PlainFlights

Route · SMF → SLC · 2020–2025 BTS data

Sacramento to Salt Lake City

According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), SMF to SLC (Sacramento to Salt Lake City) ranks #978 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).

Data updated 2026-06-13

88.5%
On-time
+9.5 pts
vs US avg
79 min
Delay when late
11,456
Flights
#978 of 4927
Corpus placement

Cancelled

0.4%

Best Month

Oct 2024 97%

Worst Month

Jan 2024 81%

Distance

532 mi

Carriers

11

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of route data.

Period Flights Delayed Cancelled Diverted Carriers
Dec 2025 166 25 1 0 DL,WN,OO
Nov 2025 182 16 3 0 OO,DL,WN
Oct 2025 191 20 0 0 OO,WN,DL
Sep 2025 180 22 0 0 WN,DL
Aug 2025 189 27 0 0 WN,DL
Jul 2025 204 26 0 0 DL,WN
Jun 2025 197 15 0 1 DL,WN
May 2025 166 20 0 0 DL,OO,WN
Apr 2025 154 22 0 0 DL,OO,WN
Mar 2025 159 17 0 0 DL,OO,WN
Feb 2025 149 16 0 0 DL,WN
Jan 2025 158 18 0 0 DL,WN
Dec 2024 165 21 0 1 DL,WN
Nov 2024 169 13 0 0 WN,DL
Oct 2024 177 6 0 0 WN,DL,OO
Sep 2024 169 15 1 1 WN,OO,DL
Aug 2024 164 22 1 1 DL,WN
Jul 2024 180 25 9 0 DL,WN
Jun 2024 170 14 0 0 DL,WN
May 2024 153 20 0 0 DL,WN
Apr 2024 149 15 0 0 DL,WN
Mar 2024 150 18 0 0 DL,WN
Feb 2024 136 14 0 0 DL,WN
Jan 2024 151 28 0 0 DL,WN

SMF–SLC seasonal on-time pattern

Best: May (91.0%) · weakest: December (83.5%)

82%84%86%88%90%92% JanFebMarAprMayJunJulAugSepOctNovDec 83.5%

Strongest calendar month

May

91.0% on-time · ~149 flights/mo

Busiest calendar month

July

~174 flights/mo avg

Weakest calendar month

December

83.5% on-time · ~156 flights/mo

Cancellation Rate

0.4%

15 of 4,028 flights

Diversion Rate

0.1%

4 of 4,028 flights

Explore origin & destination

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

SMF - Sacramento

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

SMF on-time profile

SLC - Salt Lake City

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

SLC on-time profile

Compare the two airports

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

Compare SMF vs SLC

Origin-hub reliability standing

Among SMF's stronger departures

SMF → SLC posts a 88.5% on-time rate, landing in the ≥85% band with 20 of 35 BTS-tracked routes leaving Sacramento. The same hub also shows 14 mid-band and 1 challenged departures · fleet-wide on-time rank #338 of 4927 (highest on-time = #1).

What the Data Says About SMF to SLC

Sacramento to Salt Lake City (SMF to SLC) is one of the more dependable pairings in the BTS On-Time Performance dataset: a 88.5% on-time rate across 11,456 flights, with delays that do happen averaging 79.0 minutes. The corridor runs roughly 532 miles and is served by 11 carriers. Over the most recent 24 months, 15 of 4,028 flights were cancelled (0.4%) and 4 diverted (0.1%).

The monthly split is wide on this route: Oct 2024 posted the strongest performance at 97% on-time, while Jan 2024 came in at just 81% - a 15-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.

On the multi-year calendar, SMF–SLC peaks in May at 91.0% on-time while July carries the heaviest traffic (~174 flights per month) ; the softest month is December at 83.5%, a 7.5-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.

Frequently Asked Questions

Where does SMF to SLC rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking, SMF to SLC ranks #978 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 SMF to SLC? ▼
Flights from Sacramento to Salt Lake City have a 88.5% on-time rate based on 11,456 flights. The average delay is 79.0 minutes. The best recent month was Oct 2024 with 97% on-time.
What is the cancellation rate for SMF to SLC? ▼
Over the last 24 months, 0.4% of flights on this route were cancelled (15 of 4,028 flights) and 0.1% were diverted.
How far is the flight from SMF to SLC? ▼
The flight distance from Sacramento (SMF) to Salt Lake City (SLC) is approximately 532 miles. This route is served by 11 carriers.
When is the best time to fly from SMF to SLC? ▼
The best recent month for on-time performance was Oct 2024 (97% on-time). The worst was Jan 2024 (81% on-time). Consider booking during months with historically better performance.

Airports on this route

SMF Airport

Sacramento
SLC Airport

Salt Lake City
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 SMF–SLC data

SMF–SLC runs 9.5 pts above the national 79% average; the remaining risk is month-to-month swing and carrier mix, not a weak headline rate.

  • Compare SMF and SLC airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. SMF airport
  • If your dates flex, May (91.0% on-time) beats December (83.5%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
  • 4 other routes post a similar 88.5% 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.

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.