$170 Find Cheap Flights from Chicago to Santa Barbara - Compare and Save

Among airlines operating Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara flights:

• United Airlines: offers extra legroom; offers free seat selection

Extra legroom and free seat selection availability depends on fare class and route.

Only United Airlines operates flights between Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport and Santa Barbara.

Flights from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara usually depart from Chicago O'Hare Intl (ORD) and arrive at Santa Barbara (SBA).

Here are some options for this route, based on selected ticket types and cabin classes:

• United Airlines: a cabin bag and a checked bag in Economy Class

Bag allowance can vary by ticket type, cabin class, route and airline, so travelers should check the fare details before booking.

Four cabin classes are available on flights from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara:

• Economy Class
• Premium Economy Class
• Business Class
• First Class

Prices vary by airline.

On this route, layover flights are cheaper than nonstop options on average. Layover fares average $336 round-trip via Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW), compared to $443 for nonstop.

There is no standard. Checked-bag policies vary by airline on this route. Most carriers charge $40–$80 for the first checked bag in economy. Premium fares and elite-status bookings typically include a free checked bag.

The Boeing 737 MAX 8 family is used most often on this route, operated mainly by United Airlines. Other aircraft seen on the route include Boeing 737-700 variants.

One-stop flights from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara most commonly connect through:

• Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl (PHX) - 43% of one-stop connections
• San Francisco (SFO) - 15% of one-stop connections
• Denver Intl (DEN) - 13% of one-stop connections
• San Diego (SAN) - 9% of one-stop connections

Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl (PHX) handles the largest share of one-stop connections on this route.

On the Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara route, being flexible with your departure day can save you up to 22%. Saturday is the cheapest day at $399 round-trip on average, while Sunday is the most expensive at $509: a $110 difference. Cheaper weekend fares like these are typical of routes dominated by weekday business travel.

Morning is the busiest departure period on Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara flights, with 100% of flights leaving in that window. Afternoon departures account for 0%, evening flights for 0%, and night flights for 0%.

These are the earliest and latest flight times available from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara:

• Earliest: departs at 8:49 am and lands at 1:35 pm
• Latest: departs at 10:26 am and lands at 3:12 pm.

The flight takes about 4h 46m.

Last-minute fares on this route - booked within 2 weeks of departure - run 26% above the route average of $433. Book 18 weeks before departure for the lowest fares.

A nonstop flight from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara takes 4h 46m, covering 1,798 miles.

No, a passport is not required for this domestic route, but you will need a real ID-compliant driver's license, a state ID, or another TSA-accepted form of identification.

Yes. Based on fares seen in the past 5 days, round-trip prices on this route showed a wide range, from about $339 to $2,316. That means the highest observed fare was about 7x higher than the lowest one.

One-way fares from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara are currently lower than usual. Average one-way flight prices are about $242, which is 12% below the typical average for this route.

Flying via Denver Intl (DEN) gives the shortest average 1-stop total travel time at 6h 41m, compared with 6h 42m via Phoenix Sky Harbor Intl (PHX) and 6h 42m via Salt Lake City (SLC).

Santa Barbara is 2 hours behind Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport (Pacific Time vs Central Time). Plan for the time shift when scheduling connections or first-day activities.

Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) hosts 5 major car rental companies, with daily rates starting from around $26 for economy cars. Top options include:
• Budget
• Dollar
• Hertz
• Alamo
• Thrifty

Round-trip flights from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara range from $351 to $533, with an average of $433 over the past 12 months. Anything below $351 counts as a good deal.