SBA - ORD

$114 Find Cheap Flights from Santa Barbara to Chicago

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 Chicago departing on 4/14. 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 Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Santa Barbara to Chicago, 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 Chicago, as well as popular online travel agencies
Travelers love KAYAK
41.299.237 searches in the past 7 days on KAYAK

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

Everything you should know

Cheapest round-trip
$265
Overall average: $429
Alaska Airlines
Wed 4/22Sat 4/25
SBA - ORD • 1 stop
Cheapest non-stop
$329
United Airlines
Fri 4/10Mon 4/13
SBA - ORD • Non-stop
Top airlines
Cheapest • from $265 (round-trip)
Best reviews • 8.0 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 00m
Direct flights
Direct flights
+1
+1
Direct flights
Direct flights
+1
Top layover airports
Cheapest • Avg $361 (round-trip)
Shortest trip • 6h 16m (one-way)
Insights
Insights
Insights
Insights
When to travel
Cheapest • 28% 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 Chicago!
Flight Deals
Booking Insights
Flight Deals

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

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

Wed, Apr 22 - Sat, Apr 25
Alaska Airlines Logo
2:53 pm - 1:13 pm
SBA
-
ORD
20h 20m
1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
3:52 pm - 11:45 pm
ORD
-
SBA
9h 53m
1 stop
$265Alaska Airlines
Wed, Apr 22 - Fri, Apr 24
Alaska Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 7:03 pm
SBA
-
ORD
11h 03m
1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
8:48 pm - 6:19 pm
ORD
-
SBA
23h 31m
1 stop
$267Alaska Airlines
Wed, Apr 15 - Sat, Apr 18
Delta Logo
4:53 pm - 8:37 am
SBA
-
ORD
13h 44m
2 stops
Delta Logo
7:35 am - 11:59 am
ORD
-
SBA
6h 24m
1 stop
$270Delta
Wed, Apr 15 - Sat, Apr 18
Delta Logo
4:53 pm - 8:37 am
SBA
-
ORD
13h 44m
2 stops
Delta Logo
1:29 pm - 10:48 pm
ORD
-
SBA
11h 19m
2 stops
$275Delta
Wed, Apr 15 - Sat, Apr 18
Southwest Logo
5:30 am - 6:50 pm
SBA
-
ORD
11h 20m
2 stops
Southwest Logo
7:00 am - 5:35 pm
ORD
-
SBA
12h 35m
2 stops
$281Southwest
Wed, Apr 22 - Fri, Apr 24
Southwest Logo
5:30 am - 6:50 pm
SBA
-
ORD
11h 20m
2 stops
Southwest Logo
6:15 pm - 10:30 pm
ORD
-
SBA
6h 15m
1 stop
$285Southwest
Wed, Apr 22 - Fri, Apr 24
Southwest Logo
5:30 am - 6:50 pm
SBA
-
ORD
11h 20m
2 stops
Southwest Logo
4:15 pm - 11:25 pm
ORD
-
SBA
9h 10m
2 stops
$290Southwest
Fri, Apr 17 - Wed, Apr 22
Southwest Logo
6:20 am - 3:00 pm
SBA
-
ORD
6h 40m
1 stop
Southwest Logo
4:50 pm - 10:50 pm
ORD
-
SBA
8h 00m
1 stop
$291Southwest
Sat, Apr 18 - Wed, Apr 22
Delta Logo
5:45 am - 7:52 pm
SBA
-
ORD
12h 07m
2 stops
Delta Logo
7:35 am - 11:59 am
ORD
-
SBA
6h 24m
1 stop
$292Delta
Fri, May 1 - Sun, May 3
Southwest Logo
5:20 am - 1:55 pm
SBA
-
ORD
6h 35m
1 stop
Southwest Logo
4:50 pm - 12:05 am
ORD
-
SBA
9h 15m
1 stop
$295Southwest
Booking Insights

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

Get data-powered insights and trends into flights from Santa Barbara to Chicago 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 Chicago?

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

For Santa Barbara to Chicago, Wednesday is the cheapest day to fly on average and Tuesday is the most expensive. Flying from Chicago back to Santa Barbara, the best deals are generally found on Saturday, with Monday being the most expensive.

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

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Santa Barbara to Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport, 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 Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport is January, where tickets cost $316 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are December and August, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $592 and $502 respectively.

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

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.

Yes, flying with a layover may cost you more time, but you can also save money on the route, with a 1 stop layover the cheapest option at $384 on average.

Good to know

Low seasonMarch
Cheapest flight$114
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 12% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 14% increase in price.
Flight from Santa Barbara to Chicago

When to book flights from Santa Barbara to Chicago

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

  • How many flights are there between Santa Barbara and Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport per day?

    There is a maximum of 1 nonstop flight a day that takes off from Santa Barbara and lands in Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport, with an average flight time of 4h 00m. The most common departure time is 12:00 pm and most flights take off in the morning. Each week, there are 7 flights.

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

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from Santa Barbara to Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport was $114 for a one-way ticket and $265 for a round-trip.

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

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

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

    On your way to Chicago, you’ll fly out from Santa Barbara. You’ll be landing at Chicago O'Hare Intl.

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

    Only American Airlines offers inflight Wi-Fi service on the Santa Barbara to Chicago flight route.

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from Santa Barbara to Chicago are Southwest and United Airlines. With an average price for the route of $478 and an overall rating of 8.0, Southwest is the most popular choice. United Airlines is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $420 and an overall rating of 7.4.

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

    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 Chicago.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight to Chicago 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 Chicago?

    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 Chicago with an airline and back to Santa Barbara with another airline. Booking your flights between Santa Barbara and ORD 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 Chicago?

    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 Chicago from Santa Barbara 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 Santa Barbara to Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found flights on this route for $158 or less one-way and $328 or less round-trip.

Prefer to fly direct from Santa Barbara to Chicago?

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

Direct departures

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

Direct returns

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

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

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Santa Barbara to Chicago. 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 Chicago? 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
SouthwestOverall score based on 4324 reviews
8.0Comfort
7.5Entertainment
8.1Boarding
8.6Crew
7.0Food
Airline reviews

Boarding was easy. The seats are small and fairly uncomfortable

8.0 ExcellentNicole, Mar 2026
LGB - OAK
Read more Southwest reviews

Boarding was easy. The seats are small and fairly uncomfortable

The problem with the seat assignments is that there were a lot of rows in the front that were empty but my row at the back was full. Just not so pleasant.

Good but I prefer choose your own seat. With the new assigned seats they should board from the back I see no advantage to this new boarding. Just like every other airline

WiFi was not working and didn’t have a beverage service

Flight boarded late after announcing on time boarding. Flight arrived only a little late despite late departure. Had trouble connecting to WiFi

The Southwest experience has definitely taken a dive from its early days. You can no longer deferentiate from other airlines. Air travel is too expensive. Southwest is no longer budget friendly. They have lost me as a loyal customer.

The charges were ridiculous for an hour flight and the turbulence was very scary.

The seats are now more narrow. I paid for front row the seats in the front are even more narrow than before.

The wifi on the plane is great. The only issue that I have is that I prefer an aisle seat and on my trips this week, I was either in the middle or window. If we can work to secure aisle seating, I will be thrilled. Nice trip.

All good except once again bags took an hour at Midway Airport Happens all the time. Ridiculous

Economy plus was so cramped I could not use my laptop. It was beyond bad.

Wonderful. Quick boarding. Early departure and we arrived 30 minutes early at our destination. Unfortunately, when you arrive early, there is still a departing aircraft at our gate. We had to park for 30 minutes until the gate was clear. So our early arrival was not really early at the gate. Otherwise it was a quick and smooth flight. Appreciated the efficiency.

Crew was great (professional, attentive, prompt). Snacks for 4 hrs flight is deplorable.

United Airlines is my preferred airlines and I am thankful for Gary who also help support me on the phone to switch my flight literally last min.

Seated dude next to me even though lots of empty rows. But main thing was we sat on the tarmac after landing for 30 minutes because of, in the words of the dude who sat next to me, “operational incompetence”. We got changing directions about where to pick up gate checked bags. Pilot and flight attendant were awesome though.

It was a pretty standard flight... until the almost hour and a half spent on the taxi way. I get that the weather has been poor but the delay had nothing to do with the weather and more to do with a plane with several issues tying up the gate. I get that that happens from time to time but this has been EVERY flight I've been on for the past 5 years and I fly 3 to 5 times a year. This isn't just United... it's American, it's Delta. It's an issue with the entire industry. I work for UPS and packages on a cargo plane get better service than people do these days. Anymore I HATE flying.

Perfect flight. Smooth flight. Arrived 20 minutes early at destination. Excellent service.

The flights were on time which was great give. It was holiday travel season and there’d been some weather issues. The only complaint and this is every time with United is the terrible seat design. The head rest is not built for comfort and having my neck bent forward for a cross country trip reminded me while I try not to take United flights as a rule.

Everything was absolutely wonderful from check in to baggage claim. Staff was very professional and sweet. Will definitely recommend United to family and friends.

They did the one thing that really matters - got to Chicago early.

Jill was the flight attendant in first class she was fabulous!! Best flight attendant I have had in years.!! And I fly every other week. Other can learn from her!!

As a first class customer, there was no power the entire flight which limited my ability to work. I find this unacceptable. The first 11 rows on the left side of the plan were out. I was only offered the option to charge my phone which was not the issue because my laptop was out of power. I asked if there was anything that can be done for me, and the answer was, "no". I was not offered any type of compensation for this AA problem which caused me unnecessary stress due to inability to address business issues on an already challenging travel day. Flight attendants tried to reset the power once but that was the extent of their support. Very disappointing for the lack of expected services on a flight. Please contact me with customer focused response to this complaint.

There was no inflight service. Once we landed we were delayed to find a gate for an hour and a half which was 1/2 the total time in the air.

The chicken wrap was tiny ($13 for what looked like a 1/3 of a normal wrap?) and disgusting.

It was good experience this time. The flight was on time.

There was a delay with the plan which cause the flight to leave later and once arrived in Chicago there was another delay and some passengers missed their connecting flights

The gate agent had a really bad attitude and refused to help me get on the standby list. She just handed me a card and said I needed to call a number. I asked her to help with the AA app on my phone and she just shrugged and said she didnt know. After a few phone calls, I eventually just went to a different gate agent on the other side of the terminal and got the help I needed.

Overall, my last three trips on American Airlines have all been either delayed or "rescheduled" due to mechanical issues. At least on delay caused me to miss two possible connecting flights each later than the first. My last option for my last connection required the assistance of the onsite service desk (O'Hare Airport). The wait time for the service desk was such that it jeopardized getting booked on the last connecting flight available for the night. Suffice it to say, my latest experiences with American Airlines have caused me extensive loss of productive business and personal time and can therefore be classified as significantly less than satisfactory.

Waiting for gate in RDU for more than 20mins is crazy.

American Airlines was great and worked very hard to change my ticket so I could get an earlier, direct flight back to Dallas. However, I was informed that Kayak made mistakes with my itinerary and classified my ticket as desiring to be on the earlier flight instead of taking the necessary step of calling AA to get me on the standby list. This ended up keeping me from being added to the standby list and delayed me getting home by 6 hours. I am happy to discuss this further with Kayak so they can correct their procedures so this won't happen again.

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports