Sacramento (SMF) to Santa Barbara (SBA): On-Time Performance
Data through July 2026
When you fly SMF to SBA matters as much as anything else about the booking: the route swung from 100% on-time in April 2026 to just 65% in February 2025. Across the full period the route averages 86% on-time against a national 78%.
- On-time
- 86%
- arrived <15 min late
- Avg delay
- 7 min
- completed flights
- Cancelled
- 0.7%
- Flights/day
- 1.0
- last 12 months
- Duration
- 1h 16m
- scheduled
- Distance
- 310 mi
Monthly on-time trend
Best time to fly from SMF to SBA
Aim for departures around 8 a.m. (95% on-time); avoid 11 a.m. departures (72%).
By day of week
| Day | On-time | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 87% | 9 min |
| Tuesday | 86% | 6 min |
| Wednesdaybest | 89% | 4 min |
| Thursday | 87% | 5 min |
| Friday | 81% | 7 min |
| Saturday | 87% | 10 min |
| Sunday | 84% | 9 min |
What causes delays on this route
Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft59%
- Airline operations28%
- National airspace system13%
Frequently asked questions
- How often are flights from SMF to SBA delayed?
- 15% of SMF–SBA 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 7 minutes.
- What is the best time of day to fly from SMF to SBA?
- Departures around 8 a.m. have the best record (95% on-time), while departures around 11 a.m. have the worst (72%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
- How long is the flight from SMF to SBA?
- The scheduled SMF–SBA flight time averages 1h 16m over 310 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 15% of the time.
- How often are SMF to SBA flights cancelled?
- 0.7% 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 SMF to SBA?
- February 2025 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 65% of arrivals on time. The best was April 2026 at 100%. If your dates are flexible, that 35-point gap is worth planning around.
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Based on 743 flights, 2024-07–2026-07. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-09-28.