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 SBA → DFW (3h 19m), on time 3 times in 4. United via Denver (5h 48m) is more reliable, 89%, but takes 2h 29m longer.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


American	SBA	DFW	3h 19m	76%	1.6%	364	Flying now

Best connections, any airlines

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Dallas-Fort Worth on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Dallas-Fort Worth is 2 h ahead of Santa Barbara). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


United Details →	SBA 05:00 → DEN 08:27UA 2865	1h 13m Denver	DEN 09:40 → DFW 12:48UA 355	5h 48m	95%	89%
American Details →	SBA 06:00 → PHX 07:36AA 1640	1h 54m Phoenix	PHX 09:30 → DFW 14:08AA 554	6h 08m	99%	86%
Southwest + Americantwo ticketsDetails →	SBA 05:05 → LAS 06:30WN 4422	3h 41m Las Vegas	LAS 10:11 → DFW 15:08AA 1584	8h 03m	100%	84%
Alaska + Americantwo ticketsDetails →	SBA 19:28 → SEA 22:00AS 400	2h 44m Seattle	SEA 00:44 → DFW 06:43 +1AA 2429	9h 15m	96%	84%
Delta Details →	SBA 05:50 → SLC 08:53DL 4069 · flown by SkyWest	57m Salt Lake City	SLC 09:50 → DFW 13:33DL 2800	5h 43m	100%	84%
United Details →	SBA 06:15 → SFO 07:25UA 2340	1h 08m San Francisco	SFO 08:33 → DFW 14:25UA 1062	6h 10m	96%	82%
American Details →	SBA 19:15 → PHX 20:52AA 2515	3h 44m Phoenix	PHX 00:36 → DFW 05:09 +1AA 1818	7h 54m	100%	79%
American + Frontiertwo ticketsDetails →	SBA 12:16 → PHX 13:54AA 3784 · flown by Envoy	2h 45m Phoenix	PHX 16:39 → DFW 21:18F9 3972	7h 02m	97%	77%
Tight connection: often missed
Alaska Details →	SBA 19:28 → SEA 22:00AS 400	1h 03m Seattle	SEA 23:03 → DFW 05:02 +1AS 542	7h 34m	72%	57%
United Details →	SBA 20:24 → SFO 21:50UA 5704 · flown by SkyWest	2h 09m San Francisco	SFO 23:59 → DFW 05:45 +1UA 1722	7h 21m	65%	51%
United Details →	SBA 12:37 → ORD 19:00UA 1009	50m Chicago	ORD 19:50 → DFW 22:36UA 1673	7h 59m	41%	25%

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

SLC · 57m · leaves 05:50 <1%

SFO · 1h 08m · leaves 06:15 4%

PHX · 1h 04m · leaves 06:00 4%

Afternoon and evening

SEA · 1h 03m · leaves 19:28 28%

ORD · 50m · leaves 12:37 59%

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