$49 Find Cheap Flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco Bay Area

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 San Francisco Bay Area departing on 10/20. 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

KAYAK searches hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to San Francisco Bay Area

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Santa Barbara to San Francisco Bay Area, 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 San Francisco Bay Area, as well as popular online travel agencies
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Cheap Flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco Bay Area

Cheapest round-trip prices found by our users on KAYAK in the last 72 hours
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$144
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$251
San Francisco
San Francisco1 stop$144
San Jose
San Jose1 stop$251

Book Cheap Santa Barbara to San Francisco Bay Area Plane Tickets

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

Sat, Nov 8 - Mon, Nov 10
Southwest Logo
11:05 am - 12:20 pmSBA-OAK
1h 15mnonstop
Southwest Logo
12:30 pm - 1:40 pmOAK-SBA
1h 10mnonstop
$97Southwest
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Thu, Oct 23 - Mon, Oct 27
Southwest Logo
4:55 pm - 10:55 pmSBA-OAK
6h 00m1 stop
Southwest Logo
1:10 pm - 2:20 pmOAK-SBA
1h 10mnonstop
$107Southwest
Find Deal
Thu, Oct 23 - Mon, Oct 27
Southwest Logo
4:55 pm - 11:45 pmSBA-OAK
6h 50m2 stops
Southwest Logo
1:10 pm - 2:20 pmOAK-SBA
1h 10mnonstop
$112Southwest
Find Deal
Thu, Oct 23 - Mon, Oct 27
Southwest Logo
4:55 pm - 11:45 pmSBA-OAK
6h 50m2 stops
Southwest Logo
6:30 am - 10:35 amOAK-SBA
4h 05m1 stop
$122Southwest
Find Deal
Fri, Oct 31 - Mon, Nov 3
United Airlines Logo
2:30 pm - 5:38 pmSBA-SFO
3h 08m1 stop
United Airlines Logo
10:47 am - 12:01 pmSFO-SBA
1h 14mnonstop
$144United Airlines
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Thu, Dec 11 - Thu, Dec 11
United Airlines Logo
6:00 am - 7:12 amSBA-SFO
1h 12mnonstop
United Airlines Logo
9:17 pm - 10:30 pmSFO-SBA
1h 13mnonstop
$157United Airlines
Find Deal
Tue, Oct 14 - Tue, Oct 21
Alaska Airlines Logo
7:40 pm - 1:36 pmSBA-STS
17h 56m1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
2:30 pm - 6:41 pmSTS-SBA
28h 11m1 stop
$262Alaska Airlines
Find Deal
Tue, Nov 4 - Mon, Nov 10
Alaska Airlines Logo
7:23 am - 8:54 amSBA-OAK
25h 31m1 stop
Alaska Airlines Logo
7:12 pm - 7:52 pmOAK-SBA
24h 40m1 stop
$302Alaska Airlines
Find Deal
Thu, Oct 9 - Mon, Oct 13
American Airlines Logo
6:05 am - 12:21 pmSBA-STS
6h 16m1 stop
American Airlines Logo
12:31 pm - 9:59 pmSTS-SBA
9h 28m2 stops
$1,269American Airlines
Find Deal
Thu, Oct 9 - Mon, Oct 13
American Airlines Logo
4:45 pm - 12:01 pmSBA-STS
19h 16m2 stops
American Airlines Logo
12:31 pm - 9:59 pmSTS-SBA
9h 28m2 stops
$1,333American Airlines
Find Deal
Booking Insights

KAYAK's insights & trends for Santa Barbara to San Francisco Bay Area flights

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

What is the cheapest Santa Barbara to San Francisco Bay Area flight route?

Data is based on round-trip flight searches on KAYAK over the past month.

The cheapest ticket to San Francisco Bay Area from Santa Barbara found in the last 72 hours was to San Francisco, at $137 round-trip. The most popular route is from Santa Barbara (SBA) to San Francisco (SFO), and the cheapest round-trip airline ticket found on this route in the last 72 hours was $137.

Can I save money by flying with a layover from Santa Barbara to San Francisco Bay Area?

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 $322, prices are generally cheapest when you fly direct.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Santa Barbara to San Francisco Bay Area?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco Bay Area, 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 San Francisco Bay Area is September, when tickets cost $309 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are July and February, when the average cost of round-trip tickets is $450 and $432 respectively.

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from Santa Barbara to San Francisco Bay Area?

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

If you are looking for a flight deal from Santa Barbara to San Francisco Bay Area, look for departures on Fridays and avoid leaving on a Sunday, as it's usually the priciest day. When flying back from San Francisco Bay Area, Wednesday is the cheapest day to fly and Friday is the most expensive.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Santa Barbara to San Francisco Bay Area?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco Bay Area, 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 Santa Barbara to San Francisco Bay Area, you should book around 4 weeks before departure, which saves you about 50% compared to booking last minute. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 15 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low seasonJuly
Cheapest flight$49
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 7% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 6% increase in price.
Flight from Santa Barbara to San Francisco

FAQs - booking San Francisco Bay Area flights

  • How does KAYAK find such low prices on flights from Santa Barbara to San Francisco Bay Area?

    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 San Francisco Bay Area.

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

    KAYAK’s flight Price Forecast tool uses historical data to determine whether the price for a flight from Santa Barbara to San Francisco Bay Area 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 San Francisco Bay Area?

    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 from Santa Barbara to San Francisco Bay Area with an airline and back with another airline.

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

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

  • What is the cheapest time of day to fly to San Francisco Bay Area?

    The cheapest time of day to fly to San Francisco Bay Area is generally in the evening, when round-trip flights cost $402 on average. Morning departures are around 24% more expensive than evening flights, on average. The most expensive time of day to fly to San Francisco Bay Area is generally in the morning, which is peak travel time and where the average cost of a ticket is $497.

Top tips for finding cheap flights to San Francisco Bay Area

  • Looking for a cheap flight? 25% of our users found tickets from Santa Barbara to the following destinations at these prices or less: Oakland $169 one-way - $151 round-trip; San Francisco $129 one-way - $250 round-trip

Reviews of the top airlines flying from Santa Barbara to San Francisco Bay Area

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Santa Barbara to San Francisco Bay Area. 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 San Francisco Bay Area? 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 4242 reviews
7.5Entertainment
7.0Food
8.0Comfort
8.6Crew
8.1Boarding
Airline reviews

Very smooth checking in our luggage with a super pleasant SW agent. I enjoyed a fun entertaining movie.

10.0 ExcellentGordon, Jul 2025GEG - OAK
Read more Southwest reviews

Very smooth checking in our luggage with a super pleasant SW agent. I enjoyed a fun entertaining movie.

First time traveling on Southwest since bag fees were implemented. Usual good service. Just more expensive now.

It was a perfect flight in all aspects! Both legs!

Boarding process, crew were good. But the seats were so uncomfortable that was all I could focus on. I literally had to sit forward so that all 3 of us could fit in row. I will try to avoid Southwest in the future for any flights over 60 minutes.

Great flight, 47 passengers on a 180 seat plane. Stewardess was pleasant and cheerful.

Great experience flying Southwest. The crew was really kind and helpful, and very friendly with our toddler.

Plane late from DC to Austin 30 minutes. Crew made up much of the time enroute to San Diego.

Fine, but how to board on SW versus othrr airlines, is just lame. Goood staff though and all was solid otherwise.

Was as expected. Crowed planes. Too many carryons delaying takeoff. But the ride only took an hour and saved me a lot of time SFO is a not a great airport.

I will be flying again Southwest Airlines. Friendly crew, comfortable and affordable.

The flight was comfortable with the exit row and great service

Plane was crowded and even when we hit altitude, the plane was hot, not enough air flow.

1. when we went to check in, our 2 first class seats had been CANCELED and the flight was sold out. This was done without our prior knowledge. It was all we could do to restore one first class seat for my wife and I flew economy. 2, Our flight home was scheduled to leave at 10:30 pm. Due to tsunami warnings, the roads were closed and our flight status was uncertain as to whether it would leave as scheduled. It was announced that it would now leave at 11:20 pm and the roads were now open since the tsunami had come and gone. We made a mad dash to the airport and checked in. Delays were announced at 12:30 pm, 1:30 am, 2:30 am and at 3:30 am it was canceled. Since this was a flight due to natural (tsunami) causes, there was no compensation. We were told to return at 1:00 pm the next day and our baggage would be kept on the plane since the same plane was going to leave at 1:00 pm. We had to return to our hotel for the rest of the night. The same plane did not leave at 1:00 pm and our baggage was gone! All in all, it was a miserable performance by UA. Information was hard to obtain and no one knew what was going on and what was going to happen. Hundreds of passengers slept on the floor, chairs, etc. No food and no water was made available to the passengers. It was a situation where UA could care less what was going on. As a one million mile flyer, I had not experienced anything like this before and it was hugely disappointing!

Boarded plane and then delayed 1.5 hours while on the plane

Horrific. They missed my connecting flight to San Diego. I didn’t get there until Monday at 9am when I had a mandatory court settlement conference scheduled at 6am since we had parties on the east coast. This caused many issues. All because United apparently forgot to hold the doors open until my flight landed that only had a 10 minute delay. This was the last flight to Southern California. So I couldn’t even rent a car to finish the trip. United cannot be trusted when traveling on specific days and times since weather didn’t have anything to do with the delays.

My flight was delayed a very short period of time but they did not hold my connecting flight to San Diego, also through United. So they closed the doors before we got off our plane. They would only have to help the door open for another five to ten minutes. So I missed a court deadline for a manditory mediation settlement conference for my client. I had to get an associate to be there in person and be on the phone with him relaying what he needs to do the entire time. The court was very upset with me and so was my client. United cannot be trusted.

We were given vouchers we couldn’t use with a 5.5 hour delay

Really good 😊 the woman at the gate entrance was a little rude checking in our carry-on but i dont think she worked for the airline, she worked for the airport at sacramento, other than that amazing.

Boarding was mayhem. Late boarding by 15 minutes because of lack of staff (missing 1 flight attendant. We had to wait for an arrival of another plane before we could board). Flight was a little rough, but cannot blame on airlines.

Great experience…left a bit behind schedule but made up fir that in the air and landed 10 minutes early 😁

Everything you need to know for your flight to San Francisco Bay Area

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