ON TIMEBOARD
IAD Washington / SMF Sacramento

IAD → SMF on time

Washington Dulles (Washington, DC) to Sacramento (Sacramento, CA). Every scheduled flight, September 2025 to August 2026.

On time
79%
arrived < 15 min late
Cancelled
1.4%
365 flights
Typical arrival
−7 min
median vs schedule
When late
+58 min
average delay
Flights / day
1
1 airline

79% of flights from Washington to Sacramento arrived on time over the past 12 months. That is about the typical U.S. route. The 7 p.m. departures ran on time 86% of the time; the 5 p.m. ones 78%. 8% of flights arrived more than an hour late or not at all.

How late?

The on-time rate treats a flight 20 minutes late the same as one 5 hours late. Here's the split for IAD → SMF: when a flight was late, it was under 45 minutes late 54% of the time. About 1 in 16 flights landed an hour or more late, and 1 in 365 three hours or more; 1.4% were cancelled outright.

Share of all 365 scheduled flights, past 12 months, by arrival time against schedule.

By airline

AirlineFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrival1h+ lateAvg when lateOperated by
United Airlines36579%1.4%−7 min6.3%+58 minUnited Airlines

Airline = the name on the ticket. Regional flights (e.g. "Delta Connection") count under the ticketing airline, and the operator is listed.

Best time of day to fly

On-time rate by scheduled departure hour (local time at IAD). Delays build through the day as late planes knock on, so early flights usually do best.

40%70%100%5 p.m. departures: 78% on time (216 flights)785p6 p.m. departures: too few flights (39 flights)6p7 p.m. departures: 86% on time (110 flights)867p
IAD → SMF, share of flights arriving on time, by departure hour. Hours with under 100 flights are greyed out.
82%+ on time76–82%68–76%under 68%too few flights

By month

Each calendar month pooled over 2023–2026.

40%70%100%Jan: too few flights (66 flights)JanFeb: too few flights (56 flights)FebMar: too few flights (87 flights)MarApr: too few flights (90 flights)AprMay: too few flights (93 flights)MayJun: too few flights (90 flights)JunJul: too few flights (93 flights)JulAug: too few flights (93 flights)AugSep: too few flights (91 flights)SepOct: too few flights (92 flights)OctNov: too few flights (73 flights)NovDec: too few flights (75 flights)Dec

By day of week

DayFlightsOn timeCancelled
Monday53——
Tuesday52——
Wednesday52——
Thursday52——
Friday52——
Saturday52——
Sunday52——

Why flights were late

Share of delay minutes on flights 15+ minutes late, as reported to BTS by the airlines.

Airline (crew, maintenance, ops) 32%Air traffic & airport (NAS) 29%Late inbound plane 27%Severe weather 12%

Cancellations: weather 5

Month by month

Not enough months with data to draw a trend.

Flight numbers on this route

Regular flights with at least 120 scheduled trips in the past year. Sorted by departure time.

FlightDepartsFlightsOn timeCancelledTypical arrivalOperated by
UA 24355:55 p.m.34980%1.4%−7 minUnited Airlines

Questions

How often are flights from IAD to SMF on time?

79% of 365 scheduled flights from Washington, DC to Sacramento, CA arrived within 15 minutes of schedule between September 2025 and August 2026. 1.4% were cancelled.

What is the best time of day to fly IAD to SMF?

Flights scheduled to leave at 7 p.m. were the most reliable (86% on time). The 5 p.m. departures were the least (78%).

Related

Domestic flights by the airlines that report to the U.S. DOT, plus their regional partners. "On time" means arriving less than 15 minutes after schedule; cancelled and diverted flights count as not on time. Past performance is a guide, not a forecast. Method.