Historical on-time performance
Atlanta to Sacramento
2,092 miData through May 2026Source: US DOT · BTS
Flights on ATL–SMF arrive on time 80% of the time over the last 12 months.
On-time rate80%arrived within 15 min
p90 delay30 min1 in 10 flights is worse (tail risk)
Cancelled1.5%of scheduled flights
based on 1,009 flights over the last 12 months. On-time means arriving within 15 minutes (BTS standard).
By airline
How each carrier compares
- Delta Air LinesOn-time80%Medianon timep9030 minCancel1.5%Flights1,009
Why flights run late
Delay causes
- Airline51%
- Weather8%
- Air traffic (NAS)21%
- Late aircraft21%
- Security0%
Most delay minutes here are attributed to Airline.
When flights don't go
Why flights were cancelled
- Airline67%
- Weather33%
- Air traffic (NAS)0%
- Security0%
Most cancellations here are attributed to Airline. Shares are among 15 cancellations with a reported cause (BTS reports causes from June 2003).
Over time
On-time trend
By season
On-time rate by month
When to fly
Best time to fly ATL → SMF
All airlines · rolling 36 months (2023-06 .. 2026-05).
Best time of day
On-time rates are fairly even by time of day on this route — ranging from 77% to 87% on time.
- Mornings87% on time · p90 15 min · 1,096 flights
- Afternoons84% on time · p90 25 min · 323 flights
- Evenings80% on time · p90 30 min · 917 flights
- Overnights77% on time · p90 35 min · 607 flights
Best day of week
Wednesdays are the most reliable day to fly this route — 89% on time.
- Wednesdays89% on time · p90 15 min · 419 flights
- Thursdays84% on time · p90 20 min · 449 flights
- Tuesdays83% on time · p90 25 min · 407 flights
- Saturdays81% on time · p90 25 min · 328 flights
- Fridays81% on time · p90 30 min · 453 flights
- Sundays80% on time · p90 40 min · 443 flights
- Mondays78% on time · p90 30 min · 446 flights
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