San Diego (SAN) to Sacramento (SMF)
Flight time
≈ 1h 46m
Bearing
330° NW
San Diego (SAN) to Sacramento (SMF) is 480 miles (773 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies SAN–SMF
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, Southwest Airlines operated the most departures, one of 6 carriers flying nonstop SAN–SMF; the Boeing 737-700 was the most common aircraft at 32% of departures; flights ran 77% full.
Departures
1,000
May 2026
Seats
132,820
both directions
Passengers
101,961
both directions
Load factor
76.8%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies SAN–SMF?
Southwest Airlines operated the most nonstop SAN–SMF departures in May 2026 (675), one of 6 carriers on the route.
- WN
675 departures · 105,889 seats
Share of departures67.5%77.6%
Load
- OO
231 departures · 17,556 seats
Share of departures23.1%77.3%
Load
- QX
71 departures · 5,396 seats
Share of departures7.1%79.4%
Load
- AS
21 departures · 3,721 seats
Share of departures2.1%48.8%
Load
- DL
1 departures · 72 seats
Share of departures0.1%88.9%
Load
- SY
1 departures · 186 seats
Share of departures0.1%0.0%
Load
What plane flies SAN–SMF?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew 32% of SAN–SMF departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737-700
322 departures · 82.2% load
32.2% - Embraer E175
302 departures · 77.8% load
30.2% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
191 departures · 74.7% load
19.1% - Boeing 737-800
164 departures · 73.5% load
16.4% - Boeing 737 MAX 9
11 departures · 50.0% load
1.1% - Boeing 737-900ER
9 departures · 46.7% load
0.9% - Boeing 757-200
1 departures · 88.9% load
0.1%
How has SAN–SMF traffic changed?
Nonstop SAN–SMF departures rose from 891 in June 2025 to 1,000 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop SAN–SMF traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
891 departures · 95,873 passengers
81.0%
Load
July 2025
926 departures · 101,038 passengers
82.2%
Load
August 2025
885 departures · 100,897 passengers
84.7%
Load
September 2025
823 departures · 90,122 passengers
79.6%
Load
October 2025
871 departures · 99,375 passengers
80.4%
Load
November 2025
930 departures · 94,315 passengers
75.2%
Load
December 2025
924 departures · 96,799 passengers
76.6%
Load
January 2026
813 departures · 79,075 passengers
73.2%
Load
February 2026
822 departures · 82,977 passengers
78.2%
Load
March 2026
992 departures · 103,422 passengers
79.1%
Load
April 2026
959 departures · 98,977 passengers
75.5%
Load
May 2026
1,000 departures · 101,961 passengers
76.8%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
SAN → SMF
77.9% full
501 departures · 51,831 passengers
SMF → SAN
75.7% full
499 departures · 50,130 passengers
Nonstop SAN–SMF traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through May 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work).
The airports
Frequently asked
How far is San Diego (SAN) from Sacramento (SMF)?
SAN to SMF is 480 miles (773 km / 417 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from SAN to SMF?
A nonstop covers the 480-mile great-circle distance in roughly 1h 46m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies SAN–SMF?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew the largest share of departures (32.2%), followed by the Embraer E175 (30.2%).
What mileage do I earn flying SAN–SMF?
Distance-based programs credit off the 480-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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