Chicago (MDW) to Sacramento (SMF): On-Time Performance
Data through May 2026
When you fly MDW to SMF matters as much as anything else about the booking: the route swung from 93% on-time in November 2025 to just 55% in December 2025. Across the full period the route averages 73% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (83% vs 59%), which matters most in the rough months.
- On-time
- 73%
- arrived <15 min late
- Avg delay
- 15 min
- completed flights
- Cancelled
- 0.6%
- Flights/day
- 1.8
- last 12 months
- Duration
- 4h 28m
- scheduled
- Distance
- 1,790 mi
Monthly on-time trend
Best time to fly from MDW to SMF
Aim for departures around 8 a.m. (87% on-time); avoid 10 p.m. departures (44%).
By day of week
| Day | On-time | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 69% | 17 min |
| Tuesday | 76% | 16 min |
| Wednesday | 75% | 13 min |
| Thursdaybest | 79% | 14 min |
| Friday | 67% | 20 min |
| Saturday | 77% | 11 min |
| Sunday | 66% | 15 min |
What causes delays on this route
Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft44%
- Airline operations36%
- National airspace system16%
- Weather3%
Frequently asked questions
- How often are flights from MDW to SMF delayed?
- 27% of MDW–SMF flights arrived 15 or more minutes late (the US DOT definition of a delay) between 2024-06 and 2026-05. The average arrival delay across completed flights was 15 minutes.
- What is the best time of day to fly from MDW to SMF?
- Departures around 8 a.m. have the best record (87% on-time), while departures around 10 p.m. have the worst (44%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
- How long is the flight from MDW to SMF?
- The scheduled MDW–SMF flight time averages 4h 28m over 1,790 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 27% of the time.
- How often are MDW to SMF flights cancelled?
- 0.6% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-06 and 2026-05, at or below the national rate of 1.6%.
- What is the worst month to fly from MDW to SMF?
- December 2025 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 55% of arrivals on time. The best was November 2025 at 93%. If your dates are flexible, that 38-point gap is worth planning around.
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Based on 1,292 flights, 2024-06–2026-05. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-07-01.