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
US DOT T-100 · filed dataIn April 2026, United Airlines operated the most departures, one of 2 carriers flying nonstop SBA–SFO; the Embraer E175 was the most common aircraft at 32% of departures; flights ran 62% full.
Departures
275
April 2026
Seats
33,352
both directions
Passengers
20,786
both directions
Load factor
62.3%
passengers ÷ seats
Who flies SBA–SFO?
United Airlines operated the most nonstop SBA–SFO departures in April 2026 (170), one of 2 carriers on the route.
- UA
United Airlines
170 departures · 25,868 seats
Share of departures61.8%57.4%
Load
- OO
SkyWest Airlines
105 departures · 7,484 seats
Share of departures38.2%79.5%
Load
What plane flies SBA–SFO?
In April 2026, the Embraer E175 flew 32% of SBA–SFO departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Embraer E175
89 departures · 80.1% load
32.4% - Boeing 737-800
61 departures · 66.7% load
22.2% - Airbus A319
58 departures · 63.6% load
21.1% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
49 departures · 40.4% load
17.8% - Bombardier CRJ-700
14 departures · 76.9% load
5.1% - Bombardier CRJ-200
2 departures · 67.0% load
0.7% - Airbus A320
2 departures · 48.7% load
0.7%
How has SBA–SFO traffic changed?
Nonstop SBA–SFO departures fell from 307 in May 2025 to 275 in April 2026.
Monthly nonstop SBA–SFO traffic, trailing 12 months through April 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
May 2025
307 departures · 21,195 passengers
72.9%
Load
June 2025
240 departures · 19,438 passengers
77.1%
Load
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
By direction
The DOT files each direction separately — they rarely match.
SBA → SFO
60.1% full
138 departures · 10,074 passengers
SFO → SBA
64.5% full
137 departures · 10,712 passengers
Nonstop SBA–SFO traffic has been filed with the US DOT since 2025.
Source: US DOT BTS Form 41 T-100 Segment (All Carriers). Data through April 2026; filings from 2025. Public domain (US Government work). The DOT publishes roughly three months in arrears.
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 April 2026, the Embraer E175 flew the largest share of departures (32.4%), followed by the Boeing 737-800 (22.2%).
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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