Los Angeles (LAX) to Santa Barbara (SBA): On-Time Performance
Data through July 2026
When you fly LAX to SBA matters as much as anything else about the booking: the route swung from 100% on-time in April 2025 to just 67% in July 2024. Across the full period the route averages 87% on-time against a national 78%.
- On-time
- 87%
- arrived <15 min late
- Avg delay
- 15 min
- completed flights
- Cancelled
- 1.1%
- Flights/day
- 1.9
- last 12 months
- Duration
- 58m
- scheduled
- Distance
- 89 mi
Monthly on-time trend
Best time to fly from LAX to SBA
Aim for departures around 4 p.m. (95% on-time); avoid 1 p.m. departures (62%).
By day of week
| Day | On-time | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 87% | 11 min |
| Tuesday | 88% | 17 min |
| Wednesdaybest | 90% | 15 min |
| Thursday | 87% | 14 min |
| Friday | 86% | 14 min |
| Saturday | 86% | 15 min |
| Sunday | 81% | 21 min |
What causes delays on this route
Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft16%
- Airline operations43%
- National airspace system8%
- Weather33%
Frequently asked questions
- How often are flights from LAX to SBA delayed?
- 14% of LAX–SBA flights arrived 15 or more minutes late (the US DOT definition of a delay) between 2024-07 and 2026-07. The average arrival delay across completed flights was 15 minutes.
- What is the best time of day to fly from LAX to SBA?
- Departures around 4 p.m. have the best record (95% on-time), while departures around 1 p.m. have the worst (62%). As on most US routes, delays accumulate through the day, so earlier flights are generally safer.
- How long is the flight from LAX to SBA?
- The scheduled LAX–SBA flight time averages 58m over 89 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 14% of the time.
- How often are LAX to SBA flights cancelled?
- 1.1% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-07 and 2026-07, at or below the national rate of 1.6%.
- What is the worst month to fly from LAX to SBA?
- July 2024 was the roughest month in this dataset, with only 67% of arrivals on time. The best was April 2025 at 100%. If your dates are flexible, that 33-point gap is worth planning around.
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Based on 1,449 flights, 2024-07–2026-07. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-09-28.