ATL to SBA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Hartsfield Jackson Atlanta International Airport to Santa Barbara Municipal Airport · 2,022 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at ATL or SBA right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Atlanta (ATL) to Santa Barbara (SBA) arrived on time 63% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.8% were cancelled, and 18% arrived an hour or more late.
- Delta Air Lines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Thursday was the most reliable day to fly (74% on time) and Wednesday the least (50%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (60%).
Which airline is most on time from ATL to SBA?
Ranked by on-time arrival rate. Regional airlines fly under their partner's brand (e.g. SkyWest for Delta Connection or United Express).
| Airline | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | 1 hr+ late | Flights |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines | 63% | 1.8% | 44 min | 17.6% | 170 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6pm63%156 flights
- 7pm58%14 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday52%4.0% cancelled
- Tuesday71%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday50%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday74%0.0% cancelled
- Friday64%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday65%8.0% cancelled
- Sunday64%0.0% cancelled
On-time trend by month
Why flights are late
Share of delay minutes by cause, as reported by airlines to the DOT.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)60%
- Late-arriving aircraft29%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion8%
- Extreme weather4%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)67%
- Extreme weather33%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion0%
- Security0%
ATL to SBA: common questions
- How often are ATL to SBA flights on time?
- 63% of flights arrived less than 15 minutes late in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, compared with 78% for all US flights.
- How often are flights from Atlanta to Santa Barbara cancelled?
- 1.8% of scheduled flights were cancelled (3 of 170).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 44 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 118 min behind schedule on average, and 17.6% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at ATL?
- Flights on this route spent 16 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SBA to ATL — 79% on time
More flights from Atlanta
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: ATL → SBA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.