Santa Barbara Airport is one of the most reliable small airports in the country for on-time travel, according to a new report.
AirAdvisor's internal AirData analysis ranked Santa Barbara Airport, known as SBA, among the top five most punctual small U.S. airports for 2026 tied for first place.
According to the report, SBA recorded no delays of 60 minutes or more after 5 p.m. during the study period. The report shows when delays do occur earlier in the day, they rarely extend into the evening.
The other airports tied for the top spot were Morgantown Municipal Airport in West Virginia, Durango-La Plata County Airport in Colorado, Green Bay Austin Straubel International Airport in Wisconsin, and Gillette-Campbell County Airport in Wyoming.
The analysis was based on U.S. Department of Transportation data from May 2024 to May 2025.
Researchers used two weighted metrics: chronically delayed flights, accounting for 60% of the score, and long-delay rate after 5 p.m., accounting for 40%.
At the other end of the rankings, Lincoln Airport in Nebraska and Toledo Express Airport in Ohio were tied as the least reliable small airports in the country.
Concord-Padgett Regional Airport in North Carolina, Rafael Hernández International Airport in Puerto Rico, and West Virginia International Yeager Airport rounded out the bottom five.
