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

No clear winner: Delta’s SLC → SBA flights land within a few points of 93% on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops


Delta	SLC	SBA	2h 10m	93%	0.8%	1,060	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 (Santa Barbara is 1 h behind Salt Lake City). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Southwest Details →	SLC 05:45 → SMF 06:25WN 4981	1h 20m Sacramento	SMF 07:45 → SBA 09:00WN 3601	4h 15m	98%	94%
American Details →	SLC 07:13 → PHX 07:57AA 6327 · flown by SkyWest	2h 07m Phoenix	PHX 10:04 → SBA 11:46AA 3784 · flown by Envoy	5h 33m	97%	93%
Southwest Details →	SLC 06:25 → LAS 06:50WN 4205	2h 30m Las Vegas	LAS 09:20 → SBA 10:40WN 2336	5h 15m	100%	91%
Alaska Details →	SLC 08:20 → PDX 09:26AS 3004 · flown by SkyWest	1h 21m Portland	PDX 10:47 → SBA 13:05AS 2317 · flown by Horizon	5h 45m	100%	91%
United Details →	SLC 07:00 → DEN 08:42UA 1232	2h 44m Denver	DEN 11:26 → SBA 13:02UA 671	7h 02m	99%	80%
United Details →	SLC 06:05 → SFO 07:19UA 4763 · flown by SkyWest	3h 10m San Francisco	SFO 10:29 → SBA 11:52UA 1578	6h 47m	99%	80%
Alaska Details →	SLC 12:51 → SEA 14:04AS 664	2h 02m Seattle	SEA 16:06 → SBA 18:38AS 400	6h 47m	96%	74%
United Details →	SLC 16:21 → SFO 17:23UA 1955	4h 00m San Francisco	SFO 21:23 → SBA 22:45UA 2866	7h 24m	97%	73%
Tight connection: often missed
United Details →	SLC 16:21 → SFO 17:23UA 1955	53m San Francisco	SFO 18:16 → SBA 19:43UA 5962 · flown by SkyWest	4h 22m	51%	48%
American Details →	SLC 18:50 → PHX 19:37AA 4928 · flown by SkyWest	50m Phoenix	PHX 20:27 → SBA 21:58AA 1731	4h 08m	49%	35%
Southwest Details →	SLC 20:30 → LAS 20:55WN 3745	1h 15m Las Vegas	LAS 22:10 → SBA 23:32WN 373	4h 02m	60%	28%

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 · 1h 20m · leaves 05:45 2%

DEN · 59m · leaves 08:30 20%

Afternoon and evening

LAS · 1h 00m · leaves 20:30 42%

SFO · 53m · leaves 16:21 49%

PHX · 50m · leaves 18:50 51%

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 3751 SLC 06:15 → PHX American AA 3784 PHX 10:04 → SBA Connection details →	3h 09m	6h 31m	98%	94%
Delta DL 1203 SLC 07:45 → PDX Alaska AS 2317 PDX 10:47 → SBA Connection details →	2h 09m	6h 20m	94%	83%
Southwest WN 3738 SLC 07:45 → DEN United UA 671 DEN 11:26 → SBA Connection details →	2h 11m	6h 17m	98%	80%

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