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SBA - SFO

Find cheap flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco from $99

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from Santa Barbara to San Francisco departing on 6/3. Fares are subject to change and may not be available on all flights or dates of travel. Click the price to replicate the search for this deal.
1 adult
0 bags
Wed 6/5
Wed 6/12

Search hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to San Francisco

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Santa Barbara to San Francisco, as well as popular online travel agencies
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Santa Barbara to San Francisco, as well as popular online travel agencies
In the last 7 days travelers have searched 42,830,901 times on KAYAK, and here is why:

Save 22% or moreCompare multiple travel sites with one search.

Track pricesNot ready to book? Create a price alert for when prices drop.

Filter your dealsChoose cabin class, free Wi-Fi and more.

Bundle and saveSave money when you bundle your flight + hotel.

Cheap flight deals from Santa Barbara to San Francisco (SBA-SFO)

Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco that are departing in the next months. While these flights were available on KAYAK in the last 72 hours, prices and availability are subject to change and deals may expire.
Discover the best prices and deals for you by selecting your travel dates.
Choose your dates
1:48 pm - 3:00 pmSBA-SFO
1h 12mnonstop
10:55 pm - 12:14 amSFO-SBA
1h 19mnonstop
$137United Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, May 29 - Fri, May 31
10:45 am - 11:56 amSBA-SFO
1h 11mnonstop
10:49 am - 12:10 pmSFO-SBA
1h 21mnonstop
$173United Airlines
Find Deal
Thu, Aug 15 - Sun, Aug 18
1:48 pm - 3:00 pmSBA-SFO
1h 12mnonstop
10:55 pm - 12:14 amSFO-SBA
1h 19mnonstop
$197United Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, May 29 - Thu, May 30
10:35 am - 11:58 amSBA-SFO
1h 23mnonstop
8:30 am - 9:50 amSFO-SBA
1h 20mnonstop
$209United Airlines
Find Deal
Thu, Oct 10 - Sun, Oct 13
1:45 pm - 6:31 pmSBA-SFO
4h 46m1 stop
8:00 am - 5:03 pmSFO-SBA
9h 03m2 stops
$408Alaska Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, May 29 - Thu, May 30
11:15 am - 9:35 pmSBA-SFO
10h 20m2 stops
8:00 am - 5:03 pmSFO-SBA
9h 03m2 stops
$413Alaska Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, May 29 - Thu, May 30
1:45 pm - 9:35 pmSBA-SFO
7h 50m1 stop
6:55 pm - 12:51 pmSFO-SBA
17h 56m2 stops
$457Alaska Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, May 29 - Fri, May 31
6:32 am - 5:40 pmSBA-SFO
11h 08m2 stops
11:00 am - 10:29 pmSFO-SBA
11h 29m2 stops
$773American Airlines
Find Deal
Thu, Aug 15 - Sun, Aug 18
6:25 am - 10:02 pmSBA-SFO
15h 37m2 stops
11:12 am - 10:22 pmSFO-SBA
11h 10m2 stops
$807American Airlines
Find Deal
Thu, Jul 11 - Sun, Jul 21
6:12 am - 6:06 pmSBA-SFO
11h 54m2 stops
7:10 am - 9:56 pmSFO-SBA
14h 46m2 stops
$987American Airlines
Find Deal
Mon, May 27 - Tue, May 28

Flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco - Travel Insights & Trends

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco to help you find the cheapest flights, the best time to fly and much more.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from Santa Barbara to San Francisco?

The average price of all flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.
When flying from Santa Barbara to San Francisco, you should consider leaving on a Thursday and avoid Sundays if you are looking for the best rates. For your return to Santa Barbara, you’ll find the best rates on Tuesdays and the most expensive ones on Fridays.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Santa Barbara to San Francisco?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the median of all values for each month.
The cheapest month for flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco is April, where tickets cost $118 on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are March and November, where the average cost of tickets is $158 and $158 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Santa Barbara to San Francisco?

To calculate daily average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each day before departure over the last year for flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each month.
To get a below average price on the flight from Santa Barbara to San Francisco, you should book around 2 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 78 days before departure.

Which airlines provide the cheapest flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco?

The cheapest price for the route for each airline clicked by KAYAK users in the last 72 hours.
In the last 72 hours, the best return deals on flights connecting Santa Barbara to San Francisco were found on United Airlines ($137) and Alaska Airlines ($408). United Airlines proposed the cheapest one-way flight at $99.

Which airlines fly non-stop between Santa Barbara and San Francisco?

Airline and price data is aggregated from results in KAYAK’s search results from the last 2 weeks for flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco.
There is just one airline that flies from Santa Barbara to San Francisco direct and that is United Airlines. The best one-way deal found from United Airlines for the route is $168.

How many flights are there between Santa Barbara and San Francisco per day?

Each day, there are 5 nonstop flights that take off from Santa Barbara and land in San Francisco, with an average flight time of 1h 14m. The most common departure time is 6:00 am and most flights take off in the afternoon. Each week, there are 35 flights and there are the same amount of flights each day 5.

Which cabin class options are there for flights between Santa Barbara and San Francisco?

The average price of flights for each cabin class for the route found by users searching on KAYAK over the last 2 weeks.
There are 4 cabin class options for the route. These are First, Business, Economy and Prem Economy. Perform a search on KAYAK to find the latest prices and availability for all cabin fares, which differ across airlines.

How long does a flight from Santa Barbara to San Francisco take?

Direct flights take on average 1h 08m to travel the 262 miles between Santa Barbara and San Francisco.

What’s the earliest departure time from Santa Barbara to San Francisco?

Early birds can take the earliest flight from Santa Barbara at 6:00 am and will be landing in San Francisco at 7:12 am.

What’s the latest departure time from Santa Barbara to San Francisco?

If you prefer to fly at night, the latest flight from Santa Barbara to San Francisco jets off at 7:10 pm and lands at 8:25 pm.

Good to know

Low season

January

High season

November

Cheapest flight

$99
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 17% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 4% lower on average.
Flight from Santa Barbara to San Francisco

When to book flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from Santa Barbara to San Francisco based on our flight data from the last year. Discover the cheapest month and even day to fly.
Estimated round-trip price
KAYAK looks at all historical flight data for each date to provide a predicted price for one-way trips or round-trips with a duration up to 40 days. While we try to provide actual minimum prices for each date, some prices are predictions and actual prices may differ.

FAQs for booking flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco

  • Where can I spend the night at San Francisco airport?

    Passengers looking to spend the night at the airport because they arrived late can spend the night at terminal 1. There is a hallway towards gate 50, near the yoga room. The hallway is equipped with comfortable couches that you can utilize. You just need to carry an extra blanket for more comfort.

  • How can I fly from Santa Barbara to San Francisco?

    From Santa Barbara airport to San Francisco, there are a number of flights or airlines that you can use, for instance, Alaska Airlines and United Airlines, that offer nonstop flight options. Alternatively, if you want to save money, you can opt for connecting flights with one-stop options. For instance, American and United airlines offer connecting flights with layovers at LAX and PHX.

  • Are there any onsite hotels in San Francisco?

    There are many top-rated hotels at and near San Francisco Airport, so if you are landing late, you can consider booking with them. You can book your stay with Grand Hyatt At SFO, Aloft San Francisco Airport hotel, SFO Airport Hotel, El Rancho Inn and Fairfield Inn & Suites by Marriott. These hotels offer exceptional services, including free airport shuttle services.

  • What amenities does Santa Barbara airport offer nursing mothers?

    Nursing mothers traveling through Santa Barbara airport will have a chance to use the special nursing room located on the terminal building's second floor. The room is well equipped with a rocking baby chair, a changing table, a shower for the mothers and a private room for pumping the milk or for breastfeeding.

  • What is the cheapest flight from Santa Barbara to San Francisco?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from Santa Barbara to San Francisco was $99 for a one-way ticket and $137 for a round-trip.

  • Do I need a passport to fly between Santa Barbara and San Francisco?

    No, a passport isn't needed to fly from Santa Barbara to San Francisco. However, local authorities might ask for an official ID.

  • Which airlines offer Wi-Fi service onboard planes from Santa Barbara to San Francisco?

    Alaska Airlines, JetBlue, American Airlines, and Delta offer inflight Wi-Fi service on the Santa Barbara to San Francisco flight route.

  • Which aircraft models fly most regularly from Santa Barbara to San Francisco?

    The Airbus A320-100/200 is the aircraft model that flies most regularly on the Santa Barbara to San Francisco flight route.

  • Which airline alliances offer flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco?

    Star Alliance is the only airline alliance operating flights between Santa Barbara and San Francisco.

  • On which days can I fly direct from Santa Barbara to San Francisco?

    There are nonstop flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco on a daily basis.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco?

    KAYAK is a travel search engine. That means we look across the web to find the best prices we can find for our users. With over 2 billion flight queries processed yearly, we are able to display a variety of prices and options on flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco.

  • How does KAYAK's flight Price Forecast tool help me choose the right time to buy my flight ticket from Santa Barbara to San Francisco?

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to San Francisco from Santa Barbara is likely to change within 7 days, so travelers know whether to wait or book now.

  • What is the Hacker Fare option on flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco?

    Hacker Fares allow you to combine one-way tickets in order to save you money over a traditional round-trip ticket. You could then fly to San Francisco with an airline and back to Santa Barbara with another airline. Booking your flights between Santa Barbara and SFO can sometimes prove cheaper using this method.

  • What is KAYAK's "flexible dates" feature and why should I care when looking for a flight from Santa Barbara to San Francisco?

    Sometimes travel dates aren't set in stone. If your preferred travel dates have some wiggle room, flexible dates will show you all the options when flying to San Francisco from Santa Barbara up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

See more FAQs

Top tips for finding a cheap flight from SBA to San Francisco

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found flights on this route for $195 or less one-way and $298 or less round-trip.
  • It’s important to arrive at Santa Barbara airport (SBA) at least 2h earlier before takeoff. This is because Santa Barbara airport is busy sometimes. Coming early will give you a chance to get done with the security check on time and get your ticket and boarding pass.
  • Santa Barbara provides a variety of parking locations when you are flying out of Santa Barbara to San Francisco. You can use the international parking lot on the third floor at terminal 1 if you intend to park for a long time. They also have a daily parking lot at the new garage next to the gate. This parking lot allows travelers to park for a few hours. There are other parking lots on the ground floor and the second floor. Shuttle drivers and drivers coming to pick up and drop off passengers can use them.
  • While you are waiting to board your flight from Santa Barbara to San Francisco, you can take advantage of the extensive selection of amenities provided at the departure and arrival hall. You can grab something to snack on at the restaurant on your left from the baggage claim area.
  • There is entertainment available on board your flight from Santa Barbara to San Francisco. You can watch a movie and play games with other passengers. There are also kid-friendly games and a channel on the offered TV channels. Additionally, they offer amenities and services like meals, drinks, and snacks.
  • When you arrive at San Francisco International Airport (SFO), you can visit the information desk or office in terminal 1 if you're interested in learning more specific details. As an alternative, you might speak with their employees who are close to you; they might be able to assist. For instance, you can ask any close staff member where the children's changing area is located. You are not required to visit the office.
See more tips

Prefer to fly non-stop from Santa Barbara to San Francisco?

Find which airlines fly direct from Santa Barbara to San Francisco, which days they fly and book direct flights.

Nonstop departures

Santa Barbara to San Francisco

Monday

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Emirates, +2 more

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, +3 more

Tuesday

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Copa Airlines, +3 more

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, +4 more

Wednesday

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Copa Airlines, +3 more

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, +4 more

Thursday

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Copa Airlines, +3 more

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, +4 more

Friday

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Emirates, +2 more

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, +3 more

Saturday

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Emirates, +2 more

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, +3 more

Sunday

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Copa Airlines, +3 more

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, +4 more

See more direct flights

Nonstop returns

San Francisco to Santa Barbara

Monday

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Lufthansa, +2 more

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, +3 more

Tuesday

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Copa Airlines, +3 more

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, +4 more

Wednesday

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Copa Airlines, +3 more

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, +4 more

Thursday

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Copa Airlines, +3 more

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, +4 more

Friday

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Lufthansa, +2 more

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, +3 more

Saturday

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Lufthansa, +2 more

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, +3 more

Sunday

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, Copa Airlines, +3 more

Air Canada, Air New Zealand, +4 more

See more direct flights
See more direct flights

Top airline flying from Santa Barbara to San Francisco

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Santa Barbara to San Francisco. Airline scores are aggregated from all reviews left by passengers on KAYAK after flying with an airline. KAYAK doesn’t show reviews that are older than 5 years. Learn how KAYAK collects reviews.
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from Santa Barbara to San Francisco? KAYAK airline reviews give an overall score for each airline based on loads of factors, including comfort, boarding, in-flight entertainment and more, to make your decision easier. See airline scores according to verified KAYAK customer reviews.
7.4
United AirlinesOverall score based on 11118 reviews
7.2Comfort
6.7Food
7.1Entertainment
7.7Boarding
8.1Crew
Airline reviews

Should have video screens Plane audio was poor and without wired connection hard to understand crew. Should serve more than just cups of water and pretzels on six hour flight. Did not see crew rest of flight. Fix charging sockets to retain charging blocks.

2.0 MediocreTed, May 2024IAD - SFO
Read more about United Airlines reviews

Should have video screens Plane audio was poor and without wired connection hard to understand crew. Should serve more than just cups of water and pretzels on six hour flight. Did not see crew rest of flight. Fix charging sockets to retain charging blocks.

Do not like the feeling of being in the basic economy. Everyone should feel good no matter what.

So so. Terrible aircraft choice for that leg of the flight.

delay several times and wait extra long to board. no entertainment service because there are problem for some rows. always encounter some delays for the last flight of the day.

This was a Lufthansa flight. Disappointing main meal. Very rough over Canada and arrival at FRA. IFE was almost unusable.

I was not able to buy food in the flight. They refer to include your Credit card in the APP, and if you are not from USA (i have a credit card form Canada) it is not possible

United airline kept delaying our flight back to Phoenix for 8 hours before they cancelled it! If they know that we are not flying out for whatever the reason is, why did they keep lying to us for hours. We could find another flight earlier or even find a hotel with a shuttle. But cancellation at about midnight was not fun. We stayed in the airport all night till the following morning when we bought an Alaska tickets to go back to Phoenix. Total of 14 hours in the airport.

Poor seating comfort, seat cushion too thin, very uncomfortable. My luggage didi not make the flight due to equipment change. At least. United had it delivered the next day. I was without my toilet items for one day.

My experience is based on one crew member. I had found my seat and sat down but there was a gentleman to claimed to the flight attendant I was in his seat. She then came to me and curtly said, "I need your ticket!" No hi, no excuse me may I see your boarding pass? NOTHING! I was taken aback by her attitude and she repeated herself, "your ticket?!?!" I calmly responded with ok, here you go. Only to discover the gentleman was looking at the wrong boarding pass. She gave me back my ticket with no apology. She then was curt with another man who was putting his coat in the overhead bin, already helped by another flight attendant who said it was fine. She realizes it's ok and then asks him if he drinks. The look on the man's face was priceless. She said she was going to comp him drinks. He gets offered a comp drink for a coat as well as an apology, and I got no apology.

Flight cancelled because of the grounded 737s. United was good about it and got us onto a later Alaska Airlines flight to Oakland (not San Francisco as originally intended). Had to go through security again and my wife dropped her MacBook Pro, which broke, a $2,500 whoopsie. But we made it home.

Book cheap flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco

Recent one-way flight deals

 
Only flying one-way? Below are some of the best one-way flight deals from Santa Barbara to San Francisco found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.
6/3Mon
nonstopUnited Airlines
1h 12mSBA-SFO
$99
6/21Fri
nonstopUnited Airlines
1h 12mSBA-SFO
$105
7/18Thu
nonstopUnited Airlines
1h 08mSBA-SFO
$135
8/5Mon
nonstopUnited Airlines
1h 08mSBA-SFO
$138
8/30Fri
nonstopUnited Airlines
1h 14mSBA-SFO
$140
6/3Mon
2 stopsAlaska Airlines
18h 36mSBA-SFO
$198
8/5Mon
1 stopAlaska Airlines
13h 41mSBA-SFO
$223
8/5Mon
1 stopDelta
22h 51mSBA-SFO
$280
5/11Sat
2 stopsAmerican Airlines
13h 41mSBA-SFO
$546
8/4Sun
2 stopsAmerican Airlines
5h 51mSBA-SFO
$615

Search by stops

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Last minute flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

 
These last-minute flight deals are the cheapest flights found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours for flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco that are departing in the next 10 days.
5/10Fri
nonstopUnited Airlines
1h 15mSBA-SFO
5/12Sun
nonstopUnited Airlines
1h 22mSFO-SBA
$493
5/10Fri
nonstopUnited Airlines
1h 20mSBA-SFO
5/12Sun
nonstopUnited Airlines
1h 23mSFO-SBA
$497
5/10Fri
multi-stopUnited Airlines
5h 33mSBA-SFO
5/12Sun
nonstopUnited Airlines
1h 22mSFO-SBA
$502
5/11Sat
nonstopUnited Airlines
1h 15mSBA-SFO
5/13Mon
nonstopUnited Airlines
1h 19mSFO-SBA
$504
5/10Fri
nonstopUnited Airlines
1h 20mSBA-SFO
5/12Sun
multi-stopUnited Airlines
6h 46mSFO-SBA
$506
5/10Fri
multi-stopUnited Airlines
5h 33mSBA-SFO
5/12Sun
multi-stopUnited Airlines
7h 57mSFO-SBA
$512
5/11Sat
multi-stopUnited Airlines
3h 45mSBA-SFO
5/13Mon
nonstopUnited Airlines
1h 23mSFO-SBA
$513
5/10Fri
multi-stopUnited Airlines
5h 33mSBA-SFO
5/12Sun
multi-stopUnited Airlines
3h 51mSFO-SBA
$516
5/10Fri
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
11h 54mSBA-SFO
5/12Sun
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
11h 29mSFO-SBA
$877
5/10Fri
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
11h 54mSBA-SFO
5/12Sun
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
11h 29mSFO-SBA
$884

Search by stops

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Santa Barbara - San Francisco Flights

Departure:

Santa Barbara (SBA)United States

Destination:

San Francisco (SFO)United States

Return flight deals:

San Francisco - Santa Barbara

Cabin classes:

$550
$836
$1,105
$198