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

No clear winner: airlines and hours on this route all land within a few points of 9 in 10 on time.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


Alaska	SMF	KOA	5h 32m	91%	0.0%	90	Flying now
Southwest	SMF	KOA	5h 35m	88%	0.0%	365	Flying now
Hawaiian	SMF	KOA	5h 35m	89%	1.5%	66	Not flying now

Best connections, any airlines

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Kailua/Kona on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Kailua/Kona is 3 h behind Sacramento). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Southwest Details →	SMF 06:15 → LAS 07:40WN 2178	1h 50m Las Vegas	LAS 09:30 → KOA 12:45WN 4452	9h 30m	100%	88%
Southwest Details →	SMF 09:00 → OGG 11:20WN 479	2h 30m Kahului	OGG 13:50 → KOA 14:30WN 3099	8h 30m	100%	86%
United Details →	SMF 06:00 → SFO 06:54UA 1954	3h 16m San Francisco	SFO 10:10 → KOA 12:37UA 694	9h 37m	99%	86%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	SMF 12:15 → LAX 13:45WN 4844	3h 25m Los Angeles	LAX 17:10 → KOA 19:47UA 1718	10h 32m	100%	85%
Southwest + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	SMF 05:55 → DEN 09:15WN 3773	3h 00m Denver	DEN 12:15 → KOA 15:37UA 1758	12h 42m	100%	85%
Southwest + Americantwo ticketsDetails →	SMF 05:10 → PHX 07:05WN 3815	3h 35m Phoenix	PHX 10:40 → KOA 14:06AA 663	11h 56m	98%	83%
Delta Details →	SMF 11:26 → LAX 13:03DL 3755 · flown by SkyWest	3h 41m Los Angeles	LAX 16:44 → KOA 19:17DL 311	10h 51m	100%	81%
Southwest + Alaskatwo ticketsDetails →	SMF 11:00 → SEA 12:55WN 1739	3h 04m Seattle	SEA 15:59 → KOA 19:05AS 238	11h 05m	100%	77%
Tight connection: often missed
Alaska Details →	SMF 12:57 → SEA 14:56AS 1476	1h 03m Seattle	SEA 15:59 → KOA 19:05AS 238	9h 08m	68%	52%

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

SFO · 1h 16m · leaves 06:00 6%

LAS · 1h 00m · leaves 07:05 7%

SEA · 1h 18m · leaves 08:03 20%

Afternoon and evening

LAX · 52m · leaves 14:15 11%

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