$180 Find Cheap Flights from Santa Barbara to Houston - 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 Santa Barbara to Houston departing on 8/19. 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
$366
United Airlines
Fri 9/11Mon 9/14
SBA - IAH • 1 stop
Cheapest one-way
$180
Overall average: $446
United Airlines
Wed 8/19
SBA - IAH • 1 stop
Top airlines
Cheapest • from $366 (round-trip)
Best reviews • 7.4 score
Airline reviews
Airline reviews
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Airline reviews
Airline reviews
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Flight Deals

Cheap Flights from Santa Barbara to Houston (SBA-HOU)

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

Fri, Sep 11 - Mon, Sep 14
United Airlines Logo
2:01 pm - 10:45 pm
SBA
-
IAH
6h 44m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
6:05 pm - 10:45 pm
IAH
-
SBA
6h 40m
1 stop
$366United Airlines
Sat, Aug 29 - Mon, Aug 31
American Airlines Logo
12:20 pm - 7:51 pm
SBA
-
HOU
5h 31m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
5:41 am - 11:30 am
HOU
-
SBA
7h 49m
1 stop
$369American Airlines
Thu, Oct 22 - Sat, Oct 24
American Airlines Logo
6:10 am - 1:31 pm
SBA
-
IAH
5h 21m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
5:00 am - 11:45 am
IAH
-
SBA
8h 45m
1 stop
$369American Airlines
Sat, Aug 29 - Mon, Aug 31
American Airlines Logo
6:33 am - 2:35 pm
SBA
-
IAH
6h 02m
1 stop
American Airlines Logo
7:00 am - 11:30 am
IAH
-
SBA
6h 30m
1 stop
$369American Airlines
Fri, Sep 11 - Mon, Sep 14
Southwest Logo
4:40 pm - 1:20 am
SBA
-
HOU
6h 40m
1 stop
Southwest Logo
6:15 am - 11:55 am
HOU
-
SBA
7h 40m
1 stop
$371Southwest
Sat, Aug 29 - Mon, Aug 31
Southwest Logo
7:10 am - 4:50 pm
SBA
-
HOU
7h 40m
2 stops
Southwest Logo
6:05 pm - 10:10 pm
HOU
-
SBA
6h 05m
1 stop
$374Southwest
Thu, Oct 22 - Sat, Oct 24
Southwest Logo
3:25 pm - 1:35 am
SBA
-
HOU
8h 10m
1 stop
Southwest Logo
5:15 pm - 9:50 pm
HOU
-
SBA
6h 35m
1 stop
$374Southwest
Fri, Sep 4 - Mon, Sep 7
United Airlines Logo
2:01 pm - 10:45 pm
SBA
-
IAH
6h 44m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
7:20 am - 11:57 am
IAH
-
SBA
6h 37m
1 stop
$405United Airlines
Fri, Aug 28 - Wed, Sep 2
United Airlines Logo
2:01 pm - 10:45 pm
SBA
-
IAH
6h 44m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
7:20 am - 11:58 am
IAH
-
SBA
6h 38m
1 stop
$405United Airlines
Fri, Aug 28 - Tue, Sep 1
United Airlines Logo
2:01 pm - 10:45 pm
SBA
-
IAH
6h 44m
1 stop
United Airlines Logo
12:40 pm - 5:45 pm
IAH
-
SBA
7h 05m
1 stop
$405United Airlines
Booking Insights

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

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

What is the cheapest month to fly from Santa Barbara to Houston?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Santa Barbara to Houston, 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 Houston is August, where tickets cost $0 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are September and March, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $804 and $629 respectively.

Good to know

Cheapest flight

$180
Flight from Santa Barbara to Houston George Bush Airport

When to book flights from Santa Barbara to Houston

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

  • What is the cheapest flight from Santa Barbara to Houston?

    In the last 5 days, the lowest price for a flight from Santa Barbara to Houston was $180 for a one-way ticket and $366 for a round-trip.

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

    Yes

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

    We unfortunately don’t have that data for this specific route.

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

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

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

    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 Houston.

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

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

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

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

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

Reviews of the top airlines flying from Santa Barbara to Houston

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Santa Barbara to Houston. 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 Houston? 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.
7.4
United AirlinesOverall score based on 10061 reviews
8.1Crew
6.6Food
7.1Entertainment
7.3Comfort
7.7Boarding
Airline reviews

Boarded from a very small gate at LAX. Staff at gate had us line up, then waited 25 minutes to board without a word of explanation. Plane arrived on time then waited 20 minutes for a plane to vacate our gate. Majority of bags arrived after 15 minutes but it took an hour for a small number of remaining bags to be off-loaded despite my “priority” bag tag.

2.0 MediocreMichael, Jul 2026
LAX - IAH
Read more United Airlines reviews

Boarded from a very small gate at LAX. Staff at gate had us line up, then waited 25 minutes to board without a word of explanation. Plane arrived on time then waited 20 minutes for a plane to vacate our gate. Majority of bags arrived after 15 minutes but it took an hour for a small number of remaining bags to be off-loaded despite my “priority” bag tag.

The boarding process on the departure from LA was rather slow even though I was in Group 1. For first class, I was not expecting to have to pay for Wi-fi but I did and then the wi-fi was spotty. The entree was surprisingly good and so that was a pleasant surprise. However, once I got to Houston, it was terrible. Unfortunately there was bad weather but the constant gate changes for my connecting flight was difficult to manage due to having to navigate back and forth between different terminals.

No screens or meal options. Freezing cold. Dirty seats. Left late.

Boarding was again a "free for all". We were boarding group 4, and almost the entire plane was able to board before us. It's a shame that someone who follows the rules, gets the short end of the stick. Not fair.

My flight was canceled a few hours before boarding. I was rebooked on Copa airlines and missed an important meeting .

Complimentary light meal would be appreciated. But great flight crew service on all legs

I boarded flight UA#1318 at Sacramento International Airport going back to Houston TX. The flight was scheduled at 5:10am. I was able to check in virtually using the United Airlines app. When I entered the airport, there was no one outside assisting with checked bags as it was for Delta Airlines. Immediately upon entering, there was a LONG, EXTREMELY LONG line to the kiosks to get boarding passes. I stand in line to get boarding passes then had to move to ANOTHER EXTREMELY LONG line to get my bags checked in. While standing in this line, we noticed an agent taking customers to 3 at a time to her station to check their bags in. Lucky for me, she called me back, checked my bags for me and I was on my way. I then encountered another long line at the TSA check and to avoid I ending up having to sign up for CLEAR to bypass it. So glad, I did.,...Both of my flights were great with no issues, butthe check in progress at Bush Airport was so much smoother. Check-in at SMF airport needs to be anaylzed and corrected. Do better United, I know you can....thanks

I was in first class. The outlets at my seat did not work. The plane was shabby and run down. I had prepurchsed a day subscription for internet that was not redeemable. I had to repurchase the internet for my flight and then it didn’t work anyway. Quite disappointed in what was supposed to be the launch of a great vacation.

United sent me a mileage plus number last year but that number is invalid so I can’t use it to check into flights or collect mileage. There is human to speak about the problem, only computers who keep asking me if I am using the correct email. It’s so frustrating and I cannot resolve it.

Due to one crew member not showing up to work, our flight was significantly delayed causing us to miss our connecting flight in Houston to Mississippi causing us to be delayed by more than 6 hours and missing our event all together. Very disappointing. All because ONE crew member called in sick. United did grant us a $15 meal voucher, which was a small but appreciated concession that I wasn’t able to use because I ordered my lunch and paid for it before applying the concession, and the staff said it was too late to use it. Ugh! We also had a TWO delay coming back from Mississippi, but that was on American Airlines and it was due to weather, so not their fault. Anyway, not at all impressed with United’s handling of our flight and the HUGE disappointment of missing our important family event for our 90 year old mother. All that money and all that stress and emotions for nothing. Having to wait the hour to bring an employee from LAX seemed like something that should not have happened. Why don’t you have a local back-up? Santa Ana is not a little airport in a rural area.

Flight attendant made the flight very enjoyable. He was courteous and gave great care to the passengers

Not good. Flight crew, was not friendly and just shoved stuff at us. Not the way I like to travel.

The plane was very creaky and lots of ringing. Plane was dirty and dingy. I couldn't hear the captain's announcements from the flight deck. Not sure if it was the captain or the audio equipment, but good thing there wasn't an emergency where we needed clear instructions. The overhead compartments were clearly full, but the flight crew allowed people to stand in the back with their carry on luggage. Then after everyone boarded, they had to go to the front to gate check their luggage because there was no room for their bags and then they returned to their seats...such a waste of time when clearly the overhead compartments were full when they originally boarded.

Terrible planning. And even worse gate agents. Absolutely rude behavior.

I booked an aisle seat and was given a middle. At 6'4" 230lbs, it is not ideal to fly in the middle row for myself and passengers.

The flight was smooth, the pilot kept us informed about delays and we arrived more of less on time

Awful. We had an 8 hour mechanical delay- no vouchers and no kind/courtesy/professional representatives in the entire airport. Not only was it a terrible experience for both my 7 year old and myself, I still have not heard back from American about how they’re going to correct it- I’ve sent 2 or 3 emails about our experience- which was just awful. Not to mention according to national traveling laws, we should be reimbursed… but of course they’re not responding.

Overall it was good but not great. The aircraft was an old and seats didn’t recline in business class unless you kept playing around with it.

The plane was subbed for another last minute, the gate was changed last minute. Could live with that but we boarded and there was a delay which totaled an hour in the end. There was a technical issue which meant wheels needed to remain out for ten mins after take off. My USB phone charger was broken as was the headphone jack which meant I could t enjoy the IFE and could use my phone after a few hours. Even the map function on the plane failed to work after a few hours.

The flight was delayed and we were told the airplane is on its way to the gate from the hangar. We were told this for 2 hours and the flight was continually delayed in ~30 minute increments. Then we ended up having a new airplane. The issue wasn’t clearly communicated and it left everyone feeling confused about when we would actually be leaving. Whenever they communicated a new boarding time it felt arbitrary and random. The boarding process was a mess and disorganized, which made it last longer than necessary. Landing was rough. Seats were uncomfortable.

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports