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

No clear winner: Southwest’s HOU → SMF flights land within a few points of 4 in 5 on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


Southwest	HOU	SMF	4h 05m	80%	0.0%	364	Flying now

Best connections, any airlines

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Sacramento on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Sacramento is 2 h behind Houston). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Southwest + Deltatwo ticketsDetails →	HOU 07:30 → LAX 08:55WN 2007	3h 10m Los Angeles	LAX 12:05 → SMF 13:32DL 3812 · flown by SkyWest	8h 03m	100%	89%
Southwest Details →	HOU 07:45 → ONT 08:55WN 4391	3h 05m Ontario	ONT 12:00 → SMF 13:20WN 3167	7h 35m	100%	88%
Southwest Details →	HOU 07:50 → LAS 09:00WN 1998	2h 25m Las Vegas	LAS 11:25 → SMF 13:00WN 4532	7h 10m	98%	86%
Southwest + Americantwo ticketsDetails →	HOU 11:55 → LAX 13:20WN 2008	3h 58m Los Angeles	LAX 17:18 → SMF 18:51AA 6346 · flown by SkyWest	8h 56m	96%	85%
Southwest Details →	HOU 06:20 → PHX 06:55WN 2062	2h 40m Phoenix	PHX 09:35 → SMF 11:30WN 781	7h 10m	98%	84%
Southwest + Deltatwo ticketsDetails →	HOU 14:45 → SEA 17:25WN 3566	3h 00m Seattle	SEA 20:25 → SMF 22:28DL 4131 · flown by SkyWest	9h 43m	92%	83%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	HOU 08:15 → DEN 09:45WN 1971	3h 50m Denver	DEN 13:35 → SMF 15:10UA 662	8h 55m	100%	83%
Southwest Details →	HOU 05:30 → DEN 06:55WN 1970	50m Denver	DEN 07:45 → SMF 09:15WN 1738	5h 45m	91%	82%
Tight connection: often missed
Southwest Details →	HOU 05:30 → LAS 06:30WN 2251	48m Las Vegas	LAS 07:18 → SMF 08:48WN 2359	5h 18m	74%	72%
Southwest Details →	HOU 07:45 → ONT 08:55WN 4391	50m Ontario	ONT 09:45 → SMF 11:10WN 3166	5h 25m	62%	56%
Southwest Details →	HOU 13:45 → SAN 14:55WN 4486	1h 00m San Diego	SAN 15:55 → SMF 17:30WN 4464	5h 45m	43%	26%

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

DEN · 50m · leaves 05:30 9%

PHX · 50m · leaves 06:20 12%

Afternoon and evening

DAL · 1h 00m · leaves 19:00 25%

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.

The table above includes two-ticket connections (marked “two tickets”), held to the 90-minute minimum. One ticket only →

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