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 SFO → SBA flights land within a few points of 4 in 5 on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops


United	SFO	SBA	1h 21m	80%	1.2%	1,639	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

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 →	SFO 05:50 → SLC 08:42DL 1331	2h 08m Salt Lake City	SLC 10:50 → SBA 12:04DL 3841 · flown by SkyWest	6h 14m	99%	94%
American Details →	SFO 05:50 → PHX 08:01AA 6404 · flown by SkyWest	2h 03m Phoenix	PHX 10:04 → SBA 11:46AA 3784 · flown by Envoy	5h 56m	98%	94%
Southwest Details →	SFO 05:00 → LAS 06:35WN 4231	2h 45m Las Vegas	LAS 09:20 → SBA 10:40WN 2336	5h 40m	100%	91%
Alaska Details →	SFO 12:08 → PDX 13:50AS 235	3h 58m Portland	PDX 17:48 → SBA 20:04AS 2029 · flown by Horizon	7h 56m	98%	88%
Alaska Details →	SFO 07:20 → PDX 09:02AS 1410	1h 45m Portland	PDX 10:47 → SBA 13:05AS 2317 · flown by Horizon	5h 45m	97%	88%
United Details →	SFO 18:45 → LAX 20:29UA 1427	2h 15m Los Angeles	LAX 22:44 → SBA 23:44UA 4796 · flown by SkyWest	4h 59m	96%	84%
Delta Details →	SFO 09:55 → SLC 12:44DL 920	2h 16m Salt Lake City	SLC 15:00 → SBA 16:10DL 3853 · flown by SkyWest	6h 15m	95%	82%
American Details →	SFO 12:18 → PHX 14:29AA 2548	2h 33m Phoenix	PHX 17:02 → SBA 18:34AA 2515	6h 16m	97%	71%
Tight connection: often missed
Delta Details →	SFO 17:07 → SLC 20:02DL 1088	1h 03m Salt Lake City	SLC 21:05 → SBA 22:12DL 3803 · flown by SkyWest	5h 05m	74%	70%
Southwest Details →	SFO 13:20 → LAS 15:00WN 3644	1h 00m Las Vegas	LAS 16:00 → SBA 17:25WN 2002	4h 05m	17%	13%

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.

Afternoon and evening

PDX · 1h 01m · leaves 15:02 24%

SLC · 1h 03m · leaves 17:07 26%

LAS · 1h 00m · leaves 13:20 83%

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.


Southwest WN 4145 SFO 05:30 → PHX American AA 3784 PHX 10:04 → SBA Connection details →	2h 34m	6h 16m	98%	94%
United UA 582 SFO 06:00 → LAS Southwest WN 2336 LAS 09:20 → SBA Connection details →	1h 34m	4h 40m	96%	87%
United UA 5605 SFO 08:40 → SLC Delta DL 3853 SLC 15:00 → SBA Connection details →	3h 11m	7h 30m	100%	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