Route · ORD → SMF · 2020–2025 BTS data
Chicago to Sacramento
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), ORD to SMF (Chicago to Sacramento) ranks #2074 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 78.5%
- On-time
- -0.5 pts
- vs US avg
- 64 min
- Delay when late
- 6,001
- Flights
- #2074 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
1.0%
Best Month
Feb 2024 91%
Worst Month
Dec 2025 57%
Distance
1,781 mi
Carriers
3
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 75 | 32 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Nov 2025 | 91 | 30 | 3 | 0 | UA,AA |
| Oct 2025 | 123 | 34 | 0 | 1 | AA,UA |
| Sep 2025 | 117 | 24 | 0 | 0 | UA,AA |
| Aug 2025 | 121 | 41 | 0 | 0 | AA,UA |
| Jul 2025 | 123 | 52 | 0 | 0 | AA,UA |
| Jun 2025 | 120 | 30 | 1 | 0 | AA,UA |
| May 2025 | 124 | 18 | 0 | 0 | AA,UA |
| Apr 2025 | 117 | 18 | 0 | 0 | UA,AA |
| Mar 2025 | 64 | 17 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Feb 2025 | 56 | 12 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Jan 2025 | 73 | 11 | 0 | 0 | AA,UA |
| Dec 2024 | 89 | 18 | 0 | 0 | AA,UA |
| Nov 2024 | 87 | 13 | 0 | 0 | UA,AA |
| Oct 2024 | 109 | 11 | 0 | 0 | UA,AA |
| Sep 2024 | 114 | 14 | 1 | 1 | UA,AA |
| Aug 2024 | 122 | 37 | 4 | 1 | AA,UA |
| Jul 2024 | 122 | 35 | 3 | 0 | AA,UA |
| Jun 2024 | 117 | 41 | 3 | 0 | AA,UA |
| May 2024 | 123 | 42 | 4 | 0 | AA,UA |
| Apr 2024 | 109 | 14 | 0 | 1 | AA,UA |
| Mar 2024 | 62 | 13 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Feb 2024 | 58 | 5 | 0 | 0 | UA |
| Jan 2024 | 73 | 17 | 4 | 0 | AA,UA |
ORD–SMF seasonal on-time pattern
Best: September (85.3%) · weakest: July (68.9%)
Strongest calendar month
September
85.3% on-time · ~117 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
September
~117 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
July
68.9% on-time · ~103 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
1.0%
23 of 2,389 flights
Diversion Rate
0.2%
4 of 2,389 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
ORD - Chicago
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Chicago, IL.
ORD on-time profileSMF - Sacramento
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Sacramento, CA.
SMF on-time profileCompare the two airports
See ORD and SMF side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare ORD vs SMFOrigin-hub reliability standing
Mid-pack among ORD departures
From ORD, this corridor sits with 147 other 75–85% on-time routes out of 168 tracked departures, not the hub's reliability leaders (10 at ≥85%) and not the softest ( 11 below 75%). Destination: Sacramento · fleet on-time rank #3695 of 4927.
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to ORD–SMF.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About ORD to SMF
6,001 tracked flights put the ORD to SMF pairing (Chicago to Sacramento) at a 78.5% on-time rate, squarely in line with the wider network. Delays that do occur run 63.6 minutes on average. Across the 1,781-mile route and its 3 carriers, the trailing 24 months show 1.0% cancelled and 0.2% diverted (2,389 flights sampled).
The monthly split is wide on this route: Feb 2024 posted the strongest performance at 91% on-time, while Dec 2025 came in at just 57% - a 34-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, ORD–SMF peaks in September at 85.3% on-time ; the softest month is July at 68.9%, a 16.4-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does ORD to SMF rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from ORD to SMF? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for ORD to SMF? ▼
How far is the flight from ORD to SMF? ▼
When is the best time to fly from ORD 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 ORD–SMF data
ORD–SMF is mid-pack at 78.5% on-time; month and carrier mix move more than the corridor headline.
- Compare ORD and SMF airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. ORD airport
- If your dates flex, September (85.3% on-time) beats July (68.9%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 78.5% 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.