Flights Sacramento → Denver
SMF → DEN
Route overview
The flight route from Sacramento to Denver operates with an average on-time performance of 84%, experiencing a mean delay of 8.6 minutes per flight. Over the past year, this route has seen 841 flights using various aircraft models including Airbus A320 and Boeing 737 variants.
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 Sacramento (SMF) → Denver (DEN) route is operated by United Airlines, Southwest Airlines. Across 1110 flights monitored in recent months, 84% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 9 minutes. The cancellation rate is 1.35%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 18.8/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At Denver the average ATFM delay is 2.0 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Sacramento the average ATFM delay is 2.0 minutes.
Heading to Denver: what to expect in this direction
Flying from Sacramento (SMF) to Denver (DEN) heads east for about 1,460 km, a flight time of roughly 2h 15m.
Departures from Sacramento on this leg cluster in the overnight window: about 39% of SMF-DEN flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Sacramento the average ATFM delay is 2.0 min (atfm); arriving into Denver it is 2.0 min (atfm).
Across 1,110 tracked SMF-DEN flights, 84% left on time with an average delay of 9 min and a 1.4% cancellation rate.
Route facts
Flights on this route
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Airline punctuality on this route
| Airline | On-time | Average delay | Cancellations |
|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines (UA) | 74% | 10 min | 6.9% |
| Southwest Airlines (WN) | 73% | 6 min | 3.1% |
Airlines operating SMF-DEN
Airports
Frequently asked questions about SMF-DEN
On the Sacramento (SMF) -> Denver (DEN) route, on-time performance is 84% with an average delay of 9 minutes, based on 1110 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Sacramento-Denver is 1.35% across 1110 monitored flights.
The route is operated by 2 airlines: United Airlines, Southwest Airlines.
Enter your flight number on FlightGuard for a real-time analysis based on 9 factors: weather at Denver, 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.
