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 → AUS flights land within a few points of 4 in 5 on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops (seasonal or thin)


Southwest	SMF	AUS	3h 20m	81%	0.3%	385	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


Southwest Details →	SMF 22:10 → MCO 06:15WN 3799	1h 35m Orlando	MCO 07:50 → AUS 09:30 +1WN 1435	9h 20m	97%	93%
Delta Details →	SMF 22:00 → ATL 05:32DL 878	2h 38m Atlanta	ATL 08:10 → AUS 09:30 +1DL 2976	9h 30m	100%	91%
Delta Details →	SMF 06:00 → LAX 07:40DL 3969 · flown by SkyWest	2h 25m Los Angeles	LAX 10:05 → AUS 15:20DL 986	7h 16m	98%	85%
United Details →	SMF 08:50 → DEN 12:16UA 2285	1h 28m Denver	DEN 13:44 → AUS 16:58UA 2270	6h 08m	98%	81%
United Details →	SMF 05:00 → DEN 08:22UA 1889	1h 43m Denver	DEN 10:05 → AUS 13:20UA 1026	6h 20m	99%	81%
American Details →	SMF 05:18 → DFW 10:47AA 1544	1h 33m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 12:20 → AUS 13:25AA 4095 · flown by Envoy	6h 07m	96%	80%
Southwest Details →	SMF 23:05 → BNA 05:10WN 3759	2h 50m Nashville	BNA 08:00 → AUS 10:10 +1WN 4149	9h 05m	100%	80%
United Details →	SMF 19:03 → SFO 20:10UA 5961 · flown by SkyWest	3h 49m San Francisco	SFO 23:59 → AUS 05:46 +1UA 1807	8h 43m	97%	80%
Tight connection: often missed
American Details →	SMF 14:55 → DFW 20:28AA 2634	1h 07m Dallas-Fort Worth	DFW 21:35 → AUS 22:39AA 972	5h 44m	71%	40%
Southwest Details →	SMF 17:50 → LAS 19:20WN 4116	1h 05m Las Vegas	LAS 20:25 → AUS 01:10 +1WN 2186	5h 20m	62%	33%
Southwest Details →	SMF 17:30 → SAN 19:00WN 3509	50m San Diego	SAN 19:50 → AUS 01:10 +1WN 3477	5h 15m	21%	6%

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

IAH · 1h 04m · leaves 05:15 5%

PHX · 1h 05m · leaves 05:10 6%

SEA · 49m · leaves 06:13 7%

Afternoon and evening

PDX · 1h 12m · leaves 14:55 17%

DFW · 1h 07m · leaves 14:55 29%

LAS · 1h 05m · leaves 17:50 38%

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.


Delta DL 3812 SMF 14:15 → LAX United UA 5456 LAX 18:45 → AUS Connection details →	2h 53m	7h 44m	98%	89%
Southwest WN 4099 SMF 05:20 → PDX Alaska AS 540 PDX 10:30 → AUS Connection details →	3h 40m	9h 18m	100%	86%
United UA 1889 SMF 05:00 → DEN Southwest WN 2263 DEN 10:00 → AUS Connection details →	1h 38m	6h 20m	95%	83%

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