Santa Barbara (SBA) to San Francisco (SFO)
Flight time
≈ 1h 19m
Bearing
328° NW
Santa Barbara (SBA) to San Francisco (SFO) is 262 miles (422 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies SBA–SFO
Filed traffic dataIn June 2026, SkyWest Airlines operated the most departures, one of 2 carriers flying nonstop SBA–SFO; the Embraer E175 was the most common aircraft at 49% of departures; flights ran 69% full.
Departures
300
June 2026
Seats
30,384
both directions
Passengers
20,972
both directions
Load factor
69.0%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies SBA–SFO?
SkyWest Airlines operated the most nonstop SBA–SFO departures in June 2026 (180), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- OO
180 departures · 12,424 seats
Share of departures60.0%79.8%
Load
- UA
120 departures · 17,960 seats
Share of departures40.0%61.6%
Load
What plane flies SBA–SFO?
In June 2026, the Embraer E175 flew 49% of SBA–SFO departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Embraer E175
148 departures · 80.1% load
49.3% - Airbus A320
90 departures · 61.9% load
30.0% - Bombardier CRJ-700
22 departures · 73.4% load
7.3% - Boeing 737-800
17 departures · 51.9% load
5.7% - Airbus A319
13 departures · 75.6% load
4.3% - Bombardier CRJ-200
10 departures · 92.4% load
3.3%
How has SBA–SFO traffic changed?
Nonstop SBA–SFO departures rose from 237 in July 2025 to 300 in June 2026.
Monthly nonstop SBA–SFO traffic, trailing 12 months through June 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
July 2025
237 departures · 20,744 passengers
69.4%
Load
August 2025
220 departures · 22,309 passengers
74.9%
Load
September 2025
262 departures · 23,536 passengers
64.0%
Load
October 2025
287 departures · 24,507 passengers
64.2%
Load
November 2025
278 departures · 19,273 passengers
67.5%
Load
December 2025
232 departures · 17,938 passengers
63.5%
Load
January 2026
242 departures · 16,304 passengers
53.9%
Load
February 2026
251 departures · 16,974 passengers
58.6%
Load
March 2026
298 departures · 22,106 passengers
59.3%
Load
April 2026
275 departures · 20,786 passengers
62.3%
Load
May 2026
295 departures · 21,346 passengers
63.5%
Load
June 2026
300 departures · 20,972 passengers
69.0%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
SBA → SFO
68.5% full
150 departures · 10,417 passengers
SFO → SBA
69.6% full
150 departures · 10,555 passengers
Nonstop SBA–SFO traffic has been filed since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through June 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work).
The airports
Frequently asked
How far is Santa Barbara (SBA) from San Francisco (SFO)?
SBA to SFO is 262 miles (422 km / 228 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from SBA to SFO?
A nonstop covers the 262-mile great-circle distance in roughly 1h 19m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies SBA–SFO?
In June 2026, the Embraer E175 flew the largest share of departures (49.3%), followed by the Airbus A320 (30.0%).
What mileage do I earn flying SBA–SFO?
Distance-based programs credit off the 262-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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