SBA to ORD flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Santa Barbara Municipal Airport to Chicago O'Hare International Airport · 1,803 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SBA or ORD right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from Santa Barbara (SBA) to Chicago (ORD) arrived on time 55% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 0% were cancelled, and 14% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines is the only airline reporting nonstop flights on this route.
- Departures scheduled around 12pm did best (55% on time); around 2pm did worst (53%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (71% on time) and Monday the least (38%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (70%).
Which airline is most on time from SBA to ORD?
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 | 55% | 0.0% | 31 min | 13.9% | 117 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 12pm55%87 flights
- 2pm53%30 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday38%0.0% cancelled
- Tuesday71%0.0% cancelled
- Wednesday59%0.0% cancelled
- Thursday53%0.0% cancelled
- Friday65%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday53%0.0% cancelled
- Sunday44%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.
- Air traffic control & airport congestion70%
- Late-arriving aircraft21%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)9%
- Extreme weather0%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
No cancellation causes recorded in this period.
SBA to ORD: common questions
- How often are SBA to ORD flights on time?
- 55% 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 Santa Barbara to Chicago cancelled?
- 0.0% of scheduled flights were cancelled (0 of 117).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 31 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 65 min behind schedule on average, and 13.9% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SBA?
- Flights on this route spent 17 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: ORD to SBA — 75% on time
More flights from Santa Barbara
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: SBA → ORD, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.