Anonymous
Source: Santa Barbara Airport
‘Tis the season to be jolly as Santa Barbara Airport (SBA) continues to receive promising passenger numbers, underscoring a consistent trend that more travelers are taking advantage of new air service and direct flight destinations at the “depart differently” airport.
“We are hitting a strong stride with our courier service and destination offerings,” noted SBA’s Airport Business Development Manager, Deanna Zachrisson. “The regional community is really embracing SBA as the outbound airport of choice. Operationally, our team is constantly assessing how we can make travel more comfortable and convenient while establishing a good balance with passenger supply and demand.”
For those looking to book last-minute travel, there is still limited capacity on nearly all outbound flights through the end of the year. The Airport anticipates the busiest day of the holiday season will be Saturday, December 22. Passengers should note that if the Short and Long Term parking lots become full, attendants will direct travelers to overflow parking where they will be shuttled back to the airline terminal. For those travelers who do park in Long Term Parking, expect to see the “SBA Sleigh” (golf cart) to ease the trek to and from the long-term parking lot, courtesy of the Airport, until the end of the year.
“This holiday season, we want to extend our appreciation and gratitude to our community,” added Zachrisson. “For all of us who work at SBA, it is a great honor to serve as the hub of meaningful travel, gatherings, and celebrations.”
SBA’s passenger count was up 10.3% in November 2018 compared to November 2017, with the current passenger count for the year at 723,297, the highest it has been since November 2008. Additionally, with more daily flights, regional travelers gained in booking options and flexibility during the holidays with seat capacity up 13.8% compared to December 2017.
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ABOUT SANTA BARBARA AIRPORT
Santa Barbara Airport served nearly 711,000 passengers in 2017 and is the 13th largest airport in California. American Airlines, Alaska Airlines, Contour Airlines, Frontier Airlines, and United Airlines serve the airport with 26 daily departures to nine non-stop destinations – Dallas, Denver, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Oakland, Phoenix, Portland, San Francisco and Seattle. SBA is a self-sustaining enterprise operated by the City of Santa Barbara.
