By Staff Report Monday, October 27th, 2025

In a year of dramatic growth for air travel, Santa Barbara Airport confirmed on Oct. 27 that it’s adding its first nonstop service to Chicago next spring.

In addition to Chicago nonstops via United Airlines, the airport is resuming nonstop service to San Diego on Alaska Airlines and adding additional flights to Sacramento. Aviation Director Chris Hastert confirmed the United flight to Chicago with a provisional start date of April 6; San Diego service on Alaska Airlines will begin on April 22 he said via email.

The new flights underscore the emergence of Santa Barbara as a regional connecting hub, with Boeing 737 variants and Airbus A319 and A320 mainline jets largely supplanting regional jets. 

But San Luis Obispo County Regional Airport is also expanding with new service announcements including  the resumption of daily flights to Las Vegas on Alaska Airlines. 

And Santa Maria announced a game changing  development with American Airlines making daily trips to Phoenix, adding a major carrier to its Las Vegas flights on Allegiant Airlines. 

Business flyers and international travelers are key to United’s Chicago expansion, which will give travelers one-stop access to virtually any major destination around the world via O’Hare International Airport. 

The resumption of San Diego flights will help business and leisure travelers avoid a stopover at LAX and both flights are likely to draw new business from up Ventura and even northwestern Los Angeles County.