Sun, Oct 4 has passed, so this is the 12-month record.

Itineraries flown on 20+ days in the Jun 6 – Jul 31, 2026 schedule · each leg’s record Aug 2025 – Jul 2026

The nonstop is quickest: American CLT → SMF (5h 28m), on time 4 times in 5. Delta via Minneapolis (8h 51m) is more reliable, 90%, but takes 3h 23m longer.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


American	CLT	SMF	5h 28m	80%	1.6%	429	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Sacramento on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Sacramento is 3 h behind Charlotte). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Delta Details →	CLT 06:20 → MSP 08:02DL 2491	2h 21m Minneapolis	MSP 10:23 → SMF 12:11DL 1701	8h 51m	98%	90%
American Details →	CLT 11:56 → LAX 13:55AA 1213	3h 23m Los Angeles	LAX 17:18 → SMF 18:51AA 6346 · flown by SkyWest	9h 55m	100%	89%
United Details →	CLT 07:09 → IAH 08:50UA 575	1h 10m Houston	IAH 10:00 → SMF 12:07UA 2773	7h 58m	93%	87%
Delta Details →	CLT 18:09 → SLC 20:29DL 2070	2h 35m Salt Lake City	SLC 23:04 → SMF 23:44DL 1582	8h 39m	99%	87%
American Details →	CLT 09:40 → PHX 11:04AA 1986	2h 31m Phoenix	PHX 13:35 → SMF 15:43AA 6354 · flown by SkyWest	9h 03m	98%	83%
United Details →	CLT 08:40 → DEN 10:27UA 1963	3h 08m Denver	DEN 13:35 → SMF 15:10UA 662	9h 30m	99%	81%
Delta Details →	CLT 05:30 → ATL 06:42DL 3186	2h 34m Atlanta	ATL 09:16 → SMF 11:07DL 904	8h 37m	99%	81%
Delta Details →	CLT 16:56 → ATL 18:15DL 3032	2h 44m Atlanta	ATL 20:59 → SMF 22:54DL 682	8h 58m	92%	76%
Tight connection: often missed
American Details →	CLT 18:23 → PHX 19:51AA 1073	57m Phoenix	PHX 20:48 → SMF 22:42AA 2048	7h 19m	61%	41%
American Details →	CLT 18:00 → DFW 20:00AA 2409	59m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 20:59 → SMF 22:33AA 3314	7h 33m	57%	32%
American Details →	CLT 19:52 → DFW 21:44AA 1698	46m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 22:30 → SMF 23:59AA 509	7h 07m	30%	12%

Same layover, different day-part

How often the first flight arrives too late to connect (45 min minimum), for one-ticket layovers of 45–80 minutes.

Morning

IAH · 1h 10m · leaves 07:09 7%

DEN · 1h 03m · leaves 08:40 7%

PHX · 59m · leaves 07:41 12%

Afternoon and evening

PHX · 57m · leaves 18:23 39%

DFW · 46m · leaves 19:52 70%

Delays build through the day, so an afternoon first leg eats the layover. A short connection is fine early in the morning and a gamble later on.

Mixing airlines

One ticketMiss it and the airline rebooks you; bags go through. 45 min is enough.

Separate ticketsMiss it and you buy a new ticket. Re-check bags, clear security again: we require 90 min.


American AA 1213 CLT 11:56 → LAX United UA 5858 LAX 16:30 → SMF Connection details →	2h 35m	9h 10m	97%	90%
American AA 2030 CLT 07:07 → LAS Southwest WN 4532 LAS 11:25 → SMF Connection details →	2h 41m	8h 53m	100%	88%
American AA 352 CLT 13:20 → LAX Delta DL 3759 LAX 18:51 → SMF Connection details →	3h 33m	10h 05m	99%	87%

Rank all connections, any airlines →

Regional partners count as the airline that sells them: SkyWest flying Delta Connection is one Delta ticket.

How these are worked out. Makes the connection: share of the last year’s flights where the first flight arrived with at least 45 minutes to spare (90 on separate tickets). Arrives on time: first flight not cancelled × connection made × second flight not cancelled and arriving within 15 minutes. Not yet counted: the second flight also leaving late (which helps), gate-to-gate distance at the hub, and rebooking after a missed connection.

About this data: US DOT on-time records, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, all US airlines; regional flights count under the airline that sells them. Schedules (which flights and connections exist, and their times) are as of Jun 6 – Jul 31, 2026; seasonal flights outside that window aren’t ranked. Rebuilt monthly. JSON