Route reliability
Sacramento (SMF) to Los Angeles (LAX): which airline is most on time?
On-time arrivals, cancellations and long delays for every airline that reported nonstop flights from Sacramento, CA (SMF) to Los Angeles, CA (LAX), September 2025 to August 2026.
Sacramento, CALos Angeles, CA
Route at a glance · September 2025 to August 2026
SMF to LAX
Sacramento, CA to Los Angeles, CA
- On time
- 85.2%vs 75.6% U.S. average Better than average
- Cancelled
- 0.4%vs 1.9% U.S. average Better than average
- 60+ min late
- 4.4%vs 8.1% U.S. average Better than average
- Scheduled flights
- 5,717in 12 months5 airlines
- Most reliable airline
- SkyWest Airlines89.6% on time · 3,558 flights
On time more often than the U.S. average, with fewer cancellations.
Airlines on this route
Ranked by on-time arrival
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | 60+ min late | Avg delay when late | Diverted | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1. Delta Air Lines Small sample (under 300 flights) | 92.7% | 0.0% | 0.0% | Unavailable | 0.0% | 55 |
| 2. United Airlines Small sample (under 300 flights) | 91.6% | 0.0% | 2.5% | 72 min | 0.0% | 202 |
| 3. SkyWest Airlines Operating carrier; sold as United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle, Alaska Most reliable | 89.6% | 0.4% | 3.9% | 87 min | 0.0% | 3,558 |
| 4. Southwest Airlines | 76.8% | 0.3% | 5.4% | 48 min | 0.1% | 1,660 |
| 5. Frontier Airlines Small sample (under 300 flights) | 70.7% | 2.5% | 8.7% | 62 min | 0.0% | 242 |
On time = arrived within 15 minutes of schedule. Avg delay when late = average arrival delay of flights 15+ minutes late. "Most reliable" needs at least 300 flights in 12 months. Tap a heading to sort.
What this means
SkyWest Airlines has the strongest record on this route.
- SkyWest Airlines had the best on-time record from Sacramento (SMF) to Los Angeles (LAX): 89.6% of its 3,558 scheduled flights arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, compared with 76.8% for Southwest Airlines.
- Delta Air Lines (92.7% on 55 flights) and United Airlines (91.6% on 202 flights) scored higher but flew the route far less often, so those results are less certain.
- 0.4% of flights on this route were cancelled, 1.5 points lower than the U.S. average of 1.9%.
- 4.4% of flights, about 1 in 23, arrived an hour or more late. When a flight was late (15+ minutes), the average arrival delay was 67 min.
- Overall, 85.2% of flights on this route arrived on time, 9.6 points higher than the U.S. average of 75.6%.
- Over the last 3 years, September was the most reliable month on this route (89.9% on time) and July the least reliable (82.9%).
- Flights scheduled to depart 6 am to 7 am were the most punctual (93.4% on time); flights scheduled to depart 5 pm to 6 pm were the least (74.0%).
- In the other direction, Los Angeles (LAX) to Sacramento (SMF), 84.3% of flights were on time and 0.4% were cancelled. Compare airlines LAX to SMF.
Best and worst months to fly SMF to LAX
Share of scheduled flights on time 12-month average 85.2%
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| January | 88.5% | 1,233 |
| February | 87.3% | 1,175 |
| March | 85.7% | 1,346 |
| April | 87.9% | 1,400 |
| May | 86.8% | 1,472 |
| June | 84.4% | 1,441 |
| July | 82.9% | 1,458 |
| August | 87.3% | 1,470 |
| September | 89.9% | 1,326 |
| October | 87.5% | 1,438 |
| November | 86.3% | 1,318 |
| December | 85.7% | 1,240 |
| Airline | Best month | Worst month |
|---|---|---|
| SkyWest Airlines | September (93.5%) | July (87.4%) |
| Southwest Airlines | January (88.3%) | June (73.0%) |
Month by month, last 12 months
Share of scheduled flights on time U.S. average 75.6%
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| Sep 2025 | 88.0% | 460 |
| Oct 2025 | 86.8% | 517 |
| Nov 2025 | 83.8% | 456 |
| Dec 2025 | 84.9% | 431 |
| Jan 2026 | 84.1% | 421 |
| Feb 2026 | 85.1% | 402 |
| Mar 2026 | 83.6% | 450 |
| Apr 2026 | 87.5% | 471 |
| May 2026 | 85.0% | 525 |
| Jun 2026 | 84.1% | 522 |
| Jul 2026 | 81.1% | 518 |
| Aug 2026 | 87.9% | 544 |
Best and worst departure times
Share of scheduled flights on time
Show as table
| Period | On time | Flights |
|---|---|---|
| Departing before 6 am | Insufficient sample | 43 |
| Departing 6 am to 7 am | 93.4% | 891 |
| Departing 7 am to 8 am | 87.1% | 410 |
| Departing 8 am to 9 am | 89.1% | 129 |
| Departing 9 am to 10 am | 89.2% | 398 |
| Departing 10 am to 11 am | 88.8% | 446 |
| Departing 11 am to noon | 89.7% | 486 |
| Departing noon to 1 pm | 78.3% | 180 |
| Departing 1 pm to 2 pm | 92.0% | 162 |
| Departing 2 pm to 3 pm | 85.1% | 444 |
| Departing 3 pm to 4 pm | 75.4% | 183 |
| Departing 4 pm to 5 pm | 81.6% | 283 |
| Departing 5 pm to 6 pm | 74.0% | 354 |
| Departing 6 pm to 7 pm | 83.5% | 418 |
| Departing 7 pm to 8 pm | 77.6% | 379 |
| Departing 8 pm to 9 pm | 78.9% | 435 |
| Departing 9 pm to 10 pm | 70.8% | 72 |
| Departing 10 pm to 11 pm | Insufficient sample | 4 |
Sources & data dates
- Source
- U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Reporting Carrier On-Time Performance (1987-present)
- Period
- September 2025 to August 2026 (12 months); month-of-year patterns September 2023 to August 2026
- Data through
- August 2026
- Processed
- 2026-11-03
- Scope
- Nonstop scheduled flights from Sacramento, CA (SMF) to Los Angeles, CA (LAX), one direction. Airlines that report to the DOT only.
- Method
- Rates use all scheduled flights as the denominator; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Figures based on fewer than 50 scheduled flights are suppressed. Full methodology.