SBA to SFO flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from Santa Barbara Municipal Airport to San Francisco International Airport · 262 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SBA or SFO 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 San Francisco (SFO) arrived on time 63% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, worse than the 78% national average.
- 1.2% were cancelled, and 13% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (67% on time); SkyWest Airlines was the least (55%).
- Departures scheduled around 6am did best (89% on time); around 1pm did worst (29%).
- Saturday was the most reliable day to fly (71% on time) and Monday the least (58%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was air traffic control & airport congestion (60%).
Which airline is most on time from SBA to SFO?
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 | 67% | 0.7% | 24 min | 11.4% | 1,002 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 55% | 1.9% | 33 min | 16.2% | 638 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 6am89%355 flights
- 7am60%21 flights
- 8am38%79 flights
- 9am40%124 flights
- 10am63%182 flights
- 1pm29%72 flights
- 2pm60%290 flights
- 3pm77%31 flights
- 4pm78%137 flights
- 6pm65%206 flights
- 8pm31%143 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday58%1.2% cancelled
- Tuesday67%0.9% cancelled
- Wednesday58%1.3% cancelled
- Thursday62%1.3% cancelled
- Friday59%0.4% cancelled
- Saturday71%2.2% cancelled
- Sunday63%0.9% 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 congestion60%
- Late-arriving aircraft19%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)18%
- Extreme weather2%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Air traffic control & airport congestion53%
- Extreme weather32%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)16%
- Security0%
SBA to SFO: common questions
- How often are SBA to SFO 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 Santa Barbara to San Francisco cancelled?
- 1.2% of scheduled flights were cancelled (19 of 1,640).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 28 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 71 min behind schedule on average, and 13.2% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SBA?
- Flights on this route spent 24 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SFO to SBA — 79% 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 → SFO, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.