LIFE

David Loe: With more airlines, Santa Barbara Airport a viable option for flights

David Loe

Special to Ventura County Star

Santa Barbara Airport has been adding airlines and destinations making it a serious option for Ventura County residents. Still it’s a homey enough place to still offer a patio for outside viewing.

It’s been nearly four years since I’ve written about Santa Barbara’s airport. For flying to certain destinations, it was a viable alternative to using either LAX or Burbank back then, and it’s even more so now.

Certainly, if you live in the western end of Ventura County, Santa Barbara Airport should be considered. I fall into that category, and yet I find I keep forgetting about that option when I’m looking at flights.

Among Santa Barbara’s many attractions: quick airline check-in, speedy TSA security lines, and no need for shuttle buses from an off-site parking lot. It’s just a short walk to the terminal from the long-term lot that costs $12 per day.

OK, clearly you don’t have to plan to arrive as early as when you’re flying out of greater LA airports. But, where can you fly to?

That’s the major improvement I’ve noticed since my 2015 column about (airline code) “SBA.” Back then, Santa Barbara hosted three major airlines with six non-stop destinations.

Now, those numbers have expanded to four and 12. In addition to that, many of the flights are now on “major main-line aircraft,” according to Airport Director Henry Thompson.

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That’s in contrast to the 50- to 70-passenger commuter jets that were more common a few years back. Having more seats means the flights don’t get booked up as quickly.

United, American, Delta, and Alaska now all have daily flights in and out of Santa Barbara. In most cases these major airlines fly to their respective hubs where, with that one-stop, you can then fly on to hundreds of destinations.

United offers not only popular quick-hops to SFO and LAX, but also to its hub in Denver. American Airlines can take you to Phoenix and even to Dallas. Delta has flights to their hub in Salt Lake City, and starting in August increases the frequency of those flights to three times a day. Alaska offers flights to Portland and Seattle. All of these are non-stop flights

I find that to be a pretty impressive array and getting to those key airline hubs can be the jumping off point to not only domestic destinations, but international flights as well.

In addition to those four major airlines, there are smaller airlines that offer some unique options. Seasonal service in the warmer months is provided by Sun Country Airlines with non-stops to Minneapolis/St. Paul. Budget airline, Frontier, flies to Denver from Santa Barbara just like United does.

Santa Barbara's low-key terminal disguises the fact that the airport now hosts four major airlines and offers non-stop flights to 12 destinations, many of which are to key airline hubs.

A fairly new regional carrier called Contour Airlines, using 30-passenger jets, offers flights from Santa Barbara to Oakland and Las Vegas. It just added a Sacramento flight.

It’s an intriguing idea to head northbound on the freeway instead of south to catch a flight. The reality is there are are few more things to consider.

Keep in mind that Santa Barbara’s airport is located in Goleta. That means for many Ventura County residents Burbank may be closer – and possibly even LAX. Then there’s that rush hour on Highway 101 to Santa Barbara. It can be slow.

Fortunately, for early birds, SBA offers quite a few departures in the 6 a.m. hour. The first flight of the day is always a good choice for avoiding delays anytime you fly. If your flight departs that early you should be at the airport early enough to beat the traffic.

Meantime, getting to Santa Barbara’s many midday departures would seemingly involve less traffic challenges than going the other direction.

Be sure to check prices to see if airlines charge a premium to fly from Santa Barbara to your destination. That can happen sometimes when you use regional airports. If there is a premium, the difference may be worth it to avoid the crowds at LA-area airports.

Old-timers may remember a time when Oxnard Airport, too, offered commercial flights. Sadly that’s becoming ancient history at this point.

By contrast, I’m impressed to see Santa Barbara’s airport flourishing attracting so many airlines and adding some key destinations.

David Loe was the co-owner of a travel business in Ventura County for 25 years. His column appears monthly. He welcomes your feedback at davidloe@sbcglobal.net.