Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) announces two new nonstop routes. Starting this summer. United Airlines will bring back seasonal service to Chicago-O'Hare (ORD) on June 3. This service will be SBA's first red-eye flight, departing at 11:45 p.m. every night except Saturday. Southwest is also adding a new service to Sacramento (SMF) starting June 5, departing daily at 10 a.m. Both new destinations are now available to book for your summer trips.
Special events at SBA to celebrate the launch of the new services will take place in June and throughout the summer.
In addition, several of the currently available routes will have an increase in capacity this summer, resulting in more options for passengers departing out of SBA. American Airlines will increase capacity on services to Dallas (DFW) and Phoenix (PHX). United Airlines will increase capacity on services to Los Angeles (LAX) and San Francisco (SFO).
The new and increased summer service options are expected to make SBA busier than ever. SBA experienced a faster than predicted operational recovery starting mid-2021. With over 873,000 commercial passengers served, SBA experienced a year-over-year increase of 129% from 2020, and was just shy of 2019 statistics by approximately 125,000 passengers. The first quarter of 2022 has continued to build from the momentum of last year. In just the last three months, SBA has served around 180,000 passengers, which is almost three times the passengers coming through SBA this time compared to last year.
"As an attractive domestic leisure destination, Santa Barbara has enjoyed a strong recovery following significant travel restrictions during the COVID-19 pandemic. At the Santa Barbara Airport, monthly passenger counts are expected to exceed pre-pandemic levels throughout the coming months as we anticipate a record year in 2022. The Santa Barbara Airport is honored to be able to provide services that contribute to the economic vitality of our region," said Brian D'Amour, interim airport director.
