Santa Barbara (SBA) to Sacramento (SMF)
Flight time
≈ 1h 25m
Bearing
342° N
Santa Barbara (SBA) to Sacramento (SMF) is 311 miles (500 km) as the crow flies — the great-circle baseline most distance-based mileage programs credit.
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What actually flies SBA–SMF
Filed traffic dataIn June 2026, Southwest Airlines was the only carrier flying nonstop SBA–SMF; the Boeing 737-700 was the most common aircraft at 54% of departures; flights ran 62% full.
Departures
59
June 2026
Seats
9,109
both directions
Passengers
5,621
both directions
Load factor
61.7%
RPM ÷ ASM
Who flies SBA–SMF?
Southwest Airlines was the only carrier to fly nonstop SBA–SMF in June 2026 (59 departures).
- WN
59 departures · 9,109 seats
Share of departures100.0%61.7%
Load
What plane flies SBA–SMF?
In June 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew 54% of SBA–SMF departures — more than any other aircraft type.
- Boeing 737-700
32 departures · 64.5% load
54.2% - Boeing 737-800
14 departures · 57.6% load
23.7% - Boeing 737 MAX 8
13 departures · 60.8% load
22.0%
How has SBA–SMF traffic changed?
Nonstop SBA–SMF departures held steady at about 59 a month between July 2025 and June 2026.
Monthly nonstop SBA–SMF traffic, trailing 12 months through June 2026. Bars scale to the busiest month; months with no filed service show as zero.
July 2025
59 departures · 5,920 passengers
61.9%
Load
August 2025
62 departures · 6,128 passengers
64.5%
Load
September 2025
60 departures · 5,911 passengers
63.7%
Load
October 2025
62 departures · 6,360 passengers
64.5%
Load
November 2025
62 departures · 5,793 passengers
64.6%
Load
December 2025
58 departures · 4,879 passengers
58.6%
Load
January 2026
61 departures · 3,914 passengers
41.4%
Load
February 2026
56 departures · 4,449 passengers
53.2%
Load
March 2026
60 departures · 4,967 passengers
59.9%
Load
April 2026
60 departures · 5,413 passengers
65.5%
Load
May 2026
62 departures · 5,537 passengers
64.6%
Load
June 2026
59 departures · 5,621 passengers
61.7%
Load
By direction
Each direction is filed separately — they rarely match.
SBA → SMF
61.9% full
30 departures · 2,826 passengers
SMF → SBA
61.5% full
29 departures · 2,795 passengers
Nonstop SBA–SMF 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 Sacramento (SMF)?
SBA to SMF is 311 miles (500 km / 270 nautical miles) measured great-circle — the shortest path over the surface of the Earth.
How long is the flight from SBA to SMF?
A nonstop covers the 311-mile great-circle distance in roughly 1h 25m of block time, before winds. Actual schedules vary a few percent by direction and aircraft.
What plane flies SBA–SMF?
In June 2026, the Boeing 737-700 flew the largest share of departures (54.2%), followed by the Boeing 737-800 (23.7%).
What mileage do I earn flying SBA–SMF?
Distance-based programs credit off the 311-mile great-circle figure, then apply your fare-class earning rate. Revenue-based programs credit off the fare instead.
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