Sacramento (SMF) to New York (JFK): On-Time Performance
Data through July 2026
Sacramento (SMF) to New York (JFK) is a thinner route than most in this dataset — 165 departures over the past year, roughly 3 a week — so treat these numbers as indicative rather than definitive. Of the flights that did operate, 67% arrived on time, noticeably below the national average of 78%.
- On-time
- 67%
- arrived <15 min late
- Avg delay
- 41 min
- completed flights
- Cancelled
- 2.7%
- Flights/day
- 0.45
- last 12 months
- Duration
- 5h 22m
- scheduled
- Distance
- 2,521 mi
Monthly on-time trend
Best time to fly from SMF to JFK
By day of week
| Day | On-time | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 67% | 61 min |
| Tuesdaybest | 84% | 13 min |
| Wednesday | 69% | 42 min |
| Thursday | 59% | 62 min |
| Friday | 67% | 24 min |
| Saturday | 63% | 32 min |
| Sunday | 59% | 51 min |
What causes delays on this route
Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft42%
- Airline operations55%
- National airspace system3%
Frequently asked questions
- How often are flights from SMF to JFK delayed?
- 33% of SMF–JFK 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 41 minutes.
- How long is the flight from SMF to JFK?
- The scheduled SMF–JFK flight time averages 5h 22m over 2,521 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 33% of the time.
- How often are SMF to JFK flights cancelled?
- 2.7% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-07 and 2026-07, slightly above the national rate of 1.6%.
- What is the worst month to fly from SMF to JFK?
- July 2025 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 28% of arrivals on time. The best was October 2025 at 92%. If your dates are flexible, that 64-point gap is worth planning around.
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Based on 376 flights, 2024-07–2026-07. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-09-28.