Flights Minneapolis → Sacramento
MSP → SMF
How long is the flight from Minneapolis to Sacramento?
The flight from Minneapolis (MSP) to Sacramento (SMF) takes 3h 9m on average. That is the median time recorded across 1 scheduled flight on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
Route overview
The flight route from Minneapolis to Sacramento operates with an average on-time performance of 83%, experiencing a mean delay of 9.1 minutes per flight. Over the course of a year, this route sees a total of 89 flights using Airbus A320 aircraft, serving the highly trafficked destination airport in Sacramento which handles approximately 12,313,370 passengers annually.
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 Minneapolis (MSP) → Sacramento (SMF) route is operated by Delta Air Lines. Across 310 flights monitored in recent months, 85% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 6 minutes. The cancellation rate is 0.32%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 14.6/100 (low), 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 Minneapolis the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes.
Heading to Sacramento: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Minneapolis (MSP) to Sacramento (SMF) heads west for about 2,436 km, a flight time of roughly 3h 9m.
Departures from Minneapolis on this leg cluster in the midday window: about 68% of MSP-SMF flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Minneapolis the average ATFM delay is 5.5 min (atfm); arriving into Sacramento it is 5.5 min (atfm).
Across 310 tracked MSP-SMF flights, 85% left on time with an average delay of 6 min and a 0.3% 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% |
Airlines operating MSP-SMF
Airports
Frequently asked questions about MSP-SMF
The flight from Minneapolis (MSP) to Sacramento (SMF) takes 3h 9m on average. That is the median time recorded across 1 scheduled flight on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
On the Minneapolis (MSP) -> Sacramento (SMF) route, on-time performance is 85% with an average delay of 6 minutes, based on 310 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Minneapolis-Sacramento is 0.32% across 310 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 1 airline: Delta Air Lines.
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.
