Route · LAX → SBA · 2020–2025 BTS data
Los Angeles to Santa Barbara
According to PlainFlights' route traffic ranking (BTS On-Time Performance total flights), LAX to SBA (Los Angeles to Santa Barbara) ranks #3274 of 4927 tracked domestic routes by total flights (most flights = #1).
Data updated 2026-06-13
- 86.2%
- On-time
- +7.2 pts
- vs US avg
- 108 min
- Delay when late
- 3,053
- Flights
- #3274 of 4927
- Corpus placement
Cancelled
1.3%
Best Month
Apr 2025 100%
Worst Month
Jul 2024 68%
Distance
89 mi
Carriers
1
Monthly Performance
Recent 24 months of route data.
| Period | Flights | Delayed | Cancelled | Diverted | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dec 2025 | 46 | 8 | 2 | 0 | OO |
| Nov 2025 | 53 | 10 | 3 | 1 | OO |
| Oct 2025 | 56 | 4 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Sep 2025 | 59 | 8 | 0 | 2 | OO |
| Aug 2025 | 62 | 10 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Jul 2025 | 61 | 3 | 2 | 1 | OO |
| Jun 2025 | 60 | 7 | 0 | 2 | OO |
| May 2025 | 57 | 2 | 0 | 1 | OO |
| Apr 2025 | 56 | 0 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Mar 2025 | 57 | 12 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Feb 2025 | 50 | 12 | 1 | 0 | OO |
| Jan 2025 | 56 | 9 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Dec 2024 | 60 | 15 | 1 | 0 | OO |
| Nov 2024 | 60 | 5 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Oct 2024 | 61 | 8 | 3 | 0 | OO |
| Sep 2024 | 60 | 4 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Aug 2024 | 62 | 10 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Jul 2024 | 62 | 20 | 2 | 0 | OO |
| Jun 2024 | 60 | 13 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| May 2024 | 62 | 7 | 0 | 0 | OO |
| Apr 2024 | 60 | 14 | 0 | 3 | OO |
| Mar 2024 | 59 | 13 | 0 | 1 | OO |
| Feb 2024 | 54 | 8 | 4 | 0 | OO |
| Jan 2024 | 54 | 6 | 0 | 0 | OO |
LAX–SBA seasonal on-time pattern
Best: May (91.8%) · weakest: December (79.0%)
Strongest calendar month
May
91.8% on-time · ~52 flights/mo
Busiest calendar month
July
~62 flights/mo avg
Weakest calendar month
December
79.0% on-time · ~47 flights/mo
Cancellation Rate
1.3%
18 of 1,387 flights
Diversion Rate
0.8%
11 of 1,387 flights
Explore origin & destination
On-time and delay data for the airports this route connects.
LAX - Los Angeles
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Los Angeles, CA.
LAX on-time profileSBA - Santa Barbara
Full on-time, delay-cause, and seasonal performance for Santa Barbara, CA.
SBA on-time profileCompare the two airports
See LAX and SBA side by side on delays, cancellations, and reliability.
Compare LAX vs SBAOrigin-hub reliability standing
Among LAX's stronger departures
LAX → SBA posts a 86.2% on-time rate, landing in the ≥85% band with 40 of 80 BTS-tracked routes leaving Los Angeles. The same hub also shows 39 mid-band and 1 challenged departures · fleet-wide on-time rank #848 of 4927 (highest on-time = #1).
Similar routes
Other BTS-tracked routes with comparable performance or trip length to LAX–SBA.
Routes with a similar on-time rate
What the Data Says About LAX to SBA
Los Angeles to Santa Barbara (LAX to SBA) is one of the more dependable pairings in the BTS On-Time Performance dataset: a 86.2% on-time rate across 3,053 flights, with delays that do happen averaging 107.9 minutes. The corridor runs roughly 89 miles and is served by 1 carrier. Over the most recent 24 months, 18 of 1,387 flights were cancelled (1.3%) and 11 diverted (0.8%).
The monthly split is wide on this route: Apr 2025 posted the strongest performance at 100% on-time, while Jul 2024 came in at just 68% - a 32-point swing worth factoring into travel timing.
On the multi-year calendar, LAX–SBA peaks in May at 91.8% on-time while July carries the heaviest traffic (~62 flights per month) ; the softest month is December at 79.0%, a 12.8-point swing that repeats because the corridor's weather and holiday mix stays stable year to year.
Frequently Asked Questions
Where does LAX to SBA rank among US routes by traffic? ▼
How often are flights delayed from LAX to SBA? ▼
What is the cancellation rate for LAX to SBA? ▼
How far is the flight from LAX to SBA? ▼
When is the best time to fly from LAX to SBA? ▼
Airports on this route
Data source
Data Source: Bureau of Transportation Statistics (BTS), On-Time Performance Data. Statistics reflect cumulative performance across all available reporting periods.
Read our methodology - how this data is sourced, computed, and verified.
Using LAX–SBA data
LAX–SBA runs 7.2 pts above the national 79% average; the remaining risk is month-to-month swing and carrier mix, not a weak headline rate.
- Compare LAX and SBA airport profiles: delay causes and top routes differ even on the same corridor. LAX airport
- If your dates flex, May (91.8% on-time) beats December (79.0%) on this corridor. Seasonal chart
- 4 other routes post a similar 86.2% on-time rate; compare before you commit to this pairing. Similar routes
On-time rate reflects the BTS historical average across all reporting carriers on this origin–destination pair, not any single flight or booking recommendation.
Every figure on PlainFlights is rendered directly from BTS On-Time Performance data, no number is typed in by an editor. This page aggregates this specific route's on-time performance and monthly trend, live from the dataset. See our editorial standards & corrections policy, the methodology behind these numbers, or report a data error.