Flights Sacramento → Denver
SMF → DEN
How long is the flight from Sacramento to Denver?
The flight from Sacramento (SMF) to Denver (DEN) takes 2h 3m on average. That is the median time recorded across 5 scheduled flights on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
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 2327 flights monitored in recent months, 82% arrived on time (within 15 min of schedule), with an average delay of 9 minutes. The cancellation rate is 0.77%. FlightGuard's average computed risk is 20.8/100 (medium), updated in real time from weather, ATC delays, strikes, NOTAMs, fuel and flight history. At Denver the average ATFM delay is 5.5 minutes (main cause: atfm). Departing from Sacramento the average ATFM delay is 5.5 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 3m.
Departures from Sacramento on this leg cluster in the morning window: about 39% of SMF-DEN flights take off then.
Air-traffic congestion: departing Sacramento the average ATFM delay is 5.5 min (atfm); arriving into Denver it is 5.5 min (atfm).
Across 2,327 tracked SMF-DEN flights, 82% left on time with an average delay of 9 min and a 0.8% 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) | 83% | 5 min | 1.3% |
| Southwest Airlines (WN) | 75% | 5 min | 0.3% |
Airlines operating SMF-DEN
Airports
Frequently asked questions about SMF-DEN
The flight from Sacramento (SMF) to Denver (DEN) takes 2h 3m on average. That is the median time recorded across 5 scheduled flights on this leg; the actual time varies by a few minutes with wind, routing and take-off queues.
On the Sacramento (SMF) -> Denver (DEN) route, on-time performance is 82% with an average delay of 9 minutes, based on 2327 tracked flights.
The cancellation rate on Sacramento-Denver is 0.77% across 2327 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.
