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 July 2026, Southwest Airlines operated the most departures, one of 4 carriers flying nonstop SAN–SMF; the Boeing 737-700 was the most common aircraft at 41% of departures; flights ran 81% full.
Departures
1,030
July 2026
Seats
135,432
both directions
Passengers
110,247
both directions
Load factor
81.4%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies SAN–SMF?
Southwest Airlines operated the most nonstop SAN–SMF departures in July 2026 (676), one of 4 carriers on the route.
- WN
676 departures · 102,340 seats
Share of departures65.6%83.5%
Load
- OO
181 departures · 13,756 seats
Share of departures17.6%87.7%
Load
- QX
111 departures · 8,436 seats
Share of departures10.8%87.4%
Load
- AS
62 departures · 10,900 seats
Share of departures6.0%48.7%
Load
What plane flies SAN–SMF?
In July 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew 41% of SAN–SMF departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737-700
420 departures · 85.5% load
40.8% - Embraer E175
292 departures · 87.6% load
28.3% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
173 departures · 79.8% load
16.8% - Boeing 737-800
91 departures · 80.4% load
8.8% - Boeing 737-900ER
33 departures · 49.1% load
3.2% - Boeing 737 MAX 9
21 departures · 49.7% load
2.0%
How has SAN–SMF traffic changed?
Nonstop SAN–SMF departures rose from 885 in August 2025 to 1,030 in July 2026.
Monthly nonstop SAN–SMF traffic, trailing 12 months through July 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
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
June 2026
994 departures · 107,125 passengers
82.4%
Load
July 2026
1,030 departures · 110,247 passengers
81.4%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
SAN → SMF
80.0% full
516 departures · 54,355 passengers
SMF → SAN
82.8% full
514 departures · 55,892 passengers
Nonstop SAN–SMF traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through July 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 July 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew the largest share of departures (40.8%), followed by the Embraer E175 (28.3%).
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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