LAX to SBA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Los Angeles International Airport to Santa Barbara Municipal Airport · 89 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at LAX or SBA right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Los Angeles (LAX) to Santa Barbara (SBA) arrived on time 88% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1% were cancelled, and 4% arrived an hour or more late.
- SkyWest Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 8am did best (96% on time); around 3pm did worst (82%).
- Wednesday was the most reliable day to fly (94% on time) and Sunday the least (80%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling) (42%).
Which airline is most on time from LAX 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 88% | 1.0% | 13 min | 4.4% | 687 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 8am96%72 flights
- 12pm85%98 flights
- 1pm63%16 flights
- 3pm82%63 flights
- 4pm95%78 flights
- 10pm88%256 flights
- 11pm88%103 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday90%1.0% cancelled
- Tuesday91%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday94%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday89%3.0% cancelled
- Friday88%1.0% cancelled
- Saturday85%2.2% cancelled
- Sunday80%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)42%
- Extreme weather34%
- Late-arriving aircraft17%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion7%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Air traffic control & airport congestion71%
- Extreme weather29%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)0%
- Security0%
LAX to SBA: common questions
- How often are LAX to SBA flights on time?
- 88% 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 Los Angeles to Santa Barbara cancelled?
- 1.0% of scheduled flights were cancelled (7 of 687).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 13 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 104 min behind schedule on average, and 4.4% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at LAX?
- Flights on this route spent 21 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SBA to LAX — 89% on time
More flights from Los Angeles
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: LAX → SBA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.