Delta Air Lines has announced that it will no longer be operating flights between Atlanta and Santa Barbara starting in January. This will mark the end of the California airport’s longest-ever scheduled passenger flight. However, Delta will continue to serve Santa Barbara from another hub.

This decision was discovered through an analysis of flight schedules submitted by carriers worldwide to Cirium Diio and OAG. All Delta flights between the two cities have been removed from the airline’s website and other booking engines after January.

The Atlanta to Santa Barbara route covers a distance of 1,757 nautical miles (3,254 km) each way and has been operated by Delta since June 2024. The flights were exclusively operated by the 130-seat Airbus A220-300, making it Delta’s third lowest-capacity mainline aircraft after the A220-100 and the Boeing 717. Initially, the route was planned to continue through 2026, but the latest schedule update shows its last flight taking place on January 19, with the final departure back to Atlanta on January 20.

The Atlanta to Santa Barbara route is currently Delta’s second-longest A220-300-operated service, with Seattle to Washington Dulles being 14% longer. However, Santa Barbara is the longest-ever A220 scheduled service from Atlanta, regardless of the operator.

With the discontinuation of this route, Dallas/Fort Worth will temporarily become Santa Barbara’s longest link. American Airlines operates daily flights on this route using the 737-800 or 737 MAX 8. However, this will change again on March 29 when United Airlines reintroduces its seasonal service from Chicago O’Hare to Santa Barbara. This route will be operated by the 737-700 and 737 MAX 8, covering a distance of 1,567 nautical miles (2,902 km) and becoming Santa Barbara’s new longest service.

According to the US Department of Transportation data, Delta has always operated the Atlanta to Santa Barbara route on a year-round basis. In the 12 months to June 2025, the local Atlanta-Santa Barbara city pair saw an increase of 86% in passenger traffic, with Delta’s share of the market rising from 16% to 77%. The airline transported approximately 16,900 passengers on this route, with 14,300 flying nonstop and the rest connecting through Salt Lake City.

In those 12 months, Delta’s total traffic on the route was 75,500, with an average seat occupancy of 81%. This was Delta’s second-lowest result from Atlanta to California, with only the Oakland route having a lower load (80%), which ended in September 2025. Most of the passengers connecting through Atlanta flew to or from New York City, Washington DC, Orlando, Boston, or Jacksonville.

Santa Barbara’s top ten local markets, regardless of the airline, in the 12 months to June 2025 were San Francisco, Seattle, Denver, Las