SBAKSBANormal

Santa Barbara Municipal Airport

Santa Barbara, United States · North America

SBA is a one-hall Goleta field — 90-minute leftover, $18 Economy, five U.S. carriers, and no ticketed-pax lounge — as long as you treat the live airlines page as current and the PHX / ATL leftovers as leftover.

Airportist Score

7.3/ 10

Solid

Ease of use8.6
Comfort & amenities7.6
Food & retail7.2
Ground access7.4
Reliability8.0
Lounges2.0

How the score works

An editorial 0–10 score. The overall is exactly the weighted sum of six traveler categories — not a Google rating and not a poll.

25%Ease of use — Wayfinding, security wait, and layout.
20%Comfort & amenities — Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.
15%Food & retail — Food and retail quality and variety.
15%Ground access — Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.
15%Reliability — Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.
10%Lounges — Worth-it density and access quality.

Compare SBA with another airport

Arrive
2 h
before departure
Typical security
12 min
editorial average, not live
Fastest to city
15-25 min to downtown Santa Barbara
Uber / Lyft / taxi
Cheapest to city
MTD Line 11
$ · 25-40 min to downtown via Hollister / State
On time
80%
of departures
Terminals
1

All airports

SBAKSBANormal23°C / 73°F

Santa Barbara Municipal Airport

Santa Barbara, United States · North America

Airportist Score

7.3/ 10

Solid

Ease of use8.6
Comfort & amenities7.6
Food & retail7.2
Ground access7.4
Reliability8.0
Lounges2.0

How the score works

An editorial 0–10 score. The overall is exactly the weighted sum of six traveler categories — not a Google rating and not a poll.

25%Ease of use — Wayfinding, security wait, and layout.
20%Comfort & amenities — Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.
15%Food & retail — Food and retail quality and variety.
15%Ground access — Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.
15%Reliability — Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.
10%Lounges — Worth-it density and access quality.

Compare SBA with another airport

7 photos

Landside arrivals and departures hall at Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, December 2019.

Airside concessions hall at Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, December 2019, including a historic Coffee Bean mark.

Gates 1 and 2 holdroom at Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, December 2019.

Gates 3 through 5 holdroom at Santa Barbara Municipal Airport, December 2019.

Exterior of the newer Santa Barbara Municipal Airport terminal, September 2011.

Exterior of Santa Barbara Municipal Airport terminal, May 2015.

The 1942 Spanish-style Santa Barbara air terminal wing after it was moved into the newer hall, February 2013.

SBAGuide

Most important tips

Know before you go

A compact traveler cheat sheet for timing, terminals, food, and disruption checks.

Timing

Trust the 90-minute leftover, then add an hour on Thu–Sun

Official FAQ clock is 90 minutes, and 2 hours on holidays, Thursday–Sunday, and early morning. TSA leftover opens about 3:30 a.m. and closes about 15 minutes after the last departure.

Official pages do not print a standing numeric wait tile. averageSecurityMinutes 12 on the score card is editorial unpublished. ConfirmID $45 is on the official FAQ leftover from 1 Feb 2026. CLEAR is not on official SBA pages.

One hall

One civil hall after one screening story

One building. Official leftover: security on the second floor; lactation pod near Gate 2; charging stations on the second floor past TSA. Official pages do not print a live airline-to-gate map.

Commons leftover still shows Gates 1–5 and a Coffee Bean mark. Official dining leftover is Santa Barbara Roasting Company, not Coffee Bean. Terminal Improvement Project leftover is in federal environmental review — not a live second hall. Do not treat SBP, SMX, OXR, LAX, or BUR as this campus.

Food

Costa Terraza after TSA; Silvergreens on both sides

Official leftover: Costa Terraza 9:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. airside; Santa Barbara Roasting Company 4:30 a.m.–5:00 p.m. airside; News & Gifts 4:30 a.m.–8:00 p.m. airside; Silvergreens 24/7 at bag claim and near Gate 2.

Official pages do not print a bottle price or map a filler. Wikipedia leftover Coffee Bean is leftover vs the live roasting-company card. Perq Soleil is concierge, not a kitchen.

Live checks

Read the live airlines page, not the PHX / ATL leftovers

Five live names only. Official leftover dests: AS PDX/SAN/SEA; AA DFW/PHX; DL SLC; WN LAS/OAK/SMF/DEN/SAN; UA ORD/DEN/LAX/SFO. That is 13 unique U.S. cities.

Wikipedia leftover Southwest PHX and Delta ATL are leftover vs the live table. 2025 review leftover still says about 26 daily flights; the live airlines page leftover is 28 daily to 13 dests. Confirm FIDS.

Live conditions

Right now at SBA

Security waits and operational status from official feeds, where the airport publishes them.

Honest verdict

Who this airport works for

Best for

Santa Barbara / Goleta / UCSB origin and destination trips that can skip LAX and BUR
Drivers who will use the $18 Economy Lot on the live Reimagined Parking card
Alaska, American, Delta, Southwest, or United itineraries from one building

Watch out for

No ticketed-pax lounge and no Priority Pass room
Wikipedia leftover Southwest PHX and Delta ATL are leftover vs the live dest table
Official dest table is U.S. only; AirNav leftover has no customs
Winter-storm leftover closed the airfield three times in late Dec 2025 / early Jan 2026

Airportist Score

Why this score

Overall is the published weighted sum of six categories. No holistic fudge on top.

Ease of use · 25%

Wayfinding, security wait, and layout.

8.6

Comfort & amenities · 20%

Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.

7.6

Food & retail · 15%

Food and retail quality and variety.

7.2

Ground access · 15%

Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.

7.4

Reliability · 15%

Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.

8.0

Lounges · 10%

Worth-it density and access quality.

2.0

Key stats

Editorial reference figures, not live readings.

Annual passengers

1,481,605

Terminals

On-time departures

80%

Typical security

12 min

Guide quick facts

From the editorial guide for SBA.

Updated Sep 13, 2026

Official 26 Jan 2026 year-in-review leftover: CY 2025 **1,481,605** commercial passengers, a record, **+4.4%** vs 2024. FAA prelim CY 2025 enplanements **740,028** (rank **121**, +6.27% vs **696,396**) are boardings only — do not mix.
Owner **City of Santa Barbara**. Operator **Santa Barbara Airport Department**. Live Airport Director / AirNav manager **Christopher Hastert**. AirNav leftover ops manager **Michael Smith** (`mjsmith@santabarbaraca.gov`). Terminal **500 James Fowler Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93117**. Admin **601 Firestone Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93117**. Admin **805-967-7111** / **Airport@SantaBarbaraCA.gov**. Official FAQ leftover: admin Monday–Thursday **8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.**, Friday **8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.**, closed every other Friday. Contact leftover **7:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.** / alternating Fridays **7:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.** is leftover vs that FAQ card. Security Operations Center **805-681-4803** (24/7). Lost & found same number. Parking **Reimagined Parking 805-967-2745**. ADA liaison **Andrew Bermond**, **805-692-4803** / **ABermond@SantaBarbaraCA.gov**. Media **805-319-1400** / **SBAmarketing@SantaBarbaraCA.gov**. Noise **805-967-1900**. TSA leftover **866-289-9673**.
Civil one-terminal campus in Goleta, annexed to the City of Santa Barbara. Official leftover: terminal and all parking lots **24/7**. Official clock **90 minutes**; **2 hours** on holidays, Thursday–Sunday, and early morning. Live official airlines page, **five** names: **Alaska, American, Delta, Southwest, United**. Live dest leftover is **U.S. only** — **13** unique cities. AirNav leftover: **no customs personnel or facilities**; international aircraft will not be allowed to land unless an emergency exists. **Do not invent Frontier, jetBlue, Allegiant, Spirit, Breeze, Sun Country, or a live international passenger airline.** **Do not create KSBA as a second page.** **Do not merge SBP (San Luis Obispo), SMX (Santa Maria), OXR (Oxnard), LAX, or BUR.** Historical **MCAS Santa Barbara** branding is gone as passenger branding — this is not an airbase page.
**No passenger lounge.** Official dining / amenities / FAQ / terminal pages have no club. American.com clubs **Not Available**. Live Escape US list has **no SBA**. Empty `lounges: []`. **Do not seed a placeholder lounge row.** Aggregator **The Club SBA / Escape SBA / Priority Pass SBA / Admirals Club SBA** is fiction. Perq Soleil VIP is a paid curb-to-gate concierge booked **24 hours** ahead — not a ticketed-pax club. FBO rooms are not ticketed-pax clubs.
`lib/airports.json`: IATA **SBA**, ICAO **KSBA**, 34.426697, −119.839939, America/Los_Angeles. AirNav elev **13.5 ft / 4.1 m**, **7 miles W** of Santa Barbara, ZIP **93117**. Wikipedia leftover **13 ft**. AirNav RWY **7/25 6,052×150** asphalt/grooved (the scheduled Part 121 runway). AirNav RWY **15R/33L 4,184×100** and **15L/33R 4,180×75** are **not** for scheduled Part 121 with more than 9 passenger seats; **15L/33R daylight hours only**. ARFF Index **C**. ATCT **0600–2300**. Attendance leftover **0600–2300** is the airfield card, not the 24/7 terminal. Wikipedia leftover **948 acres** is leftover vs official pages that do not print an acreage card.

14 official sources

Full guide

Explore the SBA guide

Each section answers one trip question in depth.

Alternatives

Nearby airports

Passenger airports within about 150 km. Scored airports show their Airportist Score so you can weigh a switch.

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Amenities is for HonestAirport Pro. $8/month unlocks the extra airport tabs and every lounge page. Cancel anytime — access ends when Pro ends.

Subscribe — $8/month Sign in

SBAGuide

Most important tips

Know before you go

A compact traveler cheat sheet for timing, terminals, food, and disruption checks.

Timing

Trust the 90-minute leftover, then add an hour on Thu–Sun

Official FAQ clock is 90 minutes, and 2 hours on holidays, Thursday–Sunday, and early morning. TSA leftover opens about 3:30 a.m. and closes about 15 minutes after the last departure.

One hall

One civil hall after one screening story

One building. Official leftover: security on the second floor; lactation pod near Gate 2; charging stations on the second floor past TSA. Official pages do not print a live airline-to-gate map.

Food

Costa Terraza after TSA; Silvergreens on both sides

Official pages do not print a bottle price or map a filler. Wikipedia leftover Coffee Bean is leftover vs the live roasting-company card. Perq Soleil is concierge, not a kitchen.

Live checks

Read the live airlines page, not the PHX / ATL leftovers

Five live names only. Official leftover dests: AS PDX/SAN/SEA; AA DFW/PHX; DL SLC; WN LAS/OAK/SMF/DEN/SAN; UA ORD/DEN/LAX/SFO. That is 13 unique U.S. cities.

Live conditions

Right now at SBA

Security waits and operational status from official feeds, where the airport publishes them.

Honest verdict

Who this airport works for

Best for

Santa Barbara / Goleta / UCSB origin and destination trips that can skip LAX and BUR
Drivers who will use the $18 Economy Lot on the live Reimagined Parking card
Alaska, American, Delta, Southwest, or United itineraries from one building

Watch out for

No ticketed-pax lounge and no Priority Pass room
Wikipedia leftover Southwest PHX and Delta ATL are leftover vs the live dest table
Official dest table is U.S. only; AirNav leftover has no customs
Winter-storm leftover closed the airfield three times in late Dec 2025 / early Jan 2026

Airportist Score

Why this score

Overall is the published weighted sum of six categories. No holistic fudge on top.

Ease of use · 25%

Wayfinding, security wait, and layout.

8.6

Comfort & amenities · 20%

Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.

7.6

Food & retail · 15%

Food and retail quality and variety.

7.2

Ground access · 15%

Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.

7.4

Reliability · 15%

Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.

8.0

Lounges · 10%

Worth-it density and access quality.

2.0

Key stats

Editorial reference figures, not live readings.

Annual passengers

1,481,605

Terminals

On-time departures

80%

Typical security

12 min

Guide quick facts

From the editorial guide for SBA.

Updated Sep 13, 2026

Official 26 Jan 2026 year-in-review leftover: CY 2025 **1,481,605** commercial passengers, a record, **+4.4%** vs 2024. FAA prelim CY 2025 enplanements **740,028** (rank **121**, +6.27% vs **696,396**) are boardings only — do not mix.
Owner **City of Santa Barbara**. Operator **Santa Barbara Airport Department**. Live Airport Director / AirNav manager **Christopher Hastert**. AirNav leftover ops manager **Michael Smith** (`mjsmith@santabarbaraca.gov`). Terminal **500 James Fowler Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93117**. Admin **601 Firestone Road, Santa Barbara, CA 93117**. Admin **805-967-7111** / **Airport@SantaBarbaraCA.gov**. Official FAQ leftover: admin Monday–Thursday **8:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m.**, Friday **8:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.**, closed every other Friday. Contact leftover **7:00 a.m.–4:00 p.m.** / alternating Fridays **7:00 a.m.–3:00 p.m.** is leftover vs that FAQ card. Security Operations Center **805-681-4803** (24/7). Lost & found same number. Parking **Reimagined Parking 805-967-2745**. ADA liaison **Andrew Bermond**, **805-692-4803** / **ABermond@SantaBarbaraCA.gov**. Media **805-319-1400** / **SBAmarketing@SantaBarbaraCA.gov**. Noise **805-967-1900**. TSA leftover **866-289-9673**.
Civil one-terminal campus in Goleta, annexed to the City of Santa Barbara. Official leftover: terminal and all parking lots **24/7**. Official clock **90 minutes**; **2 hours** on holidays, Thursday–Sunday, and early morning. Live official airlines page, **five** names: **Alaska, American, Delta, Southwest, United**. Live dest leftover is **U.S. only** — **13** unique cities. AirNav leftover: **no customs personnel or facilities**; international aircraft will not be allowed to land unless an emergency exists. **Do not invent Frontier, jetBlue, Allegiant, Spirit, Breeze, Sun Country, or a live international passenger airline.** **Do not create KSBA as a second page.** **Do not merge SBP (San Luis Obispo), SMX (Santa Maria), OXR (Oxnard), LAX, or BUR.** Historical **MCAS Santa Barbara** branding is gone as passenger branding — this is not an airbase page.
**No passenger lounge.** Official dining / amenities / FAQ / terminal pages have no club. American.com clubs **Not Available**. Live Escape US list has **no SBA**. Empty `lounges: []`. **Do not seed a placeholder lounge row.** Aggregator **The Club SBA / Escape SBA / Priority Pass SBA / Admirals Club SBA** is fiction. Perq Soleil VIP is a paid curb-to-gate concierge booked **24 hours** ahead — not a ticketed-pax club. FBO rooms are not ticketed-pax clubs.
`lib/airports.json`: IATA **SBA**, ICAO **KSBA**, 34.426697, −119.839939, America/Los_Angeles. AirNav elev **13.5 ft / 4.1 m**, **7 miles W** of Santa Barbara, ZIP **93117**. Wikipedia leftover **13 ft**. AirNav RWY **7/25 6,052×150** asphalt/grooved (the scheduled Part 121 runway). AirNav RWY **15R/33L 4,184×100** and **15L/33R 4,180×75** are **not** for scheduled Part 121 with more than 9 passenger seats; **15L/33R daylight hours only**. ARFF Index **C**. ATCT **0600–2300**. Attendance leftover **0600–2300** is the airfield card, not the 24/7 terminal. Wikipedia leftover **948 acres** is leftover vs official pages that do not print an acreage card.

14 official sources

Full guide

Explore the SBA guide

Each section answers one trip question in depth.

Santa Barbara Municipal Airport

Santa Barbara Municipal Airport

Santa Barbara Municipal Airport

Know before you go

Right now at SBA

Who this airport works for

Why this score

Explore the SBA guide

Getting There

Lounges

Traveler Tips

Amenities

Water

Reviews

Nearby airports

Santa Barbara Municipal Airport

Unlock Amenities

Unlock Amenities

Know before you go

Right now at SBA

Who this airport works for

Why this score

Explore the SBA guide

Getting There

Lounges

Traveler Tips

Amenities

Water

Reviews

Nearby airports

Unlock Amenities

Unlock Amenities