Airport · SBA · Santa Barbara, California

Santa Barbara, CA

Santa Barbara, CA posts below-median on-time performance among the 382 tracked U.S. airports, as a mid-size U.S. airport. According to the U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, drawn from 83,263 flights (2020–2025); its biggest delay driver is late aircraft.

Compiled by PlainFlights Editorial, Flight Performance Editorial Team

Data updated 2026-06-13

83.3%
On-time: Top 51%
on-time, US airports: 79 min
Delay when late: 1.01%
Cancelled

Key Performance Metrics

Total Flights

83,263

Best Month

Mar 93.3%

Worst Month

Dec 90.3%

Delayed

13,934

Cancelled

843

60-65%

1
65-70%

4
70-75%

9
75-80%

48
80-85%

192
85-90%

116
90-95%

12

What this shows SBA is marked in the 80-85% band.

Delay Cause Breakdown

Top delay cause: Late Aircraft. Total delay minutes: 529,363.

Late Aircraft 41.2% (218,148 min)

Carrier 32.9% (174,333 min)

NAS (National Aviation System) 20.1% (106,492 min)

Weather 5.6% (29,500 min)

Security 0.2% (890 min)

Seasonal Performance Patterns

Monthly averages across all years of data. Best month: March (93.3% on-time). Most delays: December (90.3% on-time).

Month	Avg Flights	Avg Delayed	Avg Cancelled	On-Time %
December	1,102	222	15	90.3%
November	1,162	179	7	92.4%
October	1,200	200	7	92%
September	1,188	187	2	92.1%
August	1,247	219	8	92%
July	1,275	245	12	91.2%
June	1,181	225	7	91.2%
May	1,146	182	4	92.7%
April	1,073	169	25	92.2%
March	1,168	171	26	93.3%
February	1,043	160	14	93.3%
January	1,093	165	15	92.9%

Year-Over-Year Performance

Annual flight volume and on-time trends at SBA.

Year	Flights	Delayed	Cancelled	On-Time %
2025	16,472	1,466	96	91.1%
2024	14,987	1,233	110	91.8%
2023	14,403	1,262	113	91.2%
2022	15,357	1,265	164	91.8%
2021	13,438	1,007	119	92.5%
2020	8,606	327	241	96.2%

Cancellation & Diversion Analysis

Flight disruption statistics for Santa Barbara, CA.

Cancellation Rate

1.01%

843 of 83,263 flights

Diversion Rate

0.12%

99 of 83,263 flights

Delay Rate

16.7%

13,934 of 83,263 flights

Monthly Performance

Recent 24 months of flight data.

Period	Flights	Dep Delayed	Arr Delayed	Cancelled	Diverted
Dec 2025	1,365	138	131	17	0
Nov 2025	1,434	130	121	19	2
Oct 2025	1,495	134	135	0	1
Sep 2025	1,342	120	124	4	0
Aug 2025	1,407	136	127	4	4
Jul 2025	1,524	164	163	30	1
Jun 2025	1,496	163	157	5	2
May 2025	1,497	130	143	5	0
Apr 2025	1,405	99	108	1	0
Mar 2025	1,304	95	122	1	0
Feb 2025	1,083	79	118	5	0
Jan 2025	1,120	78	85	5	0
Dec 2024	1,260	100	107	6	2
Nov 2024	1,288	93	95	2	1
Oct 2024	1,306	96	108	6	0
Sep 2024	1,277	88	91	0	3
Aug 2024	1,379	81	132	4	0
Jul 2024	1,498	117	159	12	1
Jun 2024	1,326	106	112	10	2
May 2024	1,309	109	138	5	2
Apr 2024	1,113	130	108	13	0
Mar 2024	1,114	119	121	5	1
Feb 2024	1,031	105	104	42	2
Jan 2024	1,086	89	127	5	1

Top Routes from SBA

Busiest routes to and from Santa Barbara, CA.

Route	Flights	On-Time	Distance
SFO (San Francisco) → SBA (Santa Barbara)	7,387	86%	262 mi
SBA (Santa Barbara) → SFO (San Francisco)	7,381	79.2%	262 mi
PHX (Phoenix) → SBA (Santa Barbara)	6,831	83.3%	455 mi
SBA (Santa Barbara) → PHX (Phoenix)	6,831	85.7%	455 mi
DEN (Denver) → SBA (Santa Barbara)	6,705	78.3%	916 mi
SBA (Santa Barbara) → DEN (Denver)	6,705	84.5%	916 mi
LAS (Las Vegas) → SBA (Santa Barbara)	4,530	75.2%	289 mi
SBA (Santa Barbara) → LAS (Las Vegas)	4,525	83.3%	289 mi
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → SBA (Santa Barbara)	3,354	75.3%	1,316 mi
SBA (Santa Barbara) → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)	3,353	80.4%	1,316 mi
SBA (Santa Barbara) → LAX (Los Angeles)	3,090	89.7%	89 mi
LAX (Los Angeles) → SBA (Santa Barbara)	3,053	86.2%	89 mi
SBA (Santa Barbara) → SEA (Seattle)	2,214	85.2%	908 mi
SEA (Seattle) → SBA (Santa Barbara)	2,214	86.1%	908 mi
SBA (Santa Barbara) → SLC (Salt Lake City)	1,688	92.2%	615 mi
SLC (Salt Lake City) → SBA (Santa Barbara)	1,688	90.8%	615 mi
OAK (Oakland) → SBA (Santa Barbara)	1,444	88.8%	263 mi
SBA (Santa Barbara) → OAK (Oakland)	1,444	78.7%	263 mi
SBA (Santa Barbara) → SMF (Sacramento)	919	86.3%	310 mi
SMF (Sacramento) → SBA (Santa Barbara)	919	85%	310 mi

Airports With a Similar On-Time Rate

Other U.S. airports nationwide whose on-time rate is closest to Santa Barbara, CA's 83.3%.

Pittsburgh, PA

83.3% on-time 462,554 flights

Santa Rosa, CA

83.3% on-time 43,075 flights

Long Beach, CA

83.2% on-time 174,755 flights

Fayetteville, AR

83.2% on-time 130,348 flights

San Luis Obispo, CA

83.2% on-time 56,561 flights

Lafayette, LA

83.2% on-time 37,254 flights

Other Airports in California

Compare performance with other California airports.

LAX 82.8%

Los Angeles, CA

Los Angeles · 2,137,032 flights

SFO 81%

San Francisco, CA

San Francisco · 1,466,784 flights

SAN 80.8%

San Diego, CA

San Diego · 973,807 flights

SMF 82.7%

Sacramento, CA

Sacramento · 592,833 flights

SJC 84.2%

San Jose, CA

San Jose · 546,547 flights

SNA 82.5%

Santa Ana, CA

Santa Ana · 482,186 flights

OAK 81.7%

Oakland, CA

Oakland · 472,036 flights

BUR 82.4%

Burbank, CA

Burbank · 319,148 flights

Keep exploring

More flight data around Santa Barbara, CA.

California flight data

Statewide on-time and delay aggregates, plus every reporting airport in California.

View CA data →

Airport rankings

See where SBA sits among U.S. airports on on-time rate and average delay.

Best on-time airports →

Compare airports

Put SBA head-to-head with another airport on delays and reliability.

Open comparison tool →

What the Data Says About SBA

Santa Barbara, CA in Santa Barbara, California handled 83,263 flights in the Bureau of Transportation Statistics dataset between 2020 and 2025, posting a 83.3% on-time departure rate. Of those flights, 13,934 experienced delays, 843 were cancelled, and 99 were diverted. The cancellation rate works out to 1.01%, the diversion rate to 0.12%, and the average delay when departures run late is 78.6 minutes. These figures are the baseline for comparing SBA against other airports in the same state and nationally.

Breaking down what drives delays at SBA, Late Aircraft leads the pack. Late Aircraft accounts for 41.2% of total delay minutes, followed by Carrier at 32.9% and NAS (National Aviation System) at 20.1%. Weather contributes 5.6% of delay minutes at this airport, while security holds the smallest share at 0.2%. Travelers often overestimate the weather share; the BTS categorization shows late-arriving aircraft and carrier operations as the larger contributors.

Seasonally, March runs the cleanest at SBA with a 93.3% on-time rate, while December is the roughest at 90.3% - a 3-point swing between best and worst month. Volume peaks in July, when average flights hit 1,275. The busiest route connecting SBA is to SFO (San Francisco), with 7,387 flights at a 86% on-time rate. Combine these numbers - 83.3% on-time, 78.6-minute average delay, 1.01% cancellation rate, and you have a concrete picture of departure reliability at Santa Barbara, CA.

Frequently Asked Questions

What is the on-time performance rate at Santa Barbara, CA (SBA)? ▼

Santa Barbara, CA has an overall on-time departure rate of 83.3%. Out of 83,263 total flights tracked, 13,934 experienced delays and 843 were cancelled.

What is the most common cause of delays at SBA? ▼

The top delay cause at Santa Barbara, CA is Late Aircraft. Late Aircraft accounts for 41.2% of all delay minutes.

What is the average delay time at SBA? ▼

The average delay at Santa Barbara, CA is 78.6 minutes. This includes delays from carrier issues, weather, National Aviation System constraints, security, and late-arriving aircraft.

What is the best month to fly from SBA? ▼

Based on historical data, March has the best on-time performance at SBA with 93.3% of flights departing on time.

What is the worst month for delays at SBA? ▼

December tends to have the most delays at SBA, with an on-time rate of only 90.3%.

How many routes operate from SBA? ▼

Santa Barbara, CA serves at least 20 routes. The busiest route is SFO to SBA (San Francisco - Santa Barbara) with 7,387 flights.

What is the cancellation rate at SBA? ▼

Santa Barbara, CA has a cancellation rate of 1.01%, based on 843 cancelled flights out of 83,263 total flights tracked.

Flight Guides

Data-driven guides to help you understand airport and flight performance.

Best & Worst Airlines for On-Time Performance

Which carriers consistently outperform peers

Why Flights Get Cancelled

Cancellation causes broken down by data

How to Choose Reliable Flight Routes

Use delay data to pick flights that arrive on time

Explore PlainFlights

All Airports

Browse US airports

Airlines

Compare carrier performance

Routes

Flight route performance

Rankings

Best on-time airports

Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data (2020–2025). Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods. On-time rates exclude cancelled and diverted flights.

Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.

Using SBA's data

An airport-level on-time rate is a starting point, not a guarantee for your specific flight.

Check the busiest route from SBA before you book a connection. See top routes
Travel in March rather than December if your dates are flexible. Seasonal patterns
Scores vary by airline and route within the same airport; check the specific carrier you're flying. Browse airlines

On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers at this airport, not any single flight or airline.

All airports → | Rankings →

Data sourced from U.S. Department of Transportation Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) On-Time Performance data. See our methodology for details. Retrieved and formatted by PlainFlights Editorial

Source: U.S. Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS) Airline on-time performance and operational reliability · 2025 Accessed 2026-07-23

Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. Airport figures are computed directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no figure is typed in by an editor. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.