Chicago (ORD) to Santa Barbara (SBA)
Flight time
≈ 4h 24m
Bearing
264° W
Chicago (ORD) to Santa Barbara (SBA) is 1,799 miles (2,895 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies ORD–SBA
US DOT T-100 · filed dataIn April 2026, United Airlines was the only carrier flying nonstop ORD–SBA; the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was the most common aircraft at 88% of departures; flights ran 71% full.
Departures
49
April 2026
Seats
8,134
both directions
Passengers
5,768
both directions
Load factor
70.9%
passengers ÷ seats
Who flies ORD–SBA?
United Airlines was the only carrier to fly nonstop ORD–SBA in April 2026 (49 departures).
- UA
United Airlines
49 departures · 8,134 seats
Share of departures100.0%70.9%
Load
What plane flies ORD–SBA?
In April 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew 88% of ORD–SBA departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737 MAX 8
43 departures · 71.2% load
87.8% - Boeing 737-800
6 departures · 68.8% load
12.2%
How has ORD–SBA traffic changed?
Monthly nonstop ORD–SBA traffic, trailing 12 months through April 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
April 2026
49 departures · 5,768 passengers
70.9%
Load
By direction
The DOT files each direction separately — they rarely match.
ORD → SBA
70.0% full
25 departures · 2,906 passengers
SBA → ORD
71.8% full
24 departures · 2,862 passengers
Nonstop ORD–SBA traffic has been filed with the US DOT since 2026.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through April 2026; filings from 2026. Public domain (US Government work). The DOT publishes roughly three months in arrears.
The airports
Frequently asked
How far is Chicago (ORD) from Santa Barbara (SBA)?
ORD to SBA is 1,799 miles (2,895 km / 1,563 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from ORD to SBA?
A nonstop covers the 1,799-mile great-circle distance in roughly 4h 24m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies ORD–SBA?
In April 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew the largest share of departures (87.8%), followed by the Boeing 737-800 (12.2%).
What mileage do I earn flying ORD–SBA?
Distance-based programs credit off the 1,799-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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