DEN to SBA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Denver International Airport to Santa Barbara Municipal Airport · 916 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at DEN or SBA right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Denver (DEN) to Santa Barbara (SBA) arrived on time 73% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0.3% were cancelled, and 8% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (76% on time); Southwest Airlines was the least (67%).
- Departures scheduled around 1pm did best (84% on time); around 8pm did worst (54%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (81% on time) and Friday the least (69%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (56%).
Which airline is most on time from DEN 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| United Airlines | 76% | 0.3% | 14 min | 6.6% | 797 |
| Southwest Airlines | 67% | 0.4% | 20 min | 10.9% | 276 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 10am73%16 flights
- 11am81%365 flights
- 12pm88%16 flights
- 1pm84%38 flights
- 2pm79%77 flights
- 3pm79%63 flights
- 7pm69%344 flights
- 8pm54%123 flights
- 9pm52%25 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday71%0.0% cancelled
- Tuesday81%0.7% cancelled
- Wednesday75%0.7% cancelled
- Thursday72%0.0% cancelled
- Friday69%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday74%0.8% cancelled
- Sunday74%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.
- Late-arriving aircraft56%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)30%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion13%
- Extreme weather1%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)67%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion33%
- Extreme weather0%
- Security0%
DEN to SBA: common questions
- How often are DEN to SBA flights on time?
- 73% 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 Denver to Santa Barbara cancelled?
- 0.3% of scheduled flights were cancelled (3 of 1,073).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 16 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 55 min behind schedule on average, and 7.7% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at DEN?
- Flights on this route spent 19 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SBA to DEN — 84% on time
More flights from Denver
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: DEN → SBA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.