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
Filed traffic dataIn June 2026, United Airlines was the only carrier flying nonstop ORD–SBA; the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was the most common aircraft at 80% of departures; flights ran 82% full.
Departures
60
June 2026
Seats
9,560
both directions
Passengers
7,837
both directions
Load factor
82.0%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies ORD–SBA?
United Airlines was the only carrier to fly nonstop ORD–SBA in June 2026 (60 departures).
- UA
60 departures · 9,560 seats
Share of departures100.0%82.0%
Load
What plane flies ORD–SBA?
In June 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew 80% of ORD–SBA departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737 MAX 8
48 departures · 81.5% load
80.0% - Boeing 737-700
10 departures · 86.8% load
16.7% - Boeing 737-800
2 departures · 75.3% load
3.3%
How has ORD–SBA traffic changed?
Nonstop ORD–SBA departures rose from 49 in April 2026 to 60 in June 2026.
Monthly nonstop ORD–SBA traffic, trailing 12 months through June 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
May 2026
62 departures · 7,771 passengers
76.7%
Load
June 2026
60 departures · 7,837 passengers
82.0%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
ORD → SBA
84.3% full
30 departures · 4,028 passengers
SBA → ORD
79.7% full
30 departures · 3,809 passengers
Nonstop ORD–SBA traffic has been filed since 2026.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through June 2026; filings from 2026. Public domain (US Government work).
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 June 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew the largest share of departures (80.0%), followed by the Boeing 737-700 (16.7%).
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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