Longest-ever route from Santa Barbara ends in January as carrier refocuses West Coast strategy on Salt Lake City hub connections.
Delta Air Lines will end service between Atlanta and Santa Barbara in January, terminating the California airport’s longest-ever scheduled passenger route after just 19 months of operation.
The carrier has removed all flights beyond January from booking systems, with the final westbound departure scheduled for Jan. 19 and the last Atlanta-bound flight on Jan. 20, according to schedule data from Cirium. The route covers 1,757 nautical miles each way.
Delta launched the service in June 2024 using its 130-seat Airbus A220-300, the carrier’s third-smallest mainline aircraft. The Atlanta-based airline had originally planned to operate the route through 2026.
The cancellation marks Delta’s latest pullback from California after ending Oakland service in September 2025. Both routes posted the carrier’s two lowest load factors among its Atlanta-California operations, according to U.S. Department of Transportation data.
Strong loads couldn’t save the route.
Despite achieving an 81% load factor and carrying 75,500 passengers in the 12 months through June 2025, the route struggled with an unfavorable passenger mix. More than eight in 10 travelers connected to other flights in Atlanta rather than traveling point-to-point between the two cities.
Local traffic between Atlanta and Santa Barbara totaled just 16,900 passengers during that period, even as Delta captured 77% of the city-pair market. The carrier’s top connecting markets included New York, Washington, Orlando, Boston and Jacksonville.
The route represented Delta’s second-longest A220-300 service, trailing only Seattle to Washington Dulles by 14%. For Santa Barbara, it marked the airport’s most distant scheduled link in its history.
United returns as Delta exits
Santa Barbara will soon regain transcontinental service when United Airlines restarts flights from Chicago O’Hare on March 29. The seasonal route, last operated in 2022, will use 737-700 and 737 MAX 8 aircraft.
At 1,567 nautical miles, the Chicago service will become Santa Barbara’s new longest route, surpassing American Airlines’ year-round Dallas/Fort Worth link at 1,144 nautical miles.
Delta will continue serving Santa Barbara from its Salt Lake City hub with two to three daily flights operated primarily by Embraer E175 regional jets through its Delta Connection partner SkyWest. The Salt Lake route resumed in 2024 after pandemic-related suspensions.
California market dynamics
Santa Barbara’s top 10 local markets in the 12 months through June 2025 were dominated by West Coast destinations. San Francisco led with 107,000 round-trip passengers, followed by Seattle with 100,000 and Denver with 98,500.
Other major markets included Las Vegas, Portland, Phoenix, Sacramento, and Salt Lake City. Dallas/Fort Worth ranked ninth with 39,400 passengers.
The Atlanta-Santa Barbara city pair saw total local traffic increase 86% to 21,900 passengers after Delta began service, compared with 11,800 passengers in the prior 12-month period when the carrier held just 16% market share through connecting service via Salt Lake City.
Key Takeaways
- Delta Air Lines ends Atlanta-Santa Barbara service after 19 months, with final flights Jan. 19-20, terminating the California airport’s longest-ever route at 1,757 nautical miles.
- Despite 81% load factor and 75,500 passengers, over 80% were connecting through Atlanta rather than traveling point-to-point, making the route economically unviable for the 130-seat A220-300.
- United Airlines returns with Chicago O’Hare-Santa Barbara service March 29, offering new transcontinental option as Delta refocuses California strategy on Salt Lake City hub.
