR–SMF seasonal on-time pattern
Best: September (81.1%) · weakest: July (50.8%)
Strongest calendar month
September
81.1% on-time · ~30 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
January
~31 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
July
50.8% on-time · ~31 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
2.6%
19 of 734 flights
Diversion Rate
0.4%
3 of 734 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
EWR - Newark
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Newark, NJ.
EWR on-time profileSMF - Sacramento
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Sacramento, CA.
SMF on-time profileCompare the two airports
See EWR and SMF side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare EWR vs SMFOrigin-hub reliability standing
Softer reliability from EWR
Among 74 routes leaving EWR, only 9 (including this one) clear below 75% on-time, while 5 stay ≥85% and 60 sit mid-band. Travelers comparing EWR options should weigh this 66.7% print against those peers · fleet on-time rank #4885 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to EWR–SMF.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About EWR to SMF
On-time performance on the EWR to SMF pairing (Newark to Sacramento) trails a chunk of the network: 66.7% of 1,132 tracked flights arrived on schedule, with a 74.4-minute average delay on the ones that ran late. The route spans about 2,500 miles across 1 carrier. Cancellations over the trailing 24 months hit 2.6% (19 of 734 flights), with 0.4% diverted.
Monthly performance data for this route did not show a clear best/worst split in the sample window; review the monthly table above for period-by-period detail.
On the multi-year calendar, EWR–SMF peaks in September at 81.1% on-time while January carries the heaviest traffic (~31 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 50.8%, a 30.3-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does EWR to SMF rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from EWR to SMF? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for EWR to SMF? ▼
How far is the flight from EWR to SMF? ▼
Airports on this route
Data source
Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data. Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Using EWR–SMF data
EWR–SMF sits 12.3 pts below the national 79% average; check the seasonal chart and airport profiles before treating the headline as typical.
- Compare EWR and SMF airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. EWR airport
- If your dates flex, September (81.1% on-time) beats July (50.8%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 66.7% on-time rate; compare before you commit to this pairing. Similar routes
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers on this origin–destination pair, not any single flight or booking recommendation.
Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates this specific route's on-time performance and monthly trend, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.