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 one-hour layover misses 1 time in 10 at 10 am and 7 times in 10 at 8 pm.

Nonstops


Alaska	SMF	SAN	1h 39m	76%	2.6%	1,784	Flying now
Southwest	SMF	SAN	1h 30m	71%	0.6%	3,804	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

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


Delta Details →	SMF 18:55 → LAX 20:40DL 3712 · flown by SkyWest	2h 00m Los Angeles	LAX 22:40 → SAN 23:40DL 3746 · flown by SkyWest	4h 45m	98%	85%
United Details →	SMF 08:50 → DEN 12:16UA 2285	1h 14m Denver	DEN 13:30 → SAN 14:55UA 1302	6h 05m	98%	85%
Delta Details →	SMF 14:15 → LAX 15:52DL 3812 · flown by SkyWest	2h 23m Los Angeles	LAX 18:15 → SAN 19:16DL 4087 · flown by SkyWest	5h 01m	98%	82%
Delta Details →	SMF 05:30 → SLC 08:11DL 1526	3h 04m Salt Lake City	SLC 11:15 → SAN 12:17DL 1296	6h 47m	99%	82%
United Details →	SMF 10:50 → DEN 14:17UA 1023	1h 38m Denver	DEN 15:55 → SAN 17:20UA 1281	6h 30m	97%	81%
Delta Details →	SMF 11:34 → SEA 13:45DL 3881 · flown by SkyWest	1h 40m Seattle	SEA 15:25 → SAN 18:13DL 2613	6h 39m	97%	81%
United Details →	SMF 18:47 → LAX 20:39UA 5628 · flown by SkyWest	2h 17m Los Angeles	LAX 22:56 → SAN 23:54UA 594	5h 07m	100%	80%
Delta Details →	SMF 09:21 → LAX 10:58DL 3700 · flown by SkyWest	3h 13m Los Angeles	LAX 14:11 → SAN 15:11DL 4001 · flown by SkyWest	5h 50m	98%	80%
Tight connection: often missed
Alaska Details →	SMF 17:08 → SEA 19:07AS 683	1h 00m Seattle	SEA 20:07 → SAN 23:03AS 1398	5h 55m	60%	37%
United Details →	SMF 19:03 → SFO 20:10UA 5961 · flown by SkyWest	50m San Francisco	SFO 21:00 → SAN 22:49UA 1863	3h 46m	31%	24%
Southwest Details →	SMF 15:00 → DEN 18:20WN 2993	55m Denver	DEN 19:15 → SAN 20:40WN 1703	5h 40m	59%	11%

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 17m · leaves 05:55 0%

LAX · 1h 10m · leaves 06:00 4%

PDX · 59m · leaves 08:13 9%

Afternoon and evening

PHX · 1h 20m · leaves 16:40 36%

DEN · 55m · leaves 15:00 41%

SFO · 50m · leaves 19:03 69%

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.


United UA 5628 SMF 18:47 → LAX Delta DL 3746 LAX 22:40 → SAN Connection details →	2h 01m	4h 53m	99%	85%
Southwest WN 3774 SMF 10:15 → DEN United UA 1281 DEN 15:55 → SAN Connection details →	2h 20m	7h 05m	100%	85%
Delta DL 3812 SMF 14:15 → LAX United UA 5415 LAX 18:50 → SAN Connection details →	2h 58m	5h 36m	98%	82%

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