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

Connect in the morning. The same 70-minute layover misses 4% of the time at 8 am and 44% of the time at 8 pm.

Nonstops


Delta	SMF	ATL	4h 32m	93%	1.4%	1,010	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


Southwest Details →	SMF 21:40 → BWI 05:35WN 3622	2h 45m Baltimore	BWI 08:20 → ATL 10:20 +1WN 3931	9h 38m	100%	92%
Southwest Details →	SMF 23:50 → MDW 05:45WN 3802	1h 30m Chicago	MDW 07:15 → ATL 10:05 +1WN 3054	7h 15m	97%	90%
Southwest Details →	SMF 22:10 → MCO 06:15WN 3799	1h 45m Orlando	MCO 08:00 → ATL 09:35 +1WN 2591	8h 25m	98%	86%
Delta Details →	SMF 11:34 → SEA 13:45DL 3881 · flown by SkyWest	2h 20m Seattle	SEA 16:05 → ATL 23:59DL 560	9h 25m	99%	86%
Delta Details →	SMF 19:41 → SEA 22:05DL 4043 · flown by SkyWest	1h 54m Seattle	SEA 23:59 → ATL 07:46 +1DL 652	9h 05m	96%	84%
Delta Details →	SMF 17:00 → SLC 19:43DL 1342	3h 52m Salt Lake City	SLC 23:35 → ATL 05:15 +1DL 912	9h 15m	99%	84%
Delta Details →	SMF 06:00 → LAX 07:40DL 3969 · flown by SkyWest	3h 25m Los Angeles	LAX 11:05 → ATL 18:32DL 528	9h 32m	98%	84%
Delta Details →	SMF 11:26 → LAX 13:03DL 3755 · flown by SkyWest	3h 37m Los Angeles	LAX 16:40 → ATL 00:10 +1DL 471	9h 44m	100%	84%
Tight connection: often missed
Alaska Details →	SMF 20:34 → SEA 22:39AS 403	52m Seattle	SEA 23:31 → ATL 07:24 +1AS 464	7h 50m	75%	65%
American Details →	SMF 23:45 → DFW 05:04AA 3314	56m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 06:00 → ATL 09:13 +1AA 3390 · flown by Envoy	6h 28m	71%	57%
United Details →	SMF 19:03 → SFO 20:10UA 5961 · flown by SkyWest	1h 10m San Francisco	SFO 21:20 → ATL 05:20 +1UA 1603	7h 17m	56%	45%

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

DEN · 1h 00m · leaves 05:55 0%

PHX · 1h 12m · leaves 06:00 4%

ORD · 1h 18m · leaves 23:43 6%

Afternoon and evening

SEA · 52m · leaves 20:34 25%

MDW · 55m · leaves 12:00 33%

SFO · 1h 10m · leaves 19:03 44%

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 480 SMF 17:30 → ONT Delta DL 2892 ONT 22:00 → ATL Connection details →	3h 05m	8h 48m	100%	93%
Southwest WN 1169 SMF 18:00 → SAN Delta DL 819 SAN 22:30 → ATL Connection details →	3h 00m	8h 50m	96%	90%
Southwest WN 3759 SMF 23:05 → BNA Delta DL 2250 BNA 08:33 → ATL Connection details →	3h 23m	8h 35m	100%	90%

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