History: There was likely a dirt airstrip during the 1910’s, but the first air service started happening in the early 1920’s. Airport manufacturing started happening in the early 1930’s in the northeast corners of the airport property. These hangers are still standing today and qualify as a historic landmark. Commercial service did exist before United Airlines but they were the first big commercial carrier in 1936. United Airlines actually built the original passenger terminal in 1941. Airports were being built rapidly during that time because of the war. During that time period, Santa Barbara Airport became part of the military as a Marine Corp air station. All 950 acres of it were operated as such. Many surrounding streets are named after World War II aviators. After the war it was deeded to the city of Santa Barbara by the War Assets Administration. It was annexed to the City of Santa Barbara to make it contiguous with the city in 1961. In the 1950’s and 1960’s airport manufacturing repair was happening more and The Guppy was manufactured at the Santa Barbara Airport. The standard aircraft for the airfield is up to a 737, but the runway can land larger planes (such as a 747), but they need to be light and must basically be landing and taking off again on fumes. September 11, 2001 was a game changer for all airports that created TSA and screening machines. That affected Santa Barbara Airport as it is small and not easy to expand. The airport was so outdated at that time that when you got past security, there were no more restrooms or concession stands. Consolidation of airlines also affected the Santa Barbara Airport when the Great Recession hit. Smaller airports, like SB, struggled to get many airlines to fly there. The new terminal opened in 2011. It was one of the few airports that opened with the correct requirements and did not jury-rig anything.

 

Today: Airlines and low cost carriers fly in and out of the SB Airport. Today’s terminal includes a spacious TSA screening area, four* gates (although 3 and 4 are combined, 3 is not even used since there was not enough money at the time to build a separate jet bridge), and modern IT infrastructure. The jet bridge that was not created at gate 3 is desperately needed. They cost about $1 million each and would fulfill the needs of the planned new flights coming soon. Gate 5 is used for passengers to walk outside and walk a ramp into the plane. Back in January 2007, there were 854,389 passengers that year. In 2018 747,203 is the projected number for passengers. The number is sure to grow over the years with new flights going to Las Vegas, Chicago, as well as possibly Sacramento and Canada.

 

Specs: The Airport generates lots of jobs and investments. They have a specific form of government, law enforcement, and fire/rescue. The airport is run by an enterprise fund. Deanna describes it as a “closed circle”. They do not receive any money from the city. They are required by federal law to be self-sustaining. The Airport pays the City of Santa Barbara for the services they provide the airport like legal support and resources. 1,400 jobs are generated from the airport. UCSB did a study that showed the Airport’s annual economic benefit was about $205 million. The Airport is a part of something larger than the city - the National Transportation System. It is regulated heavily by the Federal Aviation Administration and the TSA. This means a lot of decisions are not made at local level. The federal government dictates how they operate, the city just nods and says “OK”. The Airport is the 13th largest airport in California. The Airport makes money from commercial airlines by selling them fuel and collecting airport landing fees. Concessions don’t make a lot of money, but rental cars do make money. The Airport owns a lot of commercial industrial properties, which is unusual for an Airport. Big Brand Tire, Twin Lakes Golf Course, and High Sierra Grill are all properties on Airport land. A huge problem with the airport in Santa Barbara is passenger leakage, which is when someone goes to another airport instead of their city’s airport to travel, and is a huge part of how the Airport is gaining new flights and airlines. For example, 95,000 citizens traveled to LAX to go to Las Vegas since Santa Barbara did not have a flight. Contour Airlines saw this and has accepted to travel from Santa Barbara to Las Vegas!

 

Overall, the Santa Barbara Airport is heading towards a bright future and is trying their best to fulfill all the wants and needs of citizens in the Santa Barbara area!