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

No clear winner: United’s LAX → SBA flights land within a few points of 88% on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


United	LAX	SBA	59m	88%	1.0%	687	Flying now

Best connections, any airlines

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Santa Barbara on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included. Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


United Details →	LAX 13:25 → SFO 14:53UA 372	3h 23m San Francisco	SFO 18:16 → SBA 19:43UA 5962 · flown by SkyWest	6h 18m	100%	94%
Delta Details →	LAX 05:35 → SLC 08:30DL 2906	2h 20m Salt Lake City	SLC 10:50 → SBA 12:04DL 3841 · flown by SkyWest	6h 29m	98%	94%
American Details →	LAX 06:19 → PHX 07:51AA 2027	2h 13m Phoenix	PHX 10:04 → SBA 11:46AA 3784 · flown by Envoy	5h 27m	97%	93%
Southwest Details →	LAX 05:35 → LAS 06:50WN 2403	2h 30m Las Vegas	LAS 09:20 → SBA 10:40WN 2336	5h 05m	100%	91%
Alaska Details →	LAX 07:00 → PDX 09:21AS 668	1h 26m Portland	PDX 10:47 → SBA 13:05AS 2317 · flown by Horizon	6h 05m	98%	89%
American + Alaskatwo ticketsDetails →	LAX 12:31 → PDX 14:59AA 6189 · flown by SkyWest	2h 49m Portland	PDX 17:48 → SBA 20:04AS 2029 · flown by Horizon	7h 33m	95%	85%
Delta Details →	LAX 09:55 → SLC 12:50DL 1434	2h 10m Salt Lake City	SLC 15:00 → SBA 16:10DL 3853 · flown by SkyWest	6h 15m	98%	85%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	LAX 05:55 → DEN 09:20WN 2943	2h 06m Denver	DEN 11:26 → SBA 13:02UA 671	7h 07m	99%	80%
Tight connection: often missed
United Details →	LAX 13:25 → SFO 14:53UA 372	1h 17m San Francisco	SFO 16:10 → SBA 17:37UA 5862 · flown by SkyWest	4h 12m	71%	48%
United Details →	LAX 18:45 → SFO 20:10UA 2681	1h 13m San Francisco	SFO 21:23 → SBA 22:45UA 2866	4h 00m	57%	43%
Southwest Details →	LAX 16:20 → DEN 19:40WN 278	1h 15m Denver	DEN 20:55 → SBA 22:30WN 3842	6h 10m	44%	17%

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 · 57m · leaves 07:00 12%

Afternoon and evening

SLC · 1h 06m · leaves 17:05 17%

SFO · 1h 13m · leaves 18:45 43%

DEN · 1h 15m · leaves 16:20 56%

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