Sacramento to the coast: New direct flights start soon to this trendy California getaway

A new direct flight will start in June between Sacramento and a trendy Southern California beach city.

Southwest Airlines will begin direct flights from the California capital to Santa Barbara beginning June 5.

The flights will be operated daily, Southwest announced earlier this month, and are part of an expanded summer schedule that also includes increased service between Sacramento and San Diego.

The flight from Sacramento to Santa Barbara will take just over an hour, a reasonable alternative to the nearly six hours it takes to drive to the city situated between wineries and the coast.

Traffic out of Sacramento International Airport has largely rebounded since the pandemic hit. The number of passengers who have boarded flights from SMF has gone up 78% this year compared to the first three months of 2021, according to airport data.

Southwest is by far the busiest carrier out of Sacramento, accounting for more than half the passenger totals in and out of the airport.