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Route · SLC → SMF · 2020–2025 BTS data

Salt Lake City to Sacramento

According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), SLC to SMF (Salt Lake City to Sacramento) ranks #979 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).

Data updated 2026-06-13

85.8%
On-time
+6.8 pts
vs US avg
69 min
Delay when late
11,455
Flights
#979 of 4927
Corpus placement

Cancelled

0.4%

Best Month

Sep 2024 95%

Worst Month

Jan 2024 75%

Distance

532 mi

Carriers

11

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of route data.

Period Flights Delayed Cancelled Diverted Carriers
Dec 2025 166 31 0 0 DL,WN,OO
Nov 2025 182 19 4 0 OO,DL,WN
Oct 2025 191 38 0 0 OO,WN,DL
Sep 2025 180 17 0 0 WN,DL
Aug 2025 189 33 0 0 WN,DL
Jul 2025 204 31 0 0 DL,WN
Jun 2025 197 21 0 0 DL,WN
May 2025 166 19 0 0 DL,OO,WN
Apr 2025 154 20 0 0 DL,OO,WN
Mar 2025 159 23 0 1 DL,OO,WN
Feb 2025 149 25 0 0 DL,WN
Jan 2025 158 25 0 0 DL,WN
Dec 2024 165 34 0 0 DL,WN
Nov 2024 169 20 0 0 WN,DL
Oct 2024 177 17 0 0 WN,DL,OO
Sep 2024 169 9 1 0 WN,OO,DL
Aug 2024 164 28 1 0 DL,WN
Jul 2024 180 38 9 0 DL,WN
Jun 2024 170 26 0 0 DL,WN
May 2024 153 26 0 0 DL,WN
Apr 2024 149 20 0 0 DL,WN
Mar 2024 150 25 0 0 DL,WN
Feb 2024 136 24 1 0 DL,WN
Jan 2024 151 38 0 0 DL,WN

SLC–SMF seasonal on-time pattern

Best: September (90.5%) · weakest: December (79.3%)

75%80%85%90%95% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 79.3%

Strongest calendar month

September

90.5% on-time · ~164 flights/mo

Busiest calendar month

July

~174 flights/mo avg

Weakest calendar month

December

79.3% on-time · ~156 flights/mo

Cancellation Rate

0.4%

16 of 4,028 flights

Diversion Rate

0.0%

1 of 4,028 flights

Explore origin & destination

On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.

SLC - Salt Lake City

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Salt Lake City, UT.

SLC on-time profile

SMF - Sacramento

Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Sacramento, CA.

SMF on-time profile

Compare the two airports

See SLC and SMF side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.

Compare SLC vs SMF

Origin-hub reliability standing

Among SLC's stronger departures

SLC → SMF posts a 85.8% on-time rate, landing in the ≥85% band with 54 of 85 BTS-tracked routes leaving Salt Lake City. The same hub also shows 31 mid-band and 0 challenged departures · fleet-wide on-time rank #973 of 4927 (highest on-time = #1).

What the Data Says About SLC to SMF

Salt Lake City to Sacramento (SLC to SMF) is one of the more dependable pairings in the BTS On-Time Performance dataset: a 85.8% on-time rate across 11,455 flights, with delays that do happen averaging 68.6 minutes. The corridor runs roughly 532 miles and is served by 11 carriers. Over the most recent 24 months, 16 of 4,028 flights were cancelled (0.4%) and 1 diverted (0.0%).

The monthly split is wide on this route: Sep 2024 posted the strongest performance at 95% on-time, while Jan 2024 came in at just 75% - a 20-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.

On the multi-year calendar, SLC–SMF peaks in September at 90.5% on-time while July carries the heaviest traffic (~174 flights per month) ; the softest month is December at 79.3%, a 11.2-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does SLC to SMF rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking, SLC to SMF ranks #979 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1). That ordinal matches our busiest-routes listing (total_flights DESC). See /methodology#corpus-placement for the exact sort basis.
How often are flights delayed from SLC to SMF? ▼
Flights from Salt Lake City to Sacramento have a 85.8% on-time rate based on 11,455 flights. The average delay is 68.6 minutes. The best recent month was Sep 2024 with 95% on-time.
What is the cancellation rate for SLC to SMF? ▼
Over the last 24 months, 0.4% of flights on this route were cancelled (16 of 4,028 flights) and 0.0% were diverted.
How far is the flight from SLC to SMF? ▼
The flight distance from Salt Lake City (SLC) to Sacramento (SMF) is approximately 532 miles. This route is served by 11 carriers.
When is the best time to fly from SLC to SMF? ▼
The best recent month for on-time performance was Sep 2024 (95% on-time). The worst was Jan 2024 (75% on-time). Consider booking during months with historically better performance.

Airports on this route

SLC Airport

Salt Lake City
SMF Airport

Sacramento
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 SLC–SMF data

SLC–SMF runs 6.8 pts above the national 79% average; the remaining risk is month-to-month swing and carrier mix, not a weak headline rate.

  • Compare SLC and SMF airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. SLC airport
  • If your dates flex, September (90.5% on-time) beats December (79.3%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
  • 4 other routes post a similar 85.8% 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.

Data sourced from U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) On-Time Performance data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFlights

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.