Palm Springs (PSP) to Sacramento (SMF): On-Time Performance
Data through July 2026
When you fly PSP to SMF matters as much as anything else about the booking: the route swung from 100% on-time in September 2024 to just 70% in September 2025. Across the full period the route averages 85% on-time against a national 78%. Morning departures also hold up better than evening ones (95% vs 74%), which matters most in the rough months.
- On-time
- 85%
- arrived <15 min late
- Avg delay
- 9 min
- completed flights
- Cancelled
- 0.3%
- Flights/day
- 1.4
- last 12 months
- Duration
- 1h 33m
- scheduled
- Distance
- 439 mi
Monthly on-time trend
Best time to fly from PSP to SMF
Aim for departures around 7 a.m. (96% on-time); avoid 6 p.m. departures (69%).
By day of week
| Day | On-time | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 85% | 11 min |
| Tuesdaybest | 94% | 7 min |
| Wednesday | 88% | 9 min |
| Thursday | 83% | 10 min |
| Friday | 84% | 7 min |
| Saturday | 86% | 6 min |
| Sunday | 80% | 12 min |
What causes delays on this route
Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft69%
- Airline operations22%
- National airspace system7%
- Weather2%
- Security1%
Frequently asked questions
- How often are flights from PSP to SMF delayed?
- 15% of PSP–SMF flights arrived 15 or more minutes late (the US DOT definition of a delay) between 2024-07 and 2026-07. The average arrival delay across completed flights was 9 minutes.
- What is the best time of day to fly from PSP to SMF?
- Departures around 7 a.m. have the best record (96% on-time), while departures around 6 p.m. have the worst (69%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
- How long is the flight from PSP to SMF?
- The scheduled PSP–SMF flight time averages 1h 33m over 439 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 15% of the time.
- How often are PSP to SMF flights cancelled?
- 0.3% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-07 and 2026-07, at or below the national rate of 1.6%.
- What is the worst month to fly from PSP to SMF?
- September 2025 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 70% of arrivals on time. The best was September 2024 at 100%. If your dates are flexible, that 30-point gap is worth planning around.
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Based on 953 flights, 2024-07–2026-07. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-09-28.