SBA

$118 Find Cheap Flights from California to Santa Barbara

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight to Santa Barbara departing on 2/20. 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
1 adult, Economy, 0 bags

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Everything you should know

Cheapest round-trip
$157
Overall average: $303
Alaska Airlines
Tue 4/28Wed 4/29
SAN - SBA • Non-stop
Cheapest one-way
$118
Overall average: $317
Hawaiian Airlines
Fri 2/20
SMF - SBA • 1 stop
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Flight Deals
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Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from California to Santa Barbara

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from California to Santa Barbara 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 for you by selecting your travel dates on KAYAK.

Recent round-trip flight deals from California to Santa Barbara

Tue, Apr 28 - Wed, Apr 29
Alaska Airlines Logo
9:59 pm - 11:12 pmSAN-SBA
1h 13mnonstop
Alaska Airlines Logo
6:25 am - 7:29 amSBA-SAN
1h 04mnonstop
$157Alaska Airlines
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Fri, Dec 12 - Mon, Dec 15
United Airlines Logo
8:40 pm - 11:44 pmSAN-SBA
3h 04m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 10:40 amSBA-SAN
4h 40m1 stop
$177United Airlines
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Sat, Dec 20 - Wed, Dec 24
United Airlines Logo
10:43 pm - 11:42 pmLAX-SBA
0h 59mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
5:06 pm - 6:10 pmSBA-LAX
1h 04mnonstop
$179United Airlines
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Sat, Feb 28 - Tue, Mar 3
Hawaiian Airlines Logo
7:00 am - 1:46 pmLAS-SBA
6h 46m1 stop
Hawaiian Airlines Logo
2:38 pm - 11:55 pmSBA-LAS
9h 17m1 stop
$232Hawaiian Airlines
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Wed, Dec 31 - Wed, Jan 7
Hawaiian Airlines Logo
10:04 am - 6:51 pmLAS-SBA
8h 47m1 stop
Hawaiian Airlines Logo
2:45 pm - 9:00 pmSBA-LAS
6h 15m1 stop
$244Hawaiian Airlines
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Sat, Feb 28 - Tue, Mar 3
Alaska Airlines Logo
7:00 am - 1:46 pmLAS-SBA
6h 46m1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
2:38 pm - 10:56 pmSBA-LAS
8h 18m1 stop
$273Alaska Airlines
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Tue, Dec 16 - Tue, Dec 23
Southwest Logo
3:40 pm - 4:50 pmOAK-SBA
1h 10mnonstop
Southwest Logo
2:20 pm - 3:40 pmSBA-OAK
1h 20mnonstop
$279Southwest
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Tue, Dec 16 - Tue, Dec 23
Southwest Logo
2:55 pm - 9:05 pmOAK-SBA
6h 10m1 stop
Southwest Logo
2:20 pm - 3:40 pmSBA-OAK
1h 20mnonstop
$289Southwest
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Tue, Mar 10 - Wed, Mar 11
Delta Logo
1:00 pm - 10:09 pmSMF-SBA
9h 09m2 stops
Delta Logo
5:50 am - 4:32 pmSBA-SMF
10h 42m2 stops
$312Delta
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Sun, Dec 21 - Fri, Jan 2
Delta Logo
5:17 pm - 10:45 pmRNO-SBA
5h 28m1 stop
Delta Logo
5:45 am - 12:28 pmSBA-RNO
6h 43m1 stop
$327Delta
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Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$118
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 3% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 4% increase in price.
Flight from Sacramento to Santa Barbara

FAQs for booking flights from California to Santa Barbara

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

    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 California to Santa Barbara.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Santa Barbara from California 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 California to Santa Barbara?

    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 Santa Barbara with an airline and back to California with another airline.

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

    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 Santa Barbara from California up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

Reviews of the top 3 airlines serving from California to Santa Barbara

 
Need help choosing which airline to fly with from California to Santa Barbara? 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.
8.0
Alaska AirlinesOverall score based on 11313 reviews
7.0Entertainment
8.1Boarding
7.8Comfort
7.1Food
8.5Crew
Airline reviews

You need a n/a category. Too short a flight for food. I love flying on Alaska from Santa Rosa Airport!

10.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Nov 2025LAX - STS
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

You need a n/a category. Too short a flight for food. I love flying on Alaska from Santa Rosa Airport!

I was delayed several times. Missed a very important event. The airline only provided a $12 voucher after being delayed 3 times.

Online check in didn't work. Somehow ended up with 2 Alaska rewards numbers and 1 for Hawaiian. No one at check in could figure out what to do. No one at check in could help me confirm an upcoming flight on Hawaiian Airlines.

This was likely the smallest, oldest plane I've been on. It didn't handle turbulence well and we were all jostled a lot more than I'm used to. At least it was a short flight.

Flight was delayed two hours; for an hour and a half flight?! And so we missed our connecting flight to Rome because of the long walk between the terminals. Hoping to hear back from Alaska about some compensation for our missed flight and night stay in Los Angeles.

Excellent service from staff at the gate as well as flight attendants on board. Seats had more room than many other airlines and if they were just a little better cushioned they would have been perfect.

Such great crew, from checkin to the plane. So friendly and helpful, I was genuinely impressed.

Staff at Gate desk were helpful. My connecting flight from the first part of my trip Kona to Seattle was late. I had to run through SeaTac Seattle to catch my flight to San Jose. They made an exception to let me board. On my return trip San Jose to San Diego and San Diego to Honolulu the same thing happened. One flight arrived late and I had to run through the terminal to catch my connection. There are no Gluten-free & Vegan options meals and snacks to purchase.

I liked the crew. There was no food flight to short

2 FLIGHT DELAYS? what an inconvenience to stay @the airport HALF THE DAY😳from 1pm till boarding @ 4pm pass 😠exhausting !

San Diego airport is brand new, spacious, airy and very smooth checkin at SW baggage drop.

Ever since Southwest starting charging for bags, passengers don't want to pay to check their bags, so the gate agents have to beg people to check their roller bags now because there's "not enough space". This was a terrible business move by Southwest.

Delays delays delays. Late taking off, late landing, wait for a gate, etc.

Connecting flight is on time and boarding was a breeze!

Very smooth checking in our luggage with a super pleasant SW agent. I enjoyed a fun entertaining movie.

First time traveling on Southwest since bag fees were implemented. Usual good service. Just more expensive now.

It was a perfect flight in all aspects! Both legs!

Boarding process, crew were good. But the seats were so uncomfortable that was all I could focus on. I literally had to sit forward so that all 3 of us could fit in row. I will try to avoid Southwest in the future for any flights over 60 minutes.

Great flight, 47 passengers on a 180 seat plane. Stewardess was pleasant and cheerful.

Great experience flying Southwest. The crew was really kind and helpful, and very friendly with our toddler.

United needs to step up their game. Delayed flight leaving Seattle, San Francisco. Older aircraft, not very comfortable.

Plane boarded early a quickly, was mostly full. We left close to on time. And landed early.

7 hours delayed due to operational issues on United’s end. Basically laziness.

Flight was timely, relatively comfortable, with decent entertainment and food served. Only problem encountered was with the free messaging which I highly appreciate, but it did not work from iphone to non-iphones.

The internet service I paid for didn’t work at all and the flight crew was not very friendly.

Subject: Formal Complaint: Discriminatory and Unprofessional Conduct – Request for Immediate Action & Compensation Dear [Airline Customer Relations Team], I am writing to file a formal complaint regarding my recent travel experience with [Airline], which was by far the worst I have ever encountered. What occurred was not only unprofessional, but in several instances discriminatory, unsafe, and unacceptable. On the first leg of my trip, I arrived only four minutes past check-in. Instead of making any attempt to resolve the matter, your representative flatly denied me boarding and made me wait while she attended to passengers who arrived after me. By the time a manager intervened, it was too late to board, costing me time, money, and unnecessary frustration. The second leg of my trip (Chicago–San Francisco) raised even more serious concerns. From the outset, it was apparent that the staff—particularly two attendants—prioritized Caucasian passengers while dismissing African American and minority passengers. • When a Caucasian passenger in the exit row refused to comply with federal safety requirements, I, as a first responder, immediately offered to switch seats and assume the responsibility. My offer was blatantly ignored, and instead, a Caucasian passenger seated further up was chosen. This was discriminatory and deeply insulting, especially as I was actively de-escalating the situation that could have delayed the flight further. • During a lengthy tarmac delay of over 90 minutes, passengers were given conflicting and unreasonable instructions that created unnecessary distress and tension. • Throughout the flight, a visibly intoxicated passenger directly in front of me was disruptive, rude to others, failed to comply with seatbelt and electronic device rules, and yet faced no enforcement from the crew. In stark contrast, I was singled out for repeated compliance checks even though I was following every rule. This unequal treatment was so obvious that multiple passengers around me spoke up in my defense. This pattern of behavior demonstrated a clear lack of professionalism, disregard for passenger safety, and discriminatory treatment. I expect far better from an airline of your stature. As a paying customer subjected to this unacceptable treatment, I am formally requesting: 1. A full investigation into the conduct of the staff on both flights. 2. A written apology acknowledging the discriminatory and unprofessional behavior I endured. 3. Appropriate compensation for the distress, inconvenience, and mishandling of my travel. If this matter is not addressed promptly and thoroughly, I will have no choice but to escalate my complaint further, including filing with the U.S. Department of Transportation and sharing my experience through other channels. I trust [Airline] will take this complaint seriously and provide a timely resolution.

Check in was quick and easy during early hours. Flight was on time, and customer services was a plus.

The flight was comfortable with the exit row and great service

Plane was crowded and even when we hit altitude, the plane was hot, not enough air flow.

1. when we went to check in, our 2 first class seats had been CANCELED and the flight was sold out. This was done without our prior knowledge. It was all we could do to restore one first class seat for my wife and I flew economy. 2, Our flight home was scheduled to leave at 10:30 pm. Due to tsunami warnings, the roads were closed and our flight status was uncertain as to whether it would leave as scheduled. It was announced that it would now leave at 11:20 pm and the roads were now open since the tsunami had come and gone. We made a mad dash to the airport and checked in. Delays were announced at 12:30 pm, 1:30 am, 2:30 am and at 3:30 am it was canceled. Since this was a flight due to natural (tsunami) causes, there was no compensation. We were told to return at 1:00 pm the next day and our baggage would be kept on the plane since the same plane was going to leave at 1:00 pm. We had to return to our hotel for the rest of the night. The same plane did not leave at 1:00 pm and our baggage was gone! All in all, it was a miserable performance by UA. Information was hard to obtain and no one knew what was going on and what was going to happen. Hundreds of passengers slept on the floor, chairs, etc. No food and no water was made available to the passengers. It was a situation where UA could care less what was going on. As a one million mile flyer, I had not experienced anything like this before and it was hugely disappointing!

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