Santa Barbara airport adding direct flights to Sacramento — for the first time since 2010
Central Coast residents can forget about the hours of driving and traffic it normally takes to get to California’s capital city: Contour Airlines, a national low-cost carrier, announced Thursday it will launch direct flights between Santa Barbara and Sacramento this spring.
The flights, which will be on 30-seat jets, are expected to be daily or six days a week, Sacramento International Airport officials said.
The Contour flights will take about 1 hour, 20 minutes of travel time.
Given a normal drive to Sacramento from San Luis Obispo takes about 4 1/2 hours — and the drive to Santa Barbara takes about an hour and one half — the new flight will cut about an hour and a half of travel time for San Luis Obispo County residents hoping to travel to the capital.
“This new route is a great opportunity for us to restore service to an important intra-California market that has gone unserved since August 2010,” said Cindy Nichol, Sacramento airports director. “This convenient nonstop service will appeal to business and leisure travelers alike and is a great option for quick getaways to the Central Coast.”
Flights will begin April 16, according to the carrier.
Tennessee-based Contour also will increase flights from Santa Barbara to Oakland and Las Vegas in May.
Initial fares will be $99 each way.
Horizon Air last flew between Sacramento and Santa Barbara, but stopped in 2010.
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