Denver (DEN) to Santa Barbara (SBA)
Flight time
≈ 2h 38m
Bearing
251° W
Denver (DEN) to Santa Barbara (SBA) is 914 miles (1,471 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies DEN–SBA
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, United Airlines operated the most departures, one of 2 carriers flying nonstop DEN–SBA; the Boeing 737-800 was the most common aircraft at 70% of departures; flights ran 80% full.
Departures
176
May 2026
Seats
28,718
both directions
Passengers
22,860
both directions
Load factor
79.6%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies DEN–SBA?
United Airlines operated the most nonstop DEN–SBA departures in May 2026 (124), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- UA
124 departures · 20,112 seats
Share of departures70.5%84.4%
Load
- WN
52 departures · 8,606 seats
Share of departures29.5%68.3%
Load
What plane flies DEN–SBA?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737-800 flew 70% of DEN–SBA departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737-800
123 departures · 80.9% load
69.9% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
18 departures · 65.5% load
10.2% - Airbus A320
17 departures · 94.3% load
9.7% - Boeing 737-700
13 departures · 64.4% load
7.4% - Airbus A319
5 departures · 91.9% load
2.8%
How has DEN–SBA traffic changed?
Nonstop DEN–SBA departures fell from 218 in June 2025 to 176 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop DEN–SBA traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
218 departures · 25,784 passengers
77.8%
Load
July 2025
208 departures · 24,685 passengers
77.1%
Load
August 2025
214 departures · 26,213 passengers
79.7%
Load
September 2025
198 departures · 24,819 passengers
80.1%
Load
October 2025
210 departures · 25,493 passengers
78.6%
Load
November 2025
153 departures · 19,437 passengers
80.0%
Load
December 2025
151 departures · 19,318 passengers
79.4%
Load
January 2026
170 departures · 17,882 passengers
64.7%
Load
February 2026
166 departures · 18,859 passengers
70.2%
Load
March 2026
179 departures · 22,152 passengers
74.1%
Load
April 2026
172 departures · 22,811 passengers
79.8%
Load
May 2026
176 departures · 22,860 passengers
79.6%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
DEN → SBA
80.0% full
88 departures · 11,303 passengers
SBA → DEN
79.2% full
88 departures · 11,557 passengers
Nonstop DEN–SBA traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through May 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work).
The airports
Frequently asked
How far is Denver (DEN) from Santa Barbara (SBA)?
DEN to SBA is 914 miles (1,471 km / 794 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from DEN to SBA?
A nonstop covers the 914-mile great-circle distance in roughly 2h 38m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies DEN–SBA?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737-800 flew the largest share of departures (69.9%), followed by the Boeing 737 MAX 8 (10.2%).
What mileage do I earn flying DEN–SBA?
Distance-based programs credit off the 914-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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