Tickets
Any day
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: Southwest SMF → MCI (3h 10m), on time 85% of the time. Southwest via Las Vegas (5h 50m) is more reliable, 98%, but takes 2h 40m longer.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)

Nonstop details →
Southwest SMF MCI 3h 10m 85% 0.0% 207 Flying now

Best connections, any airlines

Ranked by chance you reach Kansas City on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Kansas City is 2 h ahead of Sacramento). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.

SouthwestDetails → SMF 06:15 → LAS 07:40WN 2178 2h 25m Las Vegas LAS 10:05 → MCI 14:55WN 786 6h 40m 100% 100%
SouthwestDetails → SMF 23:50 → MDW 05:45WN 3802 2h 15m Chicago MDW 08:00 → MCI 09:30 +1WN 2808 7h 40m 100% 100%
United + Southwesttwo ticketsDetails → SMF 05:00 → DEN 08:22UA 1889 1h 38m Denver DEN 10:00 → MCI 12:45WN 3114 5h 45m 95% 93%
DeltaDetails → SMF 22:00 → ATL 05:32DL 878 2h 48m Atlanta ATL 08:20 → MCI 09:31 +1DL 2471 9h 31m 100% 91%
DeltaDetails → SMF 06:00 → LAX 07:40DL 3969 · flown by SkyWest 1h 55m Los Angeles LAX 09:35 → MCI 14:50DL 1517 6h 50m 96% 89%
SouthwestDetails → SMF 05:55 → DEN 09:15WN 3773 3h 15m Denver DEN 12:30 → MCI 15:05WN 351 7h 10m 100% 88%
DeltaDetails → SMF 05:30 → SLC 08:11DL 1526 2h 23m Salt Lake City SLC 10:34 → MCI 14:00DL 2882 6h 30m 99% 86%
UnitedDetails → SMF 05:15 → IAH 11:01UA 2863 3h 34m Houston IAH 14:35 → MCI 16:47UA 3987 · flown by Mesa 9h 32m 100% 86%
Tight connection: often missed
SouthwestDetails → SMF 22:10 → MCO 06:15WN 3799 50m Orlando MCO 07:05 → MCI 09:00 +1WN 4139 8h 50m 48% 45%
UnitedDetails → SMF 14:17 → ORD 20:33UA 2766 52m Chicago ORD 21:25 → MCI 23:17UA 4723 · flown by SkyWest 7h 00m 42% 23%
SouthwestDetails → SMF 13:40 → DEN 17:00WN 4105 55m Denver DEN 17:55 → MCI 20:45WN 4305 5h 05m 39% 17%

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.

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