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

No clear winner: Alaska’s SEA → SBA flights land within a few points of 85% on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


Alaska	SEA	SBA	2h 32m	85%	0.9%	532	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.


Delta Details →	SEA 05:30 → SLC 08:30DL 1128	2h 20m Salt Lake City	SLC 10:50 → SBA 12:04DL 3841 · flown by SkyWest	6h 34m	98%	93%
Southwest Details →	SEA 05:00 → SMF 06:50WN 3629	55m Sacramento	SMF 07:45 → SBA 09:00WN 3601	4h 00m	96%	92%
Alaska + Deltatwo ticketsDetails →	SEA 14:45 → SLC 17:48AS 368	3h 17m Salt Lake City	SLC 21:05 → SBA 22:12DL 3803 · flown by SkyWest	7h 27m	95%	91%
Alaska Details →	SEA 06:42 → PDX 07:37AS 2432 · flown by Horizon	3h 10m Portland	PDX 10:47 → SBA 13:05AS 2317 · flown by Horizon	6h 23m	100%	89%
Alaska Details →	SEA 13:45 → PDX 14:48AS 3204 · flown by SkyWest	3h 00m Portland	PDX 17:48 → SBA 20:04AS 2029 · flown by Horizon	6h 19m	98%	88%
Alaska + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	SEA 13:20 → SFO 15:31AS 680	2h 45m San Francisco	SFO 18:16 → SBA 19:43UA 5962 · flown by SkyWest	6h 23m	94%	87%
Alaska + Deltatwo ticketsDetails →	SEA 08:48 → SLC 11:55AS 360	3h 05m Salt Lake City	SLC 15:00 → SBA 16:10DL 3853 · flown by SkyWest	7h 22m	100%	87%
Alaska + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	SEA 17:10 → LAX 19:55AS 492	2h 49m Los Angeles	LAX 22:44 → SBA 23:44UA 4796 · flown by SkyWest	6h 34m	97%	85%
Tight connection: often missed
Alaska Details →	SEA 15:55 → PDX 16:55AS 686	53m Portland	PDX 17:48 → SBA 20:04AS 2029 · flown by Horizon	4h 09m	65%	58%
United Details →	SEA 10:29 → SFO 12:47UA 1482	1h 03m San Francisco	SFO 13:50 → SBA 15:17UA 5464 · flown by SkyWest	4h 48m	73%	50%
United Details →	SEA 07:00 → SFO 09:18UA 1578	1h 11m San Francisco	SFO 10:29 → SBA 11:52UA 1578	4h 52m	30%	24%

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

SMF · 55m · leaves 05:00 4%

PDX · 58m · leaves 08:45 12%

PHX · 46m · leaves 06:16 18%

Afternoon and evening

PDX · 53m · leaves 15:55 35%

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