SAN - SBA

$55 Find Cheap Flights from San Diego to Santa Barbara - Compare and Save

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from San Diego to Santa Barbara departing on 9/15. 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 San Diego 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 San Diego to Santa Barbara, as well as popular online travel agencies
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41,299,237 searches in the past 7 days on KAYAK

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Everything you should know

Cheapest round-trip
$97
Typical prices: $241-$257
Alaska Airlines
Thu 8/6Mon 8/10
SAN - SBA • Non-stop
Cheapest one-way
$55
Typical prices: $128-$203
Alaska Airlines
Tue 9/15
SAN - SBA • Non-stop
Top airlines
Cheapest • from $97 (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 Alaska Airlines and Southwest. Average duration is 1h 12m
Direct flights
Direct flights
+1
+1
Direct flights
Direct flights
+1
Top layover airports
Cheapest • Avg $287 (round-trip)
Shortest trip • 3h 17m (one-way)
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to travel
Cheapest • 100% 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 San Diego to Santa Barbara (SAN-SBA)

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

Thu, Aug 6 - Mon, Aug 10
Alaska Airlines Logo
12:49 pm - 2:02 pm
SAN
-
SBA
1h 13mnonstop
Alaska Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 7:04 am
SBA
-
SAN
1h 04mnonstop
$97Alaska Airlines
Thu, Aug 6 - Mon, Aug 10
Southwest Logo
10:55 am - 11:55 am
SAN
-
SBA
1h 00mnonstop
Southwest Logo
12:30 pm - 1:25 pm
SBA
-
SAN
0h 55mnonstop
$109Southwest
Tue, Aug 4 - Tue, Aug 11
Alaska Airlines Logo
12:49 pm - 2:02 pm
SAN
-
SBA
1h 13mnonstop
Alaska Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 7:04 am
SBA
-
SAN
1h 04mnonstop
$117Alaska Airlines
Thu, Aug 6 - Mon, Aug 10
Southwest Logo
10:55 am - 11:55 am
SAN
-
SBA
1h 00mnonstop
Southwest Logo
4:40 pm - 9:10 pm
SBA
-
SAN
4h 30m
1 stop
$119Southwest
Thu, Aug 6 - Mon, Aug 10
Southwest Logo
10:15 am - 4:00 pm
SAN
-
SBA
5h 45m
2 stops
Southwest Logo
12:30 pm - 1:25 pm
SBA
-
SAN
0h 55mnonstop
$124Southwest
Tue, Aug 4 - Tue, Aug 11
Southwest Logo
7:05 am - 12:55 pm
SAN
-
SBA
5h 50m
1 stop
Southwest Logo
10:55 am - 11:45 am
SBA
-
SAN
0h 50mnonstop
$127Southwest
Wed, Jul 22 - Wed, Jul 29
Southwest Logo
5:45 pm - 11:25 pm
SAN
-
SBA
5h 40m
1 stop
Southwest Logo
10:25 am - 3:15 pm
SBA
-
SAN
4h 50m
1 stop
$129Southwest
Tue, Aug 4 - Tue, Aug 11
Southwest Logo
1:45 pm - 9:20 pm
SAN
-
SBA
7h 35m
2 stops
Southwest Logo
10:55 am - 11:45 am
SBA
-
SAN
0h 50mnonstop
$132Southwest
Sat, Aug 1 - Tue, Aug 4
Alaska Airlines Logo
12:49 pm - 2:02 pm
SAN
-
SBA
1h 13mnonstop
Alaska Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 7:04 am
SBA
-
SAN
1h 04mnonstop
$133Alaska Airlines
Wed, Jul 15 - Wed, Jul 22
Southwest Logo
5:45 pm - 11:25 pm
SAN
-
SBA
5h 40m
1 stop
Southwest Logo
2:05 pm - 9:35 pm
SBA
-
SAN
7h 30m
1 stop
$134Southwest
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for San Diego to Santa Barbara flights

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from San Diego 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 San Diego 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 San Diego to Santa Barbara departing in August.

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

The average price of all round-trip flights from San Diego to Santa Barbara clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.

Your flight ticket price will generally be cheaper if you fly to Santa Barbara on a Friday and more expensive on a Saturday. On your return trip to San Diego, you should consider flying back on a Wednesday, and avoid Sundays for better deals.

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

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from San Diego 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 San Diego to Santa Barbara is January, where tickets cost $0 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and November, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $422 and $326 respectively.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from San Diego 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 $177, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

Good to know

Low seasonFebruary
Cheapest flight$55
Best time to beat the crowds with an average 35% drop in price.
Most popular time to fly and prices are also 20% lower on average.
Flight from San Diego to Santa Barbara

When to book flights from San Diego to Santa Barbara

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

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

    In the last 5 days, the lowest price for a flight from San Diego to Santa Barbara was $55 for a one-way ticket and $97 for a round-trip.

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

    A passport is not required to fly from San Diego to Santa Barbara.

  • Which airports will I be using when flying from San Diego to Santa Barbara?

    When flying out of San Diego you will be using San Diego. You will be landing at Santa Barbara, also known as Santa Barbara.

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

    Only Alaska Airlines offers inflight Wi-Fi service on the San Diego to Santa Barbara flight route.

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

    The Embraer 175 is the aircraft model that flies most regularly on the San Diego to Santa Barbara flight route.

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

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

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

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

  • Which is the best airline for flights from San Diego to Santa Barbara, Alaska Airlines or United Airlines?

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from San Diego to Santa Barbara are Alaska Airlines and United Airlines. With an average price for the route of $197 and an overall rating of 7.9, Alaska Airlines is the most popular choice. United Airlines is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $290 and an overall rating of 7.4.

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

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Santa Barbara from San Diego 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 San Diego 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 San Diego with another airline. Booking your flights between San Diego 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 San Diego 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 San Diego 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 San Diego to Santa Barbara

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found flights on this route for $113 or less one-way and $167 or less round-trip.

Prefer to fly direct from San Diego to Santa Barbara?

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

Direct departures

San Diego to Santa Barbara

Monday

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Tuesday

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Wednesday

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Thursday

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Friday

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Saturday

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Sunday

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

See more direct flights

Direct returns

Santa Barbara to San Diego

Monday

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Tuesday

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Wednesday

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Thursday

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Friday

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Saturday

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Sunday

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

Alaska Airlines,Southwest

See more direct flights

Reviews of the top airlines flying from San Diego to Santa Barbara

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from San Diego 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 San Diego 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
Alaska AirlinesOverall score based on 12554 reviews
7.8Comfort
7.0Entertainment
8.1Boarding
7.1Food
8.5Crew
Airline reviews

On time, good seats, not overly full, up beast positive crew.

10.0 ExcellentAnonymous, Jun 2026
SEA - SBA
Read more Alaska Airlines reviews

On time, good seats, not overly full, up beast positive crew.

My flight was several times rescheduled and then finally canceled.

Short trip, was nice to have a drink on the short flight still.

Flight got delayed like 5 times, then they put and ada passenger in the back of the plane.

Flight delayed no communication. The gate was changed so many times.

Alaska is by far the best airline to fly with 😍

More efficient with checking lines and boarding/checking bags when needed.

They were really helpful with every question and my kids had never been on a plane and the staff made them feel comfortable

I was on flight #3022 departed from San Diego, California to Medford, Oregon. I had Denise & Damaris as my flight attendants. I didn’t have much interaction with Damaris, but I did with Denise who had, this calm, cool collective voice when she spoke about the emergency exit plans before takeoff. I travel often and I’ve never met a flight attendant that can put you at ease. I felt she respects and takes pride in her position and more airlines need to adopt the integrity and respect that she has for Alaska Airlines. Debbie

All airlines should board planes back to front, instead of catering to higher priced tickets. The boarding groups are inefficient and delay takeoff time

This was an overnight flight, and in the morning they did know coffee service. How you can throw passengers in a San Francisco airport at 5:40 a.m. in the morning and not giving them Coffee is a crime.

Our flight was delayed several Times due to mechanical issues. Although I understand this may happen at times, it was very inconvenient and we had to book a hotel for an overnight stay. We were traveling with my 3-yo grandson and waiting at the airport from noon until 6:30pm with no reassurance that our next rescheduled flight would depart, we had to decide what’s best for him. A day later, I found out that I may be able to demand compensation if my flight is delayed more than 4 hours. I will hav to read the fine print next time.

Service was professional and quick. Premium economy seat was comfortable given the class

Like: departed and arrived on time. Unlike: Food options for purchase allways bad, 1 of 2 of the crew members not very friendly at all. Seats and leg room aweful. At this point I am thinking on switching to AA.

The staff was extremely helpful and friendly at all times! They went above and beyond to get us into an earlier flight in San Diego to make our connection in SFO possible, because our original flight did actually not make it! I did so much appreciate the UA team and how they made this possible. We also didn’t have seats together on the long flight to Singapore, but they found us seats together last moment with no additional cost! Nobody sat next to us, so that we were able to sleep! Thanks to UA for improving their service and Underpricer for booking this trip! Please be careful: 1,5 hrs for transfer in San Francisco might not be enough time in the future

Over 2.5 hour maintenance delay on first morning flight with no acknowledgement, compensation or even gesture of good will. Aircraft had overnighted at airport so issue should have been addressed prior to boarding. Over 3.5 hours before first slow and deliberate beverage service.

Packed flight, which makes it tough on crew and boarding staff (and the customers of course). But this was great boarding, clear instructions, etc. Traveling on the weekends are always fraught with danger as you have families and less frequent flyers thus more confusion. But this flight went as planned.

Destroyed my suitcase. Tired of talking about it. Cancelling my unite mileage plus account.

New plane was lovely. Crew customer service is always lax but expected. Kraft on time and arrived safely.

Seat pitch is horrible especially on the 15 hour flight. Gate crew at SFO was Outstanding. The flight crew was also great.

Everything you need to know for your flight from San Diego to Santa Barbara

Information on your arrival and departure airports