Chicago (ORD) to Santa Barbara (SBA): On-Time Performance
Data through July 2026
Chicago (ORD) to Santa Barbara (SBA) is a thinner route than most in this dataset — 117 departures over the past year, roughly 2 a week — so treat these numbers as indicative rather than definitive. Of the flights that did operate, 75% arrived on time.
- On-time
- 75%
- arrived <15 min late
- Avg delay
- 15 min
- completed flights
- Cancelled
- 0.0%
- Flights/day
- 0.32
- last 12 months
- Duration
- 4h 36m
- scheduled
- Distance
- 1,803 mi
Best time to fly from ORD to SBA
By day of week
| Day | On-time | Avg delay |
|---|---|---|
| Monday | 82% | 9 min |
| Tuesday | 82% | 11 min |
| Wednesdaybest | 94% | 4 min |
| Thursday | 82% | 6 min |
| Friday | 59% | 15 min |
| Saturday | 81% | 17 min |
| Sunday | 44% | 47 min |
What causes delays on this route
Share of total delay minutes by cause, as reported by carriers to the US DOT.
- Late-arriving aircraft42%
- Airline operations26%
- National airspace system33%
Frequently asked questions
- How often are flights from ORD to SBA delayed?
- 25% of ORD–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.
- How long is the flight from ORD to SBA?
- The scheduled ORD–SBA flight time averages 4h 36m over 1,803 miles. Actual arrival times vary — flights on this route land 15+ minutes late 25% of the time.
- How often are ORD to SBA flights cancelled?
- 0% of scheduled flights on this route were cancelled between 2024-07 and 2026-07, at or below the national rate of 1.6%.
Explore related pages
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Related guides
Based on 117 flights, 2024-07–2026-07. Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics. Updated 2026-09-28.