Route · JFK → SMF · 2020–2025 BTS data
New York to Sacramento
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), JFK to SMF (New York to Sacramento) ranks #4521 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 59.4%
- On-time
- -19.6 pts
- vs US avg
- 74 min
- Delay when late
- 980
- Flights
- #4521 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
1.8%
Best Month
N/A
Worst Month
N/A
Distance
2,521 mi
Carriers
1
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 30 | 13 | 0 | 0 | B6 |
| Aug 2025 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 0 | B6 |
| Jul 2025 | 31 | 21 | 2 | 0 | B6 |
| Jun 2025 | 30 | 14 | 0 | 0 | B6 |
| May 2025 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 0 | B6 |
| Sep 2024 | 30 | 4 | 0 | 0 | B6 |
| Aug 2024 | 31 | 17 | 1 | 0 | B6 |
| Jul 2024 | 31 | 14 | 0 | 0 | B6 |
| Jun 2024 | 30 | 14 | 0 | 0 | B6 |
| May 2024 | 31 | 6 | 0 | 0 | B6 |
| Apr 2024 | 30 | 11 | 0 | 0 | B6 |
| Mar 2024 | 31 | 15 | 0 | 0 | B6 |
| Jan 2024 | 31 | 10 | 0 | 0 | B6 |
| Dec 2023 | 31 | 7 | 0 | 0 | B6 |
| Oct 2023 | 31 | 16 | 0 | 0 | B6 |
| Sep 2023 | 30 | 16 | 1 | 0 | B6 |
| Aug 2023 | 31 | 13 | 0 | 0 | B6 |
| Jul 2023 | 31 | 18 | 4 | 0 | B6 |
| Jun 2023 | 30 | 13 | 1 | 0 | B6 |
| May 2023 | 31 | 8 | 0 | 0 | B6 |
| Apr 2023 | 30 | 19 | 1 | 1 | B6 |
| Mar 2023 | 31 | 19 | 1 | 0 | B6 |
| Jan 2023 | 31 | 8 | 0 | 0 | B6 |
| Dec 2022 | 31 | 14 | 2 | 2 | B6 |
JFK–SMF seasonal on-time pattern
Best: May (77.2%) · weakest: July (46.0%)
Strongest calendar month
May
77.2% on-time · ~31 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
January
~31 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
July
46.0% on-time · ~31 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
1.8%
13 of 736 flights
Diversion Rate
0.4%
3 of 736 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
JFK - New York
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for New York, NY.
JFK on-time profileSMF - Sacramento
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Sacramento, CA.
SMF on-time profileCompare the two airports
See JFK and SMF side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare JFK vs SMFOrigin-hub reliability standing
Softer reliability from JFK
Among 66 routes leaving JFK, only 13 (including this one) clear below 75% on-time, while 3 stay ≥85% and 50 sit mid-band. Travelers comparing JFK options should weigh this 59.4% print against those peers · fleet on-time rank #4924 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to JFK–SMF.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About JFK to SMF
New York to Sacramento (JFK to SMF) sits among the less reliable pairings in the BTS dataset, on-time only 59.4% of the time across 980 flights, with a 74.2-minute average delay when service runs late. Carriers on this 2,521-mile route (1 total) show a 1.8% cancellation rate and 0.4% diversion rate over the last 24 months (13 of 736 flights cancelled).
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, JFK–SMF peaks in May at 77.2% on-time while January carries the heaviest traffic (~31 flights per month) ; the softest month is July at 46.0%, a 31.2-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does JFK to SMF rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from JFK to SMF? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for JFK to SMF? ▼
How far is the flight from JFK 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 JFK–SMF data
JFK–SMF sits 19.6 pts below the national 79% average; check the seasonal chart and airport profiles before treating the headline as typical.
- Compare JFK and SMF airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. JFK airport
- If your dates flex, May (77.2% on-time) beats July (46.0%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 59.4% 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.