SFO to SBA flight delays & on-time performance
Nonstop flights from San Francisco International Airport to Santa Barbara Municipal Airport · 262 miles · Aug 2025 – Jul 2026
No FAA-reported ground stops or delays at SFO or SBA right now. Individual flights can still be delayed by the airline; check with your airline for your flight.
Key facts
- Flights from San Francisco (SFO) to Santa Barbara (SBA) arrived on time 79% of the time in Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, better than the 78% national average.
- 1.2% were cancelled, and 6% arrived an hour or more late.
- United Airlines was the most punctual airline here (81% on time); SkyWest Airlines was the least (77%).
- Departures scheduled around 6pm did best (86% on time); around 1pm did worst (73%).
- Tuesday was the most reliable day to fly (87% on time) and Monday the least (70%).
- The largest source of delay minutes was late-arriving aircraft (40%).
Which airline is most on time from SFO 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 | 81% | 0.6% | 11 min | 5.5% | 1,002 |
| SkyWest AirlinesRegional airline operating flights for United Express, Delta Connection, American Eagle and Alaska. | 77% | 2.2% | 19 min | 6.9% | 637 |
Best time of day to fly
On-time arrival rate by scheduled departure hour (local time).
- 8am81%146 flights
- 10am82%365 flights
- 1pm73%126 flights
- 2pm71%43 flights
- 4pm78%287 flights
- 6pm86%214 flights
- 8pm76%51 flights
- 9pm79%267 flights
- 10pm74%132 flights
Best day of the week
On-time arrival rate by day of departure.
- Monday70%1.3% cancelled
- Tuesday87%0.9% cancelled
- Wednesday79%1.3% cancelled
- Thursday82%1.7% cancelled
- Friday73%0.0% cancelled
- Saturday86%3.2% cancelled
- Sunday79%0.4% 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 aircraft40%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)39%
- Air traffic control & airport congestion18%
- Extreme weather3%
- Security0%
Why flights are cancelled
Share of cancellations by reason.
- Air traffic control & airport congestion60%
- Extreme weather25%
- Airline (crew, maintenance, cleaning, fueling)15%
- Security0%
SFO to SBA: common questions
- How often are SFO to SBA flights on time?
- 79% 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 San Francisco to Santa Barbara cancelled?
- 1.2% of scheduled flights were cancelled (20 of 1,639).
- How long are typical delays?
- Across all flights the average arrival delay was 14 min (early arrivals count as zero). Flights that were late arrived 66 min behind schedule on average, and 6.1% of flights were an hour or more late.
- How long is taxi time at SFO?
- Flights on this route spent 23 min taxiing from the gate to takeoff on average.
Related routes
Return trip: SBA to SFO — 63% on time
More flights from San Francisco
Data: U.S. DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026 (12 months). Latest month published by BTS: July 2026. Route: SFO → SBA, nonstop flights by US airlines that report to the DOT. How we calculate this.