ORD - SBA

$152 Find Cheap Flights from Chicago 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 from Chicago to Santa Barbara departing on 5/9. 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

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to Santa Barbara

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Chicago to Santa Barbara, 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 Chicago to Santa Barbara, as well as popular online travel agencies
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Everything you should know

Cheapest round-trip
$283
Typical prices: $567-$349
Delta
Wed 5/20Sat 5/30
ORD - SBA • 1 stop
Cheapest non-stop
$329
United Airlines
Thu 8/13Sun 8/16
ORD - SBA • Non-stop
Top airlines
Cheapest • from $283 (round-trip)
Best reviews • 7.9 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
+1
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
+1
Nonstop flights
You can fly direct with United Airlines. Average duration is 4h 28m
Direct flights
Direct flights
+1
+1
Direct flights
Direct flights
+1
Top layover airports
Cheapest • Avg $184 (round-trip)
Shortest trip • 6h 37m (one-way)
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to book
in advance
Our data shows that travelers who book at least 7 weeks in advance save around 41% compared to booking last minute.
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to travel
Cheapest • 15% price drop
Most popular
Good to know
Good to know
+1
+1
Good to know
Good to know
+1
Start a new search
KAYAK searches 100s of sites at once to find you the best travel deals.
We hope you love your trip to Santa Barbara!
Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from Chicago to Santa Barbara (ORD-SBA)

 
Here are some of the best deals found on KAYAK recently from the most popular airlines for round-trip flights from Chicago 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 Chicago to Santa Barbara

Wed, May 20 - Sat, May 30
Delta Logo
7:45 am - 11:55 am
ORD
-
SBA
6h 10m
1 stop
Delta Logo
12:35 pm - 9:50 pm
SBA
-
ORD
7h 15m
1 stop
$283Delta
Wed, May 20 - Sat, May 30
Delta Logo
11:09 am - 9:50 pm
ORD
-
SBA
12h 41m
2 stops
Delta Logo
12:35 pm - 9:50 pm
SBA
-
ORD
7h 15m
1 stop
$288Delta
Wed, May 20 - Sat, May 30
Alaska Airlines Logo
2:10 pm - 11:55 pm
ORD
-
SBA
11h 45m
1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
4:01 pm - 11:55 pm
SBA
-
ORD
5h 54m
1 stop
$303Alaska Airlines
Sat, May 9 - Sat, May 30
Delta Logo
10:15 am - 3:59 pm
ORD
-
SBA
7h 44m
2 stops
Delta Logo
12:35 pm - 9:50 pm
SBA
-
ORD
7h 15m
1 stop
$308Delta
Sat, May 2 - Sat, May 9
Delta Logo
8:50 am - 4:13 pm
ORD
-
SBA
9h 23m
2 stops
Delta Logo
5:50 am - 8:14 pm
SBA
-
ORD
12h 24m
2 stops
$313Delta
Fri, May 29 - Tue, Jun 2
Alaska Airlines Logo
7:59 pm - 3:17 pm
ORD
-
SBA
21h 18m
1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
4:01 pm - 1:14 pm
SBA
-
ORD
19h 13m
1 stop
$315Alaska Airlines
Fri, May 29 - Tue, Jun 2
Delta Logo
11:26 am - 9:50 pm
ORD
-
SBA
12h 24m
2 stops
Delta Logo
12:35 pm - 9:50 pm
SBA
-
ORD
7h 15m
1 stop
$320Delta
Tue, Apr 28 - Wed, Apr 29
Alaska Airlines Logo
8:50 am - 2:16 pm
ORD
-
SBA
7h 26m
1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 7:03 pm
SBA
-
ORD
11h 03m
1 stop
$323Alaska Airlines
Fri, May 1 - Wed, May 6
Alaska Airlines Logo
7:59 pm - 2:16 pm
ORD
-
SBA
20h 17m
1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
2:53 pm - 1:13 pm
SBA
-
ORD
20h 20m
1 stop
$325Alaska Airlines
Sat, May 9 - Sat, May 30
Delta Logo
7:00 am - 3:59 pm
ORD
-
SBA
10h 59m
2 stops
Delta Logo
12:35 pm - 9:50 pm
SBA
-
ORD
7h 15m
1 stop
$328Delta
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Chicago to Santa Barbara flights

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

How much is a round-trip flight from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara?

This analysis is based on the cheapest round-trip price found on KAYAK in the last 12 months by searching for a flight from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara departing in May.

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

The average price of all round-trip flights from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

If your flying dates are flexible, you should consider flying to Santa Barbara on a Saturday, as we generally find the cheapest rates on that day for this route. On the other hand, Friday is the most expensive day to fly from Chicago to Santa Barbara. For your return ticket, we recommend flying on a Wednesday and avoiding Mondays for the best deals.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara, 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 Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara is April, where tickets cost $367 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are November and May, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $527 and $463 respectively.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara?

The average round-trip price for all non-stop flights, flights with one layover, and flights with two layovers for the route found by users searching on KAYAK in the last 2 weeks.

No, with an average price for the route of $399, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara, removes the top 0.1% to account for outliers, and then takes the average of all the values for each week.

To get a below average price on the flight from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara, you should book around 7 weeks before departure, which saves you about 41% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 14 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonJanuary
Cheapest flight$152
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 2% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 15% lower on average.
Flight from Chicago to Santa Barbara

When to book flights from Chicago to Santa Barbara

Are your dates flexible? Find out the best times to travel from Chicago to Santa Barbara 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 Chicago to Santa Barbara flights

  • What is the cheapest flight from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara was $152 for a one-way ticket and $283 for a round-trip.

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

    Even though you are not required to have a passport, keep in mind that an official ID is needed to board the airplane.

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

    The Boeing 737 MAX 8 is the aircraft model that flies most regularly on the Chicago to Santa Barbara flight route.

  • Which airline alliances offer flights from Chicago to Santa Barbara?

    SkyTeam, oneworld, and Star Alliance are the airline alliances operating flights between Chicago and Santa Barbara, with SkyTeam being the most commonly used for this route.

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

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

  • Which is the best airline for flights from Chicago to Santa Barbara, Delta or United Airlines?

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from Chicago to Santa Barbara are Delta and United Airlines. With an average price for the route of $378 and an overall rating of 7.9, Delta is the most popular choice. United Airlines is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $430 and an overall rating of 7.4.

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Chicago 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 Chicago to Santa Barbara.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Santa Barbara from Chicago 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 Chicago 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 Chicago with another airline. Booking your flights between Chicago and SBA 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 Chicago 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 Chicago up to 3 days before/after your preferred dates. You can then pick the flights that suit you best.

KAYAK’s top tips for finding a cheap flight from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found flights on this route for $303 or less one-way and $364 or less round-trip.

Prefer to fly direct from Chicago to Santa Barbara?

 
Direct data is based off flight results for the next 60 days. Find direct flights from all airlines flying direct from Chicago O'Hare Intl to Santa Barbara.
Find which airlines fly direct from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara Airport, which days they fly and book direct flights.

Direct departures

Chicago O'Hare Intl to Santa Barbara

Monday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Tuesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Wednesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Thursday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Friday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Saturday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Sunday

United Airlines

United Airlines

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Santa Barbara to Chicago O'Hare Intl

Monday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Tuesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Wednesday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Thursday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Friday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Saturday

United Airlines

United Airlines

Sunday

United Airlines

United Airlines

See more direct flights

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

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Chicago to Santa Barbara. 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 Chicago 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.
7.9
DeltaOverall score based on 8388 reviews
8.1Boarding
7.8Entertainment
7.9Comfort
8.5Crew
7.2Food
Airline reviews

Okay considering we had weather delays which the Pilot notified us of immediately!

8.0 ExcellentPaul A, Apr 2026
ORD - ATL
Read more Delta reviews

Okay considering we had weather delays which the Pilot notified us of immediately!

Generally on time departures and arrivals, clean planes, sky miles membership provides great benefits (complimentary upgrades, etc).

The boarding was organized and informative but the plane was tight meaning that you were sitting on one another and extremely uncomfortable. It’s disappointing that can’t have common seating comfort on the plane.

Everything could have benn better. Short fly, no food, no entertainment and no wifi.

my mom urmila patel needed a wheelchair which was not available on the curbside. she needed to walk almost 50 meters inside (at the risk of falling) and then had to wait in line to get a wheelchair (this is not ok). Once obtained she had to seat in it for 30-45 minutes for someone to take her in thru the checkin process (which was fairly smooth and easy). the lady who helped her with her checkin process was very courteous and helpful

Staff at the check-in counter were friendly, happy and helpful. They tagged our bags and sent us to “bag drop off” but were not very clear about where that was. The airport was busy we headed off in what we thought was the right direction until a gentleman waved us down and actually came after us. He was the baggage handler for Delta and recognized our “deer in the headlights “ look-he brought us to the right area (which was marked as the Southwest Airlines Drop Off) and sent us on our way. Wonderful guy, low key and working with a big smile on his face. Loved it. Loved him.

Arlene was a great flight attendant. I also liked how one of the other flight attendants gave us a heads up about snacks and asked everyone to remove their headphones when it was their turn to order. Good idea.

I haven’t flown economy in over 20 years but it was not bad. Room by my feet for my bag and seat was roomy enough. Surprised in a good way.

The cabin temperature was nice and cool. The wifi was not working.

As previously noted, this flight was great: departure was timely, the crew was friendly and attentive, and wifi connectivity was seamless. In particular, I appreciated that the flight attendant just told me to stow the laptop right before takeoff/landing, and trusted me to do so (which I did!).

No meal service to the back of the plane as it started late or was too slow to get it out before it was time to land.

Terrible, if possible won't be flying again anytime soon!

Efficient boarding and early departure. Very smooth flight. Early arrival in ATL. Great flight.

Smooth and easy boarding, comfortable for the entire 5 hour flight, and the seat back entertainment was great! I appreciated all the features, from location info and maps, movies, the ability to connect with Bluetooth headphones, and good selection of movies. Food was good, normal airline snacks (I didn’t purchase anything)

Awful. No counter attendants. No dinner offered due to delays.

This trip did not start off well. The inbound flight was delayed about 20 minutes. Then, after initial onboarding, the passengers had to deplane due to a mechanical problem. That took about 30 minutes to fix and be cleared. Then, reboarding was chaotic. It took a long time to sort passengers and two passengers on standby were ticketed but there was no seat. So, they had to deplane. One of the flight crew was trying to help passengers figure out a place to put their carry-on bags and that took more time. In the end, our scheduled 10:30 am departure did not actually take off until about 12:05 pm CST. The flight itself was long but we got to Houston. Some passengers missed their connecting flights and had to rebook. Not the best of flights I've had.

We were delayed for about an hour from taking off due to traffic control procedures at the destination airport. But once in the air, the flight went well. The crew members were great and provided cabin service despite moderate turbulence during much of the flight.

Short flight, but no drink/snack service. The flights both going and coming were delayed.

Not being stranded in Chicago for her airport to 11:30 tomorrow morning the 3rd

I was fully checked in the prior night and i was unchecked and then didn’t have a seat when I boarded. Instead of an aisle seat, I was out in the middle seat of the very last row of the plane.

Delays experienced in boarding/take off due to incoming plane delayed. However, the boarding time/depart time in the app was significantly delayed in providing these updates. Usually not updated until an hour after we should have already boarded. Poorly managed.

Moved to earlier flight which unexpectedly had maintenance issues initially indicated as quick fix to ultimately plane changes. Moved back to original flight, also delayed. In all cases customer updates and communication very unclear, no updates on drivers for delays.

Typical AA - late by 90+ mn. Gate changed twice... Changed the departure time 6 times No explanation, no communication on reasons for delay I travel with AA twice a year... and it is consistently very poor.. I will continue to use AA only when i have to.

The gate got changed several times and the flight was delayed over an hour. Awful experience

American continues to decline in their customer service and its beyond disappointing.

It was an older plane. First Class was not especially roomy or comfortable. It was a short flight so there were no meal but they did offer mixed nuts which used to be normal but now is rare. Crew member was very polite and professional.

Flight to Tampa was delayed taking off due to plane arriving late but no other issues

As previously stated the delay I experienced flying from Wichita to Chicago caused a host of issues. When I finally was able to be booked on the last remaining American flight from Chicago to Cincinnati, the gate changed four times with the last change occurring very near the scheduled boarding time. While I didn't have a problem moving from gate to gate, I did notice and make note of others that had mobility issues and had to move each time for the gate change.

Maintenance took a very long time and then we were in a holding pattern. While a one-off maintenance issue is standard, there were delays on both of my flights for this trip based on maintenance issues with the planes, which delayed both flights over 45 minutes. Thankfully, I didn't have any connections but it wasn't an experience that would make me pick AA if I have other options.

No Snacks or Entertainment. The flight was short, snacks should still be given.

Everything you need to know for your flight from Chicago to Santa Barbara

Information on your arrival and departure airports