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

No clear winner: Southwest’s SMF → MCO flights land within a few points of 85% on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


Southwest	SMF	MCO	5h 05m	85%	0.0%	323	Flying now

Best connections, any airlines

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


United Details →	SMF 18:47 → LAX 20:39UA 5628 · flown by SkyWest	2h 25m Los Angeles	LAX 23:04 → MCO 07:03 +1UA 1730	9h 16m	100%	90%
American Details →	SMF 23:10 → ORD 05:36AA 3060	1h 23m Chicago	ORD 06:59 → MCO 10:47 +1AA 2067	8h 37m	96%	89%
Southwest + JetBluetwo ticketsDetails →	SMF 10:50 → LAS 12:20WN 1285	2h 35m Las Vegas	LAS 14:55 → MCO 22:36B6 2832	8h 46m	100%	86%
Delta + Unitedtwo ticketsDetails →	SMF 06:00 → LAX 07:40DL 3969 · flown by SkyWest	2h 44m Los Angeles	LAX 10:24 → MCO 18:30UA 1621	9h 30m	96%	86%
Delta Details →	SMF 22:00 → ATL 05:32DL 878	1h 53m Atlanta	ATL 07:25 → MCO 08:55 +1DL 2204	7h 55m	98%	86%
United Details →	SMF 05:00 → DEN 08:22UA 1889	1h 48m Denver	DEN 10:10 → MCO 16:04UA 2354	8h 04m	99%	84%
Southwest + Alaskatwo ticketsDetails →	SMF 16:40 → SAN 18:10WN 4292	2h 56m San Diego	SAN 21:06 → MCO 05:18 +1AS 707	9h 38m	97%	84%
Delta Details →	SMF 17:27 → SEA 19:39DL 4153 · flown by SkyWest	3h 36m Seattle	SEA 23:15 → MCO 07:42 +1DL 448	11h 15m	98%	83%
Tight connection: often missed
Alaska Details →	SMF 07:23 → SAN 09:05AS 1680	58m San Diego	SAN 10:03 → MCO 18:17AS 396	7h 54m	74%	54%
United Details →	SMF 07:00 → ORD 13:10UA 2370	50m Chicago	ORD 14:00 → MCO 17:57UA 609	7h 57m	71%	52%
United Details →	SMF 11:46 → SFO 12:53UA 5248 · flown by SkyWest	1h 07m San Francisco	SFO 14:00 → MCO 22:36UA 520	7h 50m	64%	48%

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

DFW · 1h 13m · leaves 05:18 6%

CLT · 1h 20m · leaves 22:03 6%

MSP · 1h 05m · leaves 06:15 7%

Afternoon and evening

SEA · 1h 10m · leaves 19:41 14%

PHX · 1h 20m · leaves 19:50 18%

LAX · 54m · leaves 19:21 19%

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