On a recent busy morning at Santa Barbara Airport, Korena Morales of Santa Maria was waiting to board a flight to Chicago. In the past, her family would have flown out of LAX, but she said new nonstop flights make Santa Barbara a more convenient choice.
"It's less crowded. The parking is easier, and the people are friendly, and it's just a better experience," Morales explained.
A record number of people agree.
For five years in a row, Santa Barbara Airport has broken passenger records. A total of 1.48 million people used the airport last year.
Passenger traffic was way down during the pandemic, as it was at most airports, but it roared back in 2021. That year, it doubled the number of passengers flying through the facility.
"There are a number of things that have happened to increase passengers traveling through here," said airport director Chris Hastert. "One of those was Southwest Airlines coming in during COVID. That brought in a lot of competition. The timing was just right to (switch) from a lot of regional aircraft to mainline aircraft. We had small 50-seat regional jets, and now we have 737s and Airbus planes coming in. That adds to the confidence of passengers knowing there are larger planes, and you are going to get priority at bigger airports. Some of our passengers are now coming from Thousand Oaks and northern Santa Barbara County,"
"We're almost 50-50 for local and inbound passengers flying for business or leisure," Hastert continued.
For years, many people in Santa Barbara would opt to fly out of LAX, often because of the wide range of travel options and cost.
But, Santa Barbara Airport is now served by five airlines, with more than two dozen daily flights.
"I remember the days when people used to drive to LAX. Some people still do. But, I can't imagine doing so because of the convenience of flying out of Santa Barbara," said Kathy Janega Dykes, President and CEO of Visit Santa Barbara, which works to bring tourists and conventions to Santa Barbara. "The more expansion we have, the more exposure Santa Barbara has, the more people think about traveling to Santa Barbara."
Russ Strobel was one of the first passengers to take advantage of the new daily nonstop Santa Barbara to Chicago service offered by United Airlines.
"I split my time between Santa Barbara and Chicago," said Strobel. "This makes it much easier than flying to LA, or Phoenix, or Denver, as part of the trip."
Business has been so good at the airport that many airlines have upsized the aircraft they use there. The boom has left the terminal’s gates and seating areas overwhelmed.
Hastert said they are adding two gates and seating areas to keep up with the surge in traffic.
Could the boom hit a hitch? With the Iran war sending aviation fuel prices through the roof, it’s prompting many airlines to raise fares, baggage fees, and in some cases cut service.
"I think it is likely we'll see some cuts here in Santa Barbara. We're not immune to that, but we haven't seen it yet.
Airlines have been reducing the number of flights on some of their less profitable routes. It's not the size of the airport, but how full the planes are, which makes the difference.
The airport launched a marketing campaign in the region to raise awareness about being an alternative to fighting traffic on the 101 and 405 freeways to catch a flight in Los Angeles. They’re hoping it gets even more people thinking about flying out of Santa Barbara, instead of traveling south to LAX or Hollywood-Burbank Airport.
