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 May 2026, United Airlines was the only carrier flying nonstop ORD–SBA; the Boeing 737 MAX 8 was the most common aircraft at 81% of departures; flights ran 77% full.
Departures
62
May 2026
Seats
10,132
both directions
Passengers
7,771
both directions
Load factor
76.7%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies ORD–SBA?
United Airlines was the only carrier to fly nonstop ORD–SBA in May 2026 (62 departures).
- UA
62 departures · 10,132 seats
Share of departures100.0%76.7%
Load
What plane flies ORD–SBA?
In May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew 81% of ORD–SBA departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737 MAX 8
50 departures · 76.8% load
80.7% - Boeing 737-800
8 departures · 73.6% load
12.9% - Boeing 737-700
4 departures · 84.1% load
6.5%
How has ORD–SBA traffic changed?
Nonstop ORD–SBA departures rose from 49 in April 2026 to 62 in May 2026.
Monthly nonstop ORD–SBA traffic, trailing 12 months through May 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
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
ORD → SBA
75.7% full
31 departures · 3,836 passengers
SBA → ORD
77.7% full
31 departures · 3,935 passengers
Nonstop ORD–SBA traffic has been filed since 2026.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through May 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 May 2026, the Boeing 737 MAX 8 flew the largest share of departures (80.7%), followed by the Boeing 737-800 (12.9%).
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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