FlightRecord

Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (SBA): Delays & On-Time Performance

Data through July 2026

Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (SBA) runs noticeably smoother than most US airports: 83% of its ~24 daily departures leave on time, 5 points above the national average, with an average departure delay of just 15 minutes. 7 airlines fly from Santa Barbara, CA to 14 destinations.

Departures on-time
83%
left <15 min late
Avg dep delay
15 min
Arrivals on-time
81%
Cancelled
1.0%
Destinations
14
nonstop
Airlines
7

Plan your departure from SBA

The choices most likely to improve your odds, based on this airport’s historical record.

Best departure time
Around 5 a.m.
94% on-time
Best day to fly
Tuesday
85% on-time
Most reliable airline here
Envoy Air
89% on-time from SBA
Cancellation risk
1.0%
below the US average
Check routes from SBA ↓Compare nearby airports ↓

Monthly on-time trend

Monthly departure on-time percentage at SBA50%75%100%August 2024: 88% on-time (690 flights)88Aug 2024September 2024: 86% on-time (639 flights)86October 2024: 85% on-time (653 flights)85November 2024: 86% on-time (644 flights)86Nov 2024December 2024: 84% on-time (630 flights)84January 2025: 86% on-time (560 flights)86February 2025: 85% on-time (541 flights)85Feb 2025March 2025: 85% on-time (652 flights)85April 2025: 86% on-time (703 flights)86May 2025: 83% on-time (748 flights)83May 2025June 2025: 78% on-time (748 flights)78July 2025: 78% on-time (762 flights)78August 2025: 81% on-time (704 flights)81Aug 2025September 2025: 82% on-time (671 flights)82October 2025: 82% on-time (747 flights)82November 2025: 82% on-time (717 flights)82Nov 2025December 2025: 79% on-time (683 flights)79January 2026: 87% on-time (664 flights)87February 2026: 84% on-time (616 flights)84Feb 2026March 2026: 87% on-time (734 flights)87April 2026: 82% on-time (733 flights)82May 2026: 81% on-time (816 flights)81May 2026June 2026: 79% on-time (752 flights)79July 2026: 79% on-time (745 flights)79

Best time of day to depart from SBA

On-time percentage by scheduled departure hour at SBA5 a.m.: 94% on-time (1,992 flights)56 a.m.: 93% on-time (2,608 flights)67 a.m.: 86% on-time (494 flights)78 a.m.: 75% on-time (528 flights)89 a.m.: 83% on-time (554 flights)910 a.m.: 85% on-time (908 flights)1011 a.m.: 85% on-time (557 flights)1112 p.m.: 78% on-time (1,813 flights)121 p.m.: 79% on-time (1,875 flights)132 p.m.: 78% on-time (1,212 flights)143 p.m.: 76% on-time (431 flights)154 p.m.: 82% on-time (1,603 flights)165 p.m.: 85% on-time (360 flights)176 p.m.: 75% on-time (1,408 flights)187 p.m.: 79% on-time (810 flights)198 p.m.: 41% on-time (144 flights)20scheduled departure hour

By day of week

DayOn-timeAvg delay
Monday81%15 min
Tuesdaybest85%12 min
Wednesday83%14 min
Thursday81%16 min
Friday80%17 min
Saturday84%14 min
Sunday80%15 min

Next: compare the busiest routes from SBA ↓

Busiest routes from SBA

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
SBA → SFO (San Francisco)1,64069%23 min
SBA → PHX (Phoenix)1,43185%16 min
SBA → DEN (Denver)1,07384%12 min
SBA → SLC (Salt Lake City)1,06093%8 min
SBA → LAS (Las Vegas)88587%9 min
SBA → LAX (Los Angeles)68790%10 min
SBA → SMF (Sacramento)36587%8 min
SBA → DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth)36472%32 min
SBA → SEA (Seattle)36376%13 min
SBA → OAK (Oakland)30088%7 min
SBA → ATL (Atlanta)17181%22 min
SBA → ORD (Chicago)11754%31 min

Compare airlines departing SBA ↓

Where flights into SBA come from

RouteFlights/12moOn-timeAvg delay
SFO (San Francisco) → SBA1,63982%14 min
PHX (Phoenix) → SBA1,43180%15 min
DEN (Denver) → SBA1,07375%15 min
SLC (Salt Lake City) → SBA1,06090%7 min
LAS (Las Vegas) → SBA88578%11 min
LAX (Los Angeles) → SBA68787%15 min
SMF (Sacramento) → SBA36686%7 min
DFW (Dallas/Fort Worth) → SBA36474%21 min

Most reliable routes

  1. SBA → SLC93%
  2. SBA → LAX90%
  3. SBA → OAK88%
  4. SBA → LAS87%
  5. SBA → SMF87%

Most delay-prone routes

  1. SBA → ORD54%
  2. SBA → SFO69%
  3. SBA → DFW72%
  4. SBA → SEA76%
  5. SBA → ATL81%

What causes delays at SBA

Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT, weighted across routes departing SBA.

  • Late-arriving aircraft36%
  • Airline operations30%
  • National airspace system26%
  • Weather7%

Alternative airports near Santa Barbara

Other airports within 120 miles, compared on departure reliability.

AirportDistanceOn-time departuresAvg delay
SMX — Santa Maria Public Airport Captain G Allan Hancock Field48 mi79%26 min
SBP — San Luis County Regional Airport72 mi82%19 min
BFL — Meadows Field83 mi86%14 min
BUR — Hollywood Burbank/Bob Hope Airport86 mi82%13 min
LAX — Los Angeles International Airport88 mi81%14 min

Compare the airport-level record first, then check the exact route you plan to book.

Airline performance at SBA

AirlineOn-time departuresAvg delayFlights
Envoy Air89%8 min904
SkyWest Airlines85%13 min5,264
Delta Air Lines85%18 min1,344
Southwest Airlines84%10 min3,661
United Airlines80%16 min3,559
Alaska Airlines80%12 min733
American Airlines78%27 min1,836

Frequently asked questions

How often are flights delayed at SBA?
17% of departures from Santa Barbara Municipal Airport left 15+ minutes late between 2024-07 and 2026-07, with an average departure delay of 15 minutes. The national on-time average over the same period was 78%.
What is the best time of day to depart from SBA?
Flights scheduled around 5 a.m. depart on time 94% of the time at SBA, versus 41% around 8 p.m.. Booking before noon is the usual rule of thumb here.
What is the worst month for delays at SBA?
In this dataset, July 2025 was the weakest month at SBA, with 78% of departures on time.
How often are flights cancelled at SBA?
1% of scheduled departures from SBA were cancelled in this period, compared with a national rate of 1.6%.

Popular route pages from this airport

Related guides

Based on 17,301 flights, 2024-07–2026-07. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-09-28.