How long does it really take to fly from Columbus to Sacramento? Here's a sample itinerary for a commercial flight plan. If you want to know the total travel time to reach Sacramento, you need to include time at the airports. Eventually, you'll be able to customize this itinerary to select other nearby airports and choose your preferred airline.
Tuesday, 4:34 am: start in Columbus
drive for about 19 minutes
most airlines recommend you get to the airport at least 90 minutes before your flight, so arrive by 5:48 am at the latest
4:53 am: Port Columbus International (CMH)
if you need to check luggage, make sure you do it at least 30-60 minutes before departure, or in this case, by 6:18 am
5:23 am: get your boarding pass and go through TSA security
allow enough time for long security lines during busy travel seasons or holidays, and prepare for the wait time
6:23 am: arrive at the gate
once you're ready to board, you can get something to eat in the airport or just relax near the gate
6:53 am: prepare for boarding
check your boarding pass for your group number or listen to the gate agent as they announce boarding, some airlines require you to be in the boarding area 10-15 minutes before departure or risk losing your seat
7:08 am: board Delta Air Lines Inc. flight
you can scroll down to view other airlines that fly this route
7:18 am: this is your scheduled departure time
but this flight is usually delayed by an average of 30 minutes
7:48 am: so this is your actual departure time
it takes the plane an average of 13 minutes to taxi to the runway
8:01 am: wheels up! take-off from CMH
fly for about 4.5 hours in the air
9:44 am (local time): Los Angeles International (LAX)
Los Angeles, CA is 3 hours behind Columbus, OH
so the time in Columbus is actually 12:44 pm
land at the connecting airport
taxi on the runway for an average of 11 minutes to the gate
9:55 am (local time): arrive at the connecting airport
make sure you schedule enough time for your layover
there may be a minimum connection time for your flight
10:00 am (local time): get to your connection gate
with the average delay, you have about 5 minutes
if your incoming flight was delayed, you may need to run
10:15 am (local time): board Southwest Airlines Co. connecting flight
you can scroll down to view other airlines that fly this route
10:25 am (local time): scheduled departure time for connecting flight
but this flight is usually delayed by an average of 10 minutes
10:35 am (local time): actual departure time for connecting flight
it takes the plane an average of 12 minutes to taxi to the runway
10:47 am (local time): wheels up again! take-off from DEN
fly for about 1 hour in the air
11:48 am (local time): Sacramento International (SMF)
Sacramento is 3 hours behind Columbus
so the time in Columbus is actually 2:48 pm
taxi on the runway for an average of 4 minutes to the gate
11:52 am (local time): arrive at the gate at SMF
deboard the plane, and claim any baggage
if you're renting a car, check if you need to take a shuttle to car rental agency, otherwise you can ride in a cab, limo, or Uber for about 28 minutes to your destination
12:21 pm (local time): arrive in Sacramento
Total travel time: 11 hours
How far is Sacramento from Columbus? Here's the quick answer if you have a private jet and you can fly in the fastest possible straight line.
Flight distance: 2,050 miles or 3300 km
Flight time: 4 hours, 36 minutes
Compare this to a whole day of commercial travel with the airports and waiting in line for security, which ends up taking a total of 10 hours, 46 minutes.
Flying private is roughly 2.7x faster, and saves you about 7 hours in your total travel time.
Because of the curvature of the Earth, the shortest distance is actually the "great circle" distance, or "as the crow flies" which is calculated using an iterative Vincenty formula. For a long distance, this appears as a curve on the map, and this is often the route that commercial airlines will take so it's a good estimate of the frequent flyer miles you'll accumulate as well.
This is a fairly long flight, so unless you have a Gulfstream G650 or your own Boeing or Airbus, you might be booking a commercial flight. In that case, your travel time would really need to include how many minutes to get to your local airport, wait for security, board and taxi on the runway, land at the other airport, and get to your destination. The flight itinerary at the top of the page takes into account all these factors to get a more accurate estimate of your actual flight time.
Looking at flights on Delta Air Lines Inc. from CMH to LAX, and connecting flights on Southwest Airlines Co. from LAX to SMF, here's a breakdown of the number of flights available each day:
Based on these statistical results, we chose Tuesday for the flight itinerary above.
The most common route is CMH to LAX, then connecting to SMF, so that's what we used in the sample itinerary. However, you may want to explore travel alternatives, you could try one of these routes:
We picked Delta Air Lines Inc. for your main flight, and Southwest Airlines Co. for your connecting flight, but there are other airlines that you should check if you're looking for the cheapest flight, or you need a different schedule. Check the websites of these airlines:
Trippy has a ton of information that can help you plan your trip to Sacramento, California. Start by reading the Trippy page on where to stay in Sacramento. A great place to eat might be Ella Dining Room & Bar. Trippy members can suggest things to do in Sacramento like California State Railroad Museum. Check out some of the questions people have asked about Sacramento like What is your favorite restaurant in Sacramento? Click the button below to explore Sacramento in detail.
The distance is the same either way if you're flying a straight line. But for a real trip, there can be plenty of differences so go ahead and check the reverse flight itinerary to fly from Sacramento to Columbus, or go to the main page to calculate other flight times.
You can also compare the travel time if you were to drive instead. Get the full itinerary for a Columbus to Sacramento road trip. Or if you're more interested in the distance, How far is it from Columbus to Sacramento?
If you happen to know Columbus, don't forget to help other travelers and answer some questions about Columbus!