Santa Barbara Airport adds flights to Chicago and San Diego in 2026

Santa Barbara Airport will add daily nonstop service to Chicago and San Diego in 2026 while expanding several other routes and ending nonstop service to Atlanta on Jan. 21.

Santa Barbara Airport will add several new nonstop flights in 2026 and will end service to one destination. Once the changes take effect, the airport is reported to serve five airlines with 26 daily flights to 13 nonstop destinations. United Airlines will begin daily nonstop service to Chicago O'Hare on April 6. Alaska Airlines will launch daily service to San Diego on April 22 and Southwest will begin daily San Diego flights on Aug. 4. Key details: - The airport is reported to be a hub for five airlines and to offer 26 daily flights to 13 nonstop destinations. - United Airlines will begin daily nonstop flights from Santa Barbara to Chicago O'Hare on April 6; one-way fares for that route are reported starting at $274. - Alaska Airlines will start daily nonstop service to San Diego on April 22 and Southwest will begin daily San Diego flights on Aug. 4; one-way fares to San Diego are reported starting at $79. - United will add a fifth daily nonstop flight from Santa Barbara to San Francisco in February. - Alaska will add a second daily nonstop flight from Santa Barbara to Portland starting in May. - Delta will increase nonstop flights to Salt Lake City to three departures per day and will end nonstop service to Atlanta on Jan. 21. Summary: The announced schedule changes will expand nonstop connections from Santa Barbara to several hub cities in 2026 while discontinuing direct service to Atlanta. Specific start dates are scheduled between February and August 2026 for several routes, and the Atlanta nonstop is set to end on Jan. 21.