Best Time to Fly SBA to SMF: On-Time Stats by Hour & Airline
Santa Barbara Municipal → Sacramento International
Data through July 2026 · Last updated October 18, 2026
Over the last 12 months, 82.9% of Santa Barbara (SBA) to Sacramento (SMF) flights arrived on time (365 scheduled flights). That is 5.3 points above the national average of 77.6%.
Southwest Airlines was the only reporting airline with regular flights on this route.
May has been the best month (95% on time) and Thursday the weakest day of the week (80%).
0.6% of flights were cancelled, versus 1.8% nationally.
SBA to SMF on-time performance by airline
Last 12 months. Airlines with fewer than 30 completed flights are marked “limited data”.
| Airline | On time | Avg delay when late | Cancelled | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Southwest Airlines | 82.9% | 56 min | 0.6% | 365 |
80%+ good 70–79.9% fair <70% poor
Best time of day to fly SBA to SMF
On-time arrival % by scheduled departure hour (local time), 712 flights over 24 months.
Show the numbers
| Departure hour | On time | Cancelled | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|
| 6am–7am | Limited data | 1 | |
| 9am–10am | Limited data | 1 | |
| 10am–11am | 92.4% | 0.0% | 105 |
| 11am–12pm | 93.8% | 0.6% | 163 |
| 12pm–1pm | 81.5% | 0.8% | 131 |
| 1pm–2pm | Limited data | 13 | |
| 3pm–4pm | Limited data | 4 | |
| 4pm–5pm | Limited data | 4 | |
| 5pm–6pm | 94.2% | 1.9% | 53 |
| 6pm–7pm | 81.6% | 0.0% | 174 |
| 7pm–8pm | 78.7% | 1.6% | 62 |
| 8pm–9pm | Limited data | 1 | |
Best day of the week
24 months, by day of departure.
Best month to fly
24 months, by calendar month.
Holiday travel on SBA to SMF
On-time arrivals during holiday periods compared with all other days, last 24 months.
| Period | On time | vs other days | Cancelled | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Thanksgiving week (Tue before to Mon after) | Limited data | 16 | ||
| Christmas & New Year (Dec 20 - Jan 3) | Limited data | 30 | ||
| Summer peak (Jun 15 - Aug 15) | 88.6% | +2.1 pts | 0.8% | 124 |
| All other days | 86.5% | — | 0.2% | 542 |
Monthly on-time trend
On-time arrival % each month, with the 12-month US average for reference.
What causes delays on this route
Share of reported delay minutes, last 12 months (BTS cause categories).