ORD - SBA

$159 Find Cheap Flights from Chicago to Santa Barbara

This is the cheapest one-way flight price found by a KAYAK user in the last 72 hours by searching for a flight from Chicago to Santa Barbara departing on 2/25. 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
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Search hundreds of travel sites at once for deals on flights to Santa Barbara

 
These are the airlines KAYAK users have selected most often from within our search results in flight searches from Chicago to Santa Barbara, 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 Chicago to Santa Barbara, as well as popular online travel agencies
In the last 7 days travelers have searched 41,299,237 times on KAYAK, and here is why:

Save 23% or moreCompare multiple travel sites with one search.

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Filter your dealsChoose cabin class, free Wi-Fi and more.

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Cheap Flight Deals from Chicago to Santa Barbara (ORD-SBA)

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

Recent round-trip flight deals from Chicago to Santa Barbara

Recommended round-trip deals departing in the coming months from the most popular airlines that fly from Chicago to Santa Barbara.
Discover the best prices and deals for you by selecting your travel dates.
Choose your dates
7:00 am - 12:41 pmORD-SBA
7h 41m1 stop
6:25 am - 2:14 pmSBA-ORD
5h 49m1 stop
$318American Airlines
Find Deal
Tue, Mar 11 - Tue, Mar 18
6:55 pm - 12:20 pmORD-SBA
19h 25m1 stop
4:19 pm - 1:07 pmSBA-ORD
18h 48m2 stops
$321Alaska Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, Jan 15 - Tue, Jan 21
7:00 am - 12:41 pmORD-SBA
7h 41m1 stop
1:11 pm - 12:09 amSBA-ORD
8h 58m2 stops
$323American Airlines
Find Deal
Tue, Mar 11 - Tue, Mar 18
6:50 pm - 6:14 pmORD-SBA
25h 24m1 stop
7:15 pm - 11:59 pmSBA-ORD
26h 44m1 stop
$326Alaska Airlines
Find Deal
Sat, May 3 - Tue, May 6
2:35 pm - 9:45 pmORD-SBA
9h 10m1 stop
10:08 am - 8:25 pmSBA-ORD
8h 17m1 stop
$328United Airlines
Find Deal
Wed, Jan 15 - Tue, Jan 21
7:10 am - 12:57 pmORD-SBA
7h 47m1 stop
2:25 pm - 12:05 amSBA-ORD
7h 40m2 stops
$333United Airlines
Find Deal
Tue, May 6 - Sat, May 10
2:25 pm - 11:55 pmORD-SBA
11h 30m2 stops
7:15 am - 6:47 pmSBA-ORD
9h 32m1 stop
$351Delta
Find Deal
Sun, Feb 2 - Sun, Feb 9
5:00 pm - 10:53 pmORD-SBA
7h 53m1 stop
7:15 am - 5:25 pmSBA-ORD
8h 10m1 stop
$398Delta
Find Deal
Sat, Jan 25 - Sun, Jan 26
7:30 am - 8:05 pmORD-SBA
14h 35m2 stops
10:50 am - 10:35 pmSBA-ORD
9h 45m2 stops
$463Southwest
Find Deal
Fri, Jan 24 - Sun, Jan 26
5:45 am - 2:50 pmORD-SBA
11h 05m2 stops
6:00 am - 4:45 pmSBA-ORD
8h 45m2 stops
$506Southwest
Find Deal
Thu, Feb 13 - Sun, Feb 16

Flights from Chicago to Santa Barbara - Travel Insights & Trends

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

What’s the cheapest day of the week to fly from Chicago to Santa Barbara?

The average price of all round-trip flights from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara clicked on KAYAK for each day over the last 12 months.
If your flying dates are flexible, you should consider flying to Santa Barbara on a Monday, as we generally find the cheapest rates on that day for this route. On the other hand, Thursday is the most expensive day to fly from Chicago to Santa Barbara. For your return ticket, we recommend flying on a Saturday and avoiding Mondays for the best deals.

What is the cheapest month to fly from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara?

To calculate monthly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each month over the last year for round-trip flights from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara, 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 Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara is January, where tickets cost $366 (return) on average. On the other hand, the most expensive months are July and December, where the average cost of round-trip tickets is $527 and $525 respectively.

How far in advance should I book a flight from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara?

To calculate weekly average prices, KAYAK takes all prices for each week before departure over the last year for round-trip flights from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara, 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 Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara, you should book around 3 weeks before departure. For the absolute cheapest price, our data suggests you should book 26 weeks before departure.

Good to know

Low season

December

High season

July

Cheapest flight

$159
Best time to beat the crowds but there is an average 33% increase in price.
Most popular time to fly with an average 12% increase in price.
Flight from Chicago to Santa Barbara

When to book flights from Chicago to Santa Barbara

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

  • What is the cheapest flight from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara?

    In the last 3 days, the lowest price for a flight from Chicago O'Hare Intl Airport to Santa Barbara was $159 for a one-way ticket and $318 for a round-trip.

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

    Even though you are not required to have a passport, keep in mind that an official ID is needed to board the airplane.

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

    The Airbus A321neo is the aircraft model that flies most regularly on the Chicago to Santa Barbara flight route.

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

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

  • Which is the best airline for flights from Chicago to Santa Barbara, Delta or United Airlines?

    The two airlines most popular with KAYAK users for flights from Chicago to Santa Barbara are Delta and United Airlines. With an average price for the route of $505 and an overall rating of 8.0, Delta is the most popular choice. United Airlines is also a great choice for the route, with an average price of $502 and an overall rating of 7.4.

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

    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 Chicago to Santa Barbara.

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

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

    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 Santa Barbara with an airline and back to Chicago with another airline. Booking your flights between Chicago and SBA can sometimes prove cheaper using this method.

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

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

See more FAQs

Top 3 airlines serving from Chicago to Santa Barbara

 
See real verified KAYAK customer reviews for airlines flying from Chicago to Santa Barbara. 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 Chicago to Santa Barbara? 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
DeltaOverall score based on 8601 reviews
8.0Comfort
7.3Food
8.6Crew
8.2Boarding
7.9Entertainment
Airline reviews

If I pay extra for "comfort+" I expect leg room where I can stretch my legs. I was seated with an attendant's seat blocking my feet. Knee space was fine but my feet had less room than the non-"comfort+" seats. Also, don't go cheap on food when you have flights of 3+ hours. It's insulting.

6.0 GoodAnonymous, Nov 2024MSP - LAX
Read more Delta reviews

If I pay extra for "comfort+" I expect leg room where I can stretch my legs. I was seated with an attendant's seat blocking my feet. Knee space was fine but my feet had less room than the non-"comfort+" seats. Also, don't go cheap on food when you have flights of 3+ hours. It's insulting.

Only one side of the heafphone jack work. Crew was friendly and helpful.

Great. Flight departed early and arrived early. Deplaning and baggage claim ww were quick.

They separated our seats and moved us to the back of the plane. Hundreds of dollars and thousands of miles used and this was my platinum member experience.

AC barely worked on a 50 minute flight. It was very warm the whole flight. Flight was very bumpy and hard landing.

Got on the plane and then needed to deboard the plane because they didn’t have any pilots?

The flight was canceled two hours before departure, it took over five hours to rebook us on another flight.

Rough day of travel all the way around. Wrong info given to us multiple times and mistakes in their booking making our trip 10 hours longer than planned. I’m bummed because I fly Delta all the time and love them. Mistakes happen. Just bummed that this was a rare trip our whole family was traveling together.

Meh. A late flight meant I missed my connections, and a 2pm LAX arrival turned into gettin in after midnight.

It was very cold because the air conditioner was on high power, and my son got sick.

We arrived early and finally made it to our gate almost an hour after.

Was a pain having to leave the plane and reboard but glad the plane was fixed

Plane was was better than th YVR to ORD flight but was a fraction of the distance. Fly your better planes on longer distance flights.

Nothing wrong with the flight itself. But due to 2+ hrs waiting in immigration and the additional security checkup in O’hare, I nearly missed the flight.

They need to improve their boarding process. Group 1 and/or paying first class passengers shouldn't be in the middle of boarding process

late departure due to some unspecified issue with ventilating the cabin. They got it running but it was FREEZING for the whole flight. I asked for a blanket but they didn't provide one. They could not turn up the heat. it was quite miserable.

I still prefer Delta, but Delta doesn’t fly to State College PA.

Everything was fantastic. Modern plane. All the amenities! Although the paid snacks and meals are pure robbery. Like i understand airlines need to make money, but 11$ USD for an overnight oats with some nuts in it and barely any pieces of apple.... Highway robbery

The flight was bumpy. No Breakfast or coffee was served, not even a bottle of water. The food was okay but odd. Rice with peas instead of couscous with some unknown green thing. United Airlines did not tell me that there was VERY LIMITED HANDICAP SERVICE IN NAPLES. De-plane via 20 aluminum steps. Taken to Van. You must walk into the terminal, find luggage, and then walk out to the rental car pickup spot that is 1 block from the terminal.

Crew did their best but the plane configuration is too tight if you're bigger than an average sardine. Controls for the entertainment system didn't all work. The aircraft hadn't been cleaned in awhile.

The meals were mediocre and the alcohol selection was poor. I enjoyed the selection of movies and other entertainment.

I chatted with the captain before the flight, and similarly during the welcome announcement, he warned of a turbulent flight that may impact the in-flight service. However, once at altitude, he announced that the weather changed and he immediately turned off the seatbelt sign. But it appeared the cabin crew had already decided to take off this flight. They remained seated and then just chatted in the galley. The flight was fully catered, but only first class received service.

My flight attendant was attentive! The elderly person next to me was flatulent and the flight attendant could see that I was in distress and brought me some face masks

My boarding pass wouldn't pull up in the app very easily and had to really dig through my email. That caused a delay in TSA..

I had a TERRIBLE experience with the AA crew. I believe it was disability-related. It’s unlikely I will fly AA again.

Baby cried a lot. Nothing anyone could do about it. Just part of flying.

The flight crew was fantastic! Which the seats had a small TV.

The flight was delayed till next day ! They kept delaying every 30 minutes then after 3 hours they delayed it till next day. We kept waiting in line standing more than an hour to get the hotel and meal vouchers. There was no communication at all. Everything was bad

Smoothe flight. Pilot and crew did a great job. Uncomfortable seat in this jet, felt worn out

seats were way too small. Too short of a flight to offer amenities.

Book cheap flights from Chicago to Santa Barbara

Recent one-way flight deals

 
Only flying one-way? Below are some of the best one-way flight deals from Chicago to Santa Barbara found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours.
2/25Tue
1 stopAmerican Airlines
7h 31mORD-SBA
$159
2/25Tue
2 stopsAmerican Airlines
9h 43mORD-SBA
$164
1/17Fri
1 stopUnited Airlines
7h 55mORD-SBA
$165
5/5Mon
1 stopDelta
6h 52mORD-SBA
$169
5/5Mon
2 stopsDelta
10h 01mORD-SBA
$174
1/23Thu
2 stopsDelta
11h 30mORD-SBA
$182
1/17Fri
2 stopsAlaska Airlines
22h 18mORD-SBA
$205
1/5Sun
2 stopsSouthwest
12h 25mORD-SBA
$358
1/5Sun
1 stopUnited Airlines
7h 34mORD-SBA
$359
1/5Sun
1 stopSouthwest
7h 10mORD-SBA
$433

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Last minute flights from Chicago to Santa Barbara

Last minute flight, train and bus deals

 
These last-minute flight deals are the cheapest flights found on KAYAK in the last 72 hours for flights from Chicago to Santa Barbara that are departing in the next 10 days.
12/24Tue
multi-stopUnited Airlines
6h 23mORD-SBA
12/27Fri
multi-stopUnited Airlines
14h 30mSBA-ORD
$913
12/24Tue
multi-stopSouthwest
9h 20mORD-SBA
12/27Fri
multi-stopSouthwest
9h 55mSBA-ORD
$951
12/24Tue
multi-stopSouthwest
8h 35mORD-SBA
12/27Fri
multi-stopSouthwest
9h 55mSBA-ORD
$956
12/20Fri
multi-stopUnited Airlines
7h 34mORD-SBA
12/22Sun
multi-stopUnited Airlines
8h 51mSBA-ORD
$1,012
12/20Fri
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
8h 22mORD-SBA
12/22Sun
multi-stopAmerican Airlines
9h 00mSBA-ORD
$1,021
12/20Fri
multi-stopSouthwest
12h 25mORD-SBA
12/22Sun
multi-stopSouthwest
10h 25mSBA-ORD
$1,026

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

Information on your arrival and departure airports

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