Los Angeles (LAX) to Santa Barbara (SBA)
Flight time
≈ 0h 59m
Bearing
293° NW
Los Angeles (LAX) to Santa Barbara (SBA) is 88 miles (142 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies LAX–SBA
Filed traffic dataIn May 2026, SkyWest Airlines operated the most departures, one of 2 carriers flying nonstop LAX–SBA; the Embraer E175 was the most common aircraft at 99% of departures; flights ran 59% full.
Departures
123
May 2026
Seats
8,742
both directions
Passengers
5,198
both directions
Load factor
59.5%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies LAX–SBA?
SkyWest Airlines operated the most nonstop LAX–SBA departures in May 2026 (122), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- OO
122 departures · 8,576 seats
Share of departures99.2%59.3%
Load
- UA
1 departures · 166 seats
Share of departures0.8%66.3%
Load
What plane flies LAX–SBA?
In May 2026, the Embraer E175 flew 99% of LAX–SBA departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Embraer E175
122 departures · 59.3% load
99.2% - Boeing 737-800
1 departures · 66.3% load
0.8%
How has LAX–SBA traffic changed?
Nonstop LAX–SBA departures held steady at about 123 a month between June 2025 and May 2026.
Monthly nonstop LAX–SBA traffic, trailing 12 months through May 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
June 2025
123 departures · 5,238 passengers
60.4%
Load
July 2025
119 departures · 4,916 passengers
58.1%
Load
August 2025
124 departures · 4,981 passengers
56.8%
Load
September 2025
120 departures · 5,072 passengers
59.9%
Load
October 2025
115 departures · 4,381 passengers
53.4%
Load
November 2025
101 departures · 4,384 passengers
61.1%
Load
December 2025
91 departures · 3,843 passengers
60.6%
Load
January 2026
120 departures · 4,495 passengers
53.5%
Load
February 2026
108 departures · 4,030 passengers
53.2%
Load
March 2026
108 departures · 4,246 passengers
55.7%
Load
April 2026
121 departures · 4,771 passengers
55.5%
Load
May 2026
123 departures · 5,198 passengers
59.5%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
LAX → SBA
54.8% full
62 departures · 2,438 passengers
SBA → LAX
64.3% full
61 departures · 2,760 passengers
Nonstop LAX–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 Los Angeles (LAX) from Santa Barbara (SBA)?
LAX to SBA is 88 miles (142 km / 77 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from LAX to SBA?
A nonstop covers the 88-mile great-circle distance in roughly 0h 59m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies LAX–SBA?
In May 2026, the Embraer E175 flew the largest share of departures (99.2%), followed by the Boeing 737-800 (0.8%).
What mileage do I earn flying LAX–SBA?
Distance-based programs credit off the 88-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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