DFW to SBA flight delays
Dallas/Fort Worth, TX (DFW) Santa Barbara, CA (SBA) · 1,316 miles
760 flights · July 2024 – July 2026 · US Bureau of Transportation Statistics
74.56%
Arrived on time
Within 15 minutes of schedule
1.45%
Cancelled
Share of scheduled flights
78 min
When late, late by
Average across delayed arrivals
21 min
Delay per flight
Averaged over every flight flown
What the record says about this route
The season swings this route hard. In March it ran 44.3 points more punctual than in July — a difference bigger than the one between the best and worst airlines on most routes. If the date is flexible, it is worth more than the carrier.
The route has been getting better. The later months in the record run 13.4 points more punctual than the earlier ones, which usually means a schedule that was too tight has been given more room.
Only American Airlines flies this route in the published record, so there is no choice to weigh — the route's figures and the airline's are the same figures.
Flights from Dallas/Fort Worth to Santa Barbara run late more often than the average route, though not severely.
Which airline should you fly on this route?
Over July 2024 – July 2026, American Airlines arrived on time most often on DFW to SBA. Flights ran closest to schedule in September and worst in July.
Every airline on DFW to SBA
Ranked by how many flights each one operated. A carrier with fewer than 100 flights in the period is listed but not graded.
| Airline | Flights | On time | Cancelled | Avg delay | Grade |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| American Airlines | 723 | 73.46% | 1.24% | 79 min | D |
| Envoy Air | 37 | 97.14% | 5.41% | 29 min | — |
Month by month
Share of flights that arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, by month flown.
Other routes from Dallas/Fort Worth
Common questions
Are flights from Dallas/Fort Worth to Santa Barbara usually delayed?
74.56% of flights on the DFW to SBA route arrived within 15 minutes of schedule, so roughly 3 in every ten arrived late. That is about the same as the average route in this record.
Which airlines fly from Dallas/Fort Worth to Santa Barbara?
Only American Airlines appears in the published record on this route, with 723 flights and 73.46% arriving on time.
How often are DFW to SBA flights cancelled?
1.45% of scheduled flights did not operate — about 15 in every thousand. That is in the normal range.
What is the best month to fly Dallas/Fort Worth to Santa Barbara?
March, when 93.5% of flights arrived on time. The worst was July at 49.2%.
When DFW to SBA flights are late, how late are they?
About 78 minutes on average across the flights that arrived more than 15 minutes behind schedule.
What these figures do and do not tell you
Everything on this page is counted from the flights that actually operated on DFW to SBA during July 2024 – July 2026, as reported by the airlines to the US Bureau of Transportation Statistics. "On time" is the federal definition: arriving at the gate within 15 minutes of the scheduled time.
A route's record is a description of the past, not a forecast. Weather, air traffic control and the aircraft's earlier flights that day drive most delays, and none of them are predictable from a historical rate. What the record does tell you is whether this route runs late more often than others, and which carrier on it has the better history — which is the part you can actually act on when you book.
Cancellations are counted separately from delays because they are a different problem for a traveller: a late flight still gets you there. How the grade is calculated →