The nonstop is quickest: American SBA → DFW (3h 19m), on time 3 times in 4. United via Denver (5h 48m) is more reliable, 89%, but takes 2h 29m longer.
Nonstops (seasonal or thin)
Nonstop details →| American | SBA | DFW | 3h 19m | 76% | 1.6% | 364 | Flying now |
Best connections, one ticket
Ranked by chance you reach Dallas-Fort Worth on time. Total trip = scheduled departure to arrival, layover included (Dallas-Fort Worth is 2 h ahead of Santa Barbara). Layovers up to 4 hours. Pick a connection for the details.
| UnitedDetails → | SBA 05:00 → DEN 08:27UA 2865 | 1h 13m Denver | DEN 09:40 → DFW 12:48UA 355 | 5h 48m | 95% | 89% |
| AmericanDetails → | SBA 06:00 → PHX 07:36AA 1640 | 1h 54m Phoenix | PHX 09:30 → DFW 14:08AA 554 | 6h 08m | 99% | 86% |
| DeltaDetails → | SBA 05:50 → SLC 08:53DL 4069 · flown by SkyWest | 57m Salt Lake City | SLC 09:50 → DFW 13:33DL 2800 | 5h 43m | 100% | 84% |
| UnitedDetails → | SBA 06:15 → SFO 07:25UA 2340 | 1h 08m San Francisco | SFO 08:33 → DFW 14:25UA 1062 | 6h 10m | 96% | 82% |
| AmericanDetails → | SBA 19:15 → PHX 20:52AA 2515 | 3h 44m Phoenix | PHX 00:36 → DFW 05:09 +1AA 1818 | 7h 54m | 100% | 79% |
| DeltaDetails → | SBA 12:45 → SLC 15:52DL 3841 · flown by SkyWest | 1h 48m Salt Lake City | SLC 17:40 → DFW 21:24DL 2796 | 6h 39m | 99% | 75% |
| AmericanDetails → | SBA 09:45 → PHX 11:23AA 4031 · flown by Envoy | 2h 12m Phoenix | PHX 13:35 → DFW 18:09AA 2767 | 6h 24m | 97% | 75% |
| AlaskaDetails → | SBA 07:34 → PDX 09:45AS 2178 · flown by Horizon | 1h 00m Portland | PDX 10:45 → DFW 16:42AS 392 | 7h 08m | 92% | 74% |
| Tight connection: often missed | ||||||
| AlaskaDetails → | SBA 19:28 → SEA 22:00AS 400 | 1h 03m Seattle | SEA 23:03 → DFW 05:02 +1AS 542 | 7h 34m | 72% | 57% |
| UnitedDetails → | SBA 20:24 → SFO 21:50UA 5704 · flown by SkyWest | 2h 09m San Francisco | SFO 23:59 → DFW 05:45 +1UA 1722 | 7h 21m | 65% | 51% |
| UnitedDetails → | SBA 12:37 → ORD 19:00UA 1009 | 50m Chicago | ORD 19:50 → DFW 22:36UA 1673 | 7h 59m | 41% | 25% |
Same layover, different day-part
How often the first flight arrives too late to connect (45 min minimum), for one-ticket layovers of 45–80 minutes.
Delays build through the day, so an afternoon first leg eats the layover. A short connection is fine early in the morning and a gamble later on.
Mixing airlines
| Southwest WN 4422 SBA 05:05 → LAS American AA 1584 LAS 10:11 → DFW Connection details → |
3h 41m | 8h 03m | 100% | 84% |
| Alaska AS 400 SBA 19:28 → SEA American AA 2429 SEA 00:44 → DFW Connection details → |
2h 44m | 9h 15m | 96% | 84% |
| Delta DL 4069 SBA 05:50 → SLC American AA 2607 SLC 11:18 → DFW Connection details → |
2h 25m | 7h 16m | 100% | 79% |
Rank all connections, any airlines →
Regional partners count as the airline that sells them: SkyWest flying Delta Connection is one Delta ticket.
About this data: US DOT on-time records, Aug 2025 – Jul 2026, all US airlines; regional flights count under the airline that sells them. Schedules (which flights and connections exist, and their times) are as of Jun 6 – Jul 31, 2026; seasonal flights outside that window aren’t ranked. Rebuilt monthly. JSON