Route · IAD → SMF · 2020–2025 BTS data
Washington to Sacramento
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), IAD to SMF (Washington to Sacramento) ranks #4301 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 78.8%
- On-time
- -0.2 pts
- vs US avg
- 83 min
- Delay when late
- 1,285
- Flights
- #4301 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
1.1%
Best Month
N/A
Worst Month
N/A
Distance
2,358 mi
Carriers
1
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 31 | 11 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Nov 2025 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Oct 2025 | 31 | 5 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Sep 2025 | 30 | 4 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Aug 2025 | 31 | 5 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Jul 2025 | 31 | 20 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Jun 2025 | 30 | 16 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| May 2025 | 31 | 9 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Apr 2025 | 30 | 7 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Mar 2025 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Jan 2025 | 31 | 7 | 1 | 0 | UA |
| Dec 2024 | 31 | 2 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Nov 2024 | 30 | 3 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Oct 2024 | 31 | 0 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Sep 2024 | 30 | 2 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Aug 2024 | 31 | 10 | 1 | 0 | UA |
| Jul 2024 | 31 | 8 | 2 | 0 | UA |
| Jun 2024 | 30 | 5 | 1 | 0 | UA |
| May 2024 | 31 | 6 | 1 | 3 | UA |
| Apr 2024 | 30 | 5 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Oct 2023 | 30 | 4 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Sep 2023 | 31 | 11 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Aug 2023 | 31 | 6 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Jul 2023 | 31 | 15 | 2 | 0 | UA |
IAD–SMF seasonal on-time pattern
Best: November (91.7%) · weakest: July (60.0%)
Strongest calendar month
November
91.7% on-time · ~30 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
January
~31 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
July
60.0% on-time · ~31 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
1.1%
8 of 735 flights
Diversion Rate
0.4%
3 of 735 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
IAD - Washington
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Washington, DC.
IAD on-time profileSMF - Sacramento
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Sacramento, CA.
SMF on-time profileCompare the two airports
See IAD and SMF side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare IAD vs SMFOrigin-hub reliability standing
Mid-pack among IAD departures
From IAD, this corridor sits with 42 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 58 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (14 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 2 below 75%). Destination: Sacramento · fleet on-time rank #3580 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to IAD–SMF.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About IAD to SMF
1,285 tracked flights put the IAD to SMF pairing (Washington to Sacramento) at a 78.8% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 82.8 minutes on average. Across the 2,358-mile route and its 1 carrier, the trailing 24 months show 1.1% cancelled and 0.4% diverted (735 flights sampled).
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, IAD–SMF peaks in November at 91.7% on-time while January carries the heaviest traffic (~31 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 60.0%, a 31.7-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does IAD to SMF rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from IAD to SMF? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for IAD to SMF? ▼
How far is the flight from IAD 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 IAD–SMF data
IAD–SMF is mid-pack at 78.8% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.
- Compare IAD and SMF airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. IAD airport
- If your dates flex, November (91.7% on-time) beats July (60.0%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 78.8% 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.