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 → LGB flights land within a few points of 86% on time whatever the hour.

Nonstops


Southwest	SMF	LGB	1h 25m	86%	0.3%	1,869	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Long Beach on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included. Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Southwest Details →	SMF 06:15 → LAS 07:40WN 2178	3h 55m Las Vegas	LAS 11:35 → LGB 12:45WN 2260	6h 30m	100%	94%
Delta Details →	SMF 09:45 → SLC 12:26DL 1367	2h 39m Salt Lake City	SLC 15:05 → LGB 16:10DL 3793 · flown by SkyWest	6h 25m	98%	91%
Southwest Details →	SMF 05:10 → PHX 07:05WN 3815	1h 30m Phoenix	PHX 08:35 → LGB 09:55WN 165	4h 45m	96%	89%
Delta Details →	SMF 05:30 → SLC 08:11DL 1526	2h 54m Salt Lake City	SLC 11:05 → LGB 12:02DL 1116	6h 32m	99%	87%
Southwest Details →	SMF 07:45 → PHX 09:35WN 106	2h 05m Phoenix	PHX 11:40 → LGB 12:55WN 2505	5h 10m	100%	84%
Southwest Details →	SMF 05:25 → LAS 06:50WN 3784	1h 05m Las Vegas	LAS 07:55 → LGB 09:05WN 276	3h 40m	96%	82%
Southwest Details →	SMF 16:35 → LAS 18:05WN 2221	1h 55m Las Vegas	LAS 20:00 → LGB 21:10WN 2031	4h 35m	96%	65%
Delta Details →	SMF 17:00 → SLC 19:43DL 1342	50m Salt Lake City	SLC 20:33 → LGB 21:29DL 3124	4h 29m	80%	64%

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

LAS · 1h 05m · leaves 05:25 4%

Afternoon and evening

SLC · 50m · leaves 17:00 20%

DEN · 1h 15m · leaves 13:40 22%

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.


American AA 1867 SMF 06:00 → PHX Southwest WN 2505 PHX 11:40 → LGB Connection details →	3h 46m	6h 55m	99%	82%
Delta DL 1423 SMF 13:30 → SLC Southwest WN 4983 SLC 19:20 → LGB Connection details →	3h 08m	6h 45m	98%	53%
United UA 2285 SMF 08:50 → DEN Southwest WN 4259 DEN 14:05 → LGB Connection details →	1h 49m	6h 40m	98%	50%

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