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

No clear winner: airlines and hours on this route all land within a few points of 88% on time.

Nonstops


Delta	SMF	SLC	1h 42m	90%	1.1%	1,583	Flying now
Southwest	SMF	SLC	1h 40m	82%	0.2%	577	Flying now

Best connections, one ticket

Most reliable Quickest (80%+ on time)

Ranked by chance you reach Salt Lake City on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Salt Lake City is 1 h ahead of Sacramento). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.


Alaska Details →	SMF 11:46 → PDX 13:18AS 621	1h 12m Portland	PDX 14:30 → SLC 17:29AS 3120 · flown by SkyWest	4h 43m	100%	94%
Delta Details →	SMF 14:15 → LAX 15:52DL 3812 · flown by SkyWest	3h 23m Los Angeles	LAX 19:15 → SLC 22:05DL 2973	6h 50m	99%	91%
United Details →	SMF 06:00 → SFO 06:54UA 1954	1h 46m San Francisco	SFO 08:40 → SLC 11:49UA 5605 · flown by SkyWest	4h 49m	96%	91%
Delta Details →	SMF 06:00 → LAX 07:40DL 3969 · flown by SkyWest	2h 15m Los Angeles	LAX 09:55 → SLC 12:50DL 1434	5h 50m	98%	90%
United Details →	SMF 10:13 → LAX 12:05UA 5220 · flown by SkyWest	50m Los Angeles	LAX 12:55 → SLC 15:48UA 5371 · flown by SkyWest	4h 35m	100%	89%
Alaska Details →	SMF 08:13 → PDX 09:47AS 2095 · flown by Horizon	1h 08m Portland	PDX 10:55 → SLC 13:59AS 3112 · flown by SkyWest	4h 46m	94%	85%
Delta Details →	SMF 09:21 → LAX 10:58DL 3700 · flown by SkyWest	2h 12m Los Angeles	LAX 13:10 → SLC 16:07DL 1647	5h 46m	95%	83%
United Details →	SMF 08:50 → DEN 12:16UA 2285	1h 24m Denver	DEN 13:40 → SLC 15:13UA 1840	5h 23m	98%	83%
Tight connection: often missed
United Details →	SMF 11:46 → SFO 12:53UA 5248 · flown by SkyWest	1h 03m San Francisco	SFO 13:56 → SLC 16:55UA 2017	4h 09m	60%	39%
Southwest Details →	SMF 13:40 → DEN 17:00WN 4105	50m Denver	DEN 17:50 → SLC 19:35WN 1734	4h 55m	34%	16%
Southwest Details →	SMF 20:45 → LAS 22:15WN 3788	47m Las Vegas	LAS 23:02 → SLC 01:28 +1WN 1454	3h 42m	49%	13%

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

PDX · 1h 08m · leaves 08:13 6%

MSP · 49m · leaves 06:15 11%

SEA · 1h 00m · leaves 07:52 11%

Afternoon and evening

PHX · 1h 05m · leaves 19:50 33%

LAS · 47m · leaves 20:45 51%

DEN · 50m · leaves 13:40 66%

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 3601 SMF 07:45 → SBA Delta DL 3841 SBA 12:45 → SLC Connection details →	3h 45m	7h 07m	100%	96%
Southwest WN 2189 SMF 07:50 → PSP Delta DL 4042 PSP 12:23 → SLC Connection details →	3h 03m	6h 21m	100%	94%
Southwest WN 949 SMF 10:12 → PDX Alaska AS 3120 PDX 14:30 → SLC Connection details →	2h 48m	6h 17m	96%	92%

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