Flights Los Angeles → Sacramento
LAX → SMF
How long is the flight from Los Angeles to Sacramento?
The flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Sacramento (SMF) takes 1h 1m on average. That is the median time recorded across 2 scheduled flights on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
Route overview
This flight route operates from Los Angeles to Sacramento, utilizing a mix of Canadair Regional Jet models and Boeing 737-300 aircraft. With an on-time performance rate of 81%, the average delay for flights is approximately 8.9 minutes, based on a total of 1325 flights recorded. The destination airport sees over twelve million passengers annually, underscoring its significance in regional air travel.
Your rights on this US flight (DOT)
US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under the US DOT rules, if your flight is cancelled or significantly changed and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Amenities for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.
US flight refund rules & checker →General information, not legal advice.
The Los Angeles (LAX) → Sacramento (SMF) route is operated by American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines. Across 3443 flights monitored in recent months, 81% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 9 minutes. The cancellation rate is 0.15%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 21.2/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At Sacramento the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Los Angeles the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes.
Heading to Sacramento: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Los Angeles (LAX) to Sacramento (SMF) heads north-west for about 600 km, a flight time of roughly 1h 1m.
Departures from Los Angeles on this leg cluster in the overnight window: about 41% of LAX-SMF flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Los Angeles the average ATFM delay is 5.5 min (atfm); arriving into Sacramento it is 5.5 min (atfm).
Across 3,443 tracked LAX-SMF flights, 81% left on time with an average delay of 9 min and a 0.1% cancellation rate.
Route facts
Flights on this route
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Airline punctuality on this route
| Airline | On-time | Average delay | Cancellations |
|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines (DL) | 85% | 1 min | 0.8% |
| Alaska Airlines (AS) | 85% | -1 min | 0.5% |
| United Airlines (UA) | 83% | 5 min | 1.3% |
| American Airlines (AA) | 79% | 6 min | 1.1% |
| Southwest Airlines (WN) | 75% | 5 min | 0.3% |
Airlines operating LAX-SMF
Airports
Frequently asked questions about LAX-SMF
The flight from Los Angeles (LAX) to Sacramento (SMF) takes 1h 1m on average. That is the median time recorded across 2 scheduled flights on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
On the Los Angeles (LAX) -> Sacramento (SMF) route, on-time performance is 81% with an average delay of 9 minutes, based on 3443 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Los Angeles-Sacramento is 0.15% across 3443 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 5 airlines: American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Delta Air Lines, United Airlines, Southwest Airlines.
Enter your flight number on FlightGuard for a real-time analysis based on 9 factors: weather at Sacramento, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel, airline punctuality and recent trends.
US flights have no statutory cash compensation for delays. Under US DOT rules, if the airline cancels or significantly changes your flight and you decline rebooking, you're owed an automatic refund of the unused ticket. The tarmac-delay limit is 3 hours (domestic) / 4 hours (international). Meals or hotels for controllable delays depend on each airline's contract of carriage.
