Santa Barbara Airlines  Passenger Reviews and Customer Trip Reports   No Star Ranking Awarded         Add your Santa Barbara Airlines customer review   Santa Barbara Airlines Unclassified Star Ranking   Airline Reviews : A-Z Index       Customer Review scoring : Santa Barbara Airlines   3.5 out of 10 40 reviews

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Santa Barbara Airlines customer review :  1 August 2012 by E Hildebrand   (USA)

Miami-Caracas-Miami. Our flight from Miami-Caracas was delayed 1hr but I like to book my connections at least 2 hrs apart. In Caracas I was clear from immigration within 30 min and went to pick-up my luggage - another hour delay for the luggage leaving me with less than 1/2 hr to run to find my connection. The way back was even worse. Our flight was delayed 7hrs, they kept moving the departure time and did not bother to announce delays. Arrived in Miami at 3 am. This was my first and last time flying with them.

Santa Barbara Airlines customer review :  4 January 2012 by F Zabala   (USA)

Miami to Caracas to Guayaquil to Quito. Quito to Caracas to Miami. Flight from Miami to Caracas was delayed a couple of hours, but we expected this and planned accordingly. Flight attendants were polite and professional and the food and beverage service up to expectations. The layover in Caracas was confusing as I have never travelled through here before. We exited and were directed to a very long line where one ticket agent was checking off tickets for the connecting flight and then directed us to proceed through security. My fear that we were going to miss our flight was quelled when I realized the entire plane of passengers was in this line. The biggest reason for delay in Caracas was the lack of respect from passengers when it came to boarding the plane, "Only rows 30 to 20 can board" meant nothing to people who constantly cut in line to attempt to board. I do wish there were more direct flights from Caracas to Quito without the stop in Guayaquil.

Santa Barbara Airlines customer review :  18 September 2011 by L Griner   (USA)

Our flight from Miami was delayed 4 hrs causing us to miss our connection to Guayaquil. We were told to come back the next day at 1pm. We came back at 11.30 am and were shifted from one place to another for 5 hours always being told they had us on a flight at 6 pm. At 4pm I had enough and went to the other airline to check-in. They said we had reservations but no tickets. 5 mins later they closed the gate. Santa Barbara delayed us with lies causing us to miss 2 days of our 5 day vacation, spend money unnecessarily on hotels and connecting flights not to mention the stress and angry days spent in the Caracus airport.

Santa Barbara Airlines customer review :  8 September 2011 by L Wade   (USA)

We booked a round trip from Miami to Quito. Our trip to Quito had a layover in Venezuela, supposed to be 2 hrs. We landed and saw it was delayed for another 5 hrs which put us at 7pm departure. We waited till 7, no plane and no word. We waited until 9, this went on until 2 in the morning. After we boarded the pilot told us we would be going to Guayaquil. After a lot of confusion they bus us to a hotel and tell us we will fly out in the morning. I had to pay for the hotel I booked and did not use. On the return trip we were scheduled to leave at 10 am, we didn't end up leaving till 11am but we had another layover in Venezuela. We were supposed to be leaving at 3.30pm. That came and went with no explanation. It is now midnight, still no plane, and they tell us 2 am but the board says 3am. I have booked a hotel for the night in Miami which once again I am not using.

Santa Barbara Airlines customer review :  19 August 2011 by A Decolt   (UK)

Panama City to Caracas - a journey of 2 hrs. There was very little legroom, but we were served quite a decent meal, and considering it was a short flight I was impressed. We departed on time, but arrived 20-30 min late.

Santa Barbara Airlines customer review :  29 July 2011 by A K Cusack   (UK)

UIO-CCS. There were no problems to speak of, nor was the experience extraordinarily positive. First off, I should say that I had problems in booking via the Santa Barbara website and so had to visit their agency in Quito. I had my bags fairly thoroughly checked by migration people in Quito, but that's understandable given the flow of drugs in the region. The flight itself was fine: Boeing 767, no obvious neglect, crew were friendly enough, food was decent. We did leave about 30 mins late. At the Caracas end, our bags were slow in arriving. It seems that there are problems, but you may get lucky and avoid them as I did.

Santa Barbara Airlines customer review :  1 July 2011 by C Billingsly   (USA)

Your "savings" by going cheap with Santa Barbara may cost you more in the long run! Miami-Caracas-Quito was smooth. The return trip was unreal. My friends and I went back and forth between anger and laughter because the it seemed like a bad comedy routine. Our 7 AM flight was cancelled and there were no SBA employees to tell us. We sought information for a long time until we finally saw an employee. My group noted that it seemed to take at least 4 employees staring at a computer screen for at least 30mins per customer! They took my passport number no less than 5 or 6 times! Standing in line time after time, each time 1hr or more, accomplishing nothing. Long story short, we arrived in Miami 16 hrs later than we were supposed to. But consider some people in Quito had been waiting for their flight to Madrid for 3 days! This group of passengers got angry and began yelling at the ticket agents, it was loud and ugly. The worst thing in all this was the fact that a ticket agent sold 3 tickets for the cancelled flight to 3 Chinese men who didn't know the flight had been cancelled. Total deception. The best way to summarize my impression of SBA is that they were like a company open for business on its first day with no rehearsal or training at all.

Santa Barbara Airlines customer review :  29 June 2011 by S Johnson   (USA)

MIA-CCS Business Class. The affordable Business Class fare was too good to pass up. Check-in smooth. There is a separate business line, but no sign so walk past the economy line and you'll see it. I was provided access to an executive lounge. Boarding standard, a dedicated line for business passengers would have been nice as I arrived at that gate after the announcement to board business class. On board: plane was an older 757, but in serviceable condition. Business class seats were wide, good recline. No inflight entertainment, but I've been on plenty of domestic flights without entertainment. Meal service exceeded expectation, with four courses: canape, appetizer, main course and desert. Food was good. Good red wines. Cabin service was efficient. Overall, I was satisfied with the product.

Santa Barbara Airlines customer review :  2 June 2011 by M Gentry   (USA)

One of the worst, if not the worst I ever flew. When I arrived at Caracas I was informed that the plane has a 3,5 hours delay. I got a new boarding pass with a seat in one of the last rows. When the time of flight came closer and a plane came to the gate we had to build a line, but not without loud protest from many travellers SBA was willing to start boarding. Finally we left with a 4,5 hours delay and arrived in the middle of the night in Quito. The luggage took one hour and finally my suitcase didn't arrive. They told me that it would ). I was ordered to the customer service desk which caused the flight to be delayed longer. This was the last leg of 4 flights and I was charged for my carry on.

Santa Barbara Airlines customer review :  22 February 2011 by Jerald Sherman   (USA)

My wife and I flew SBA Round trip from Miami to Quito, with a stop in Caracas last week. I had read a number of bad reviews before the flight. I am familiar with South American aviation and always expect canceled or delayed flights with any South American airline. I don't care which one, they all have this problem! Our flight out of Quito was 2-3 hours delayed, and we were told by the ground crew that we would have to stay overnight in Caracas and would be provided accommodation. All very nice and professional . In Caracas we found a different SBA flight than the one scheduled leaving immediately for Miami and went to the departure gate. The staff was great and very kind! The gate agent even put us in Business Class. Our baggage was delayed, but sent to Miami on the next flight and the ground crews were very helpful in advising us of this and seeing that we got our bags. On all legs of our trip, the flight attendants were very efficient, pleasant, and nice to us. I will fly this airline again, planes are a little old, but the price is right and the personnel more than make up for this.

Santa Barbara Airlines customer review :  27 November 2010 by N Mitchell   (USA)

CCS-UIO I was warned – and I should have listened. Because of what I had been told and also what I had read on this site, I had originally booked an indirect route but changed my reservation at the last moment in order to supposedly save 3 hours travelling time whilst keeping my fingers crossed. The 18h00 departure was already put at 22h00 on check-in at 16h00. Then it was put back hourly until we finally left at 01h45. The service was operated by a 22 yr old B757. I was one of the first to board in Business Class and, in doing so, I noted four cabin crew attendants sprawled out in four of the Business Class seats, asleep. Fortunately, my seat was clear but when others boarded to find their seats occupied, they were told to find alternative seats by the one cabin crew attendant who still appeared to be awake. The cabin crew remained in the seats for the entire flight and were still asleep on arrival. On the ground, the inside of the aircraft was extremely hot, even at 01h45, due to the failure of the air-conditioning system. Conversely, in the cruise, the temperature was sub-zero to the extent that people were putting on jackets, coats, etc. The inside furnishings of the aircraft were what you would expect of an aircraft of this age, operating with a down at heel airline. Inflight catering appeared to be good though, for those who wanted to eat at that time of the morning. Arrival at Quito was at 03h30 when the airport terminal was effectively closed and we had to wait for another 45 mins before any Immigration officials appeared. Whilst waiting to board the aircraft in Caracas, I managed to have a brief word with the flight crew. I was told that the problem with reliability is down to Exchange Control in Venezuela which means that any US$ expenditure has to be requested through a Government agency and this is not immediate. Maintenance of the aircraft is done in Miami and billed in US$ currency. So, unserviceable aircraft re not able to be turned around quickly and, inevitably, I suspect that serviceable” aircraft are operated right down to the minimum margins. Perhaps, therefore, not entirely the airline’s fault, but there are some serious issues associated with this airline – to be avoided at all costs.

Santa Barbara Airlines customer review :  25 July 2010 by John Shinkunas   (USA)

Miami to Caracas was fine. However Caracas to Quito was a different story. A normal 2 hour layover turned into a 7.5 hour layover, kept changing gates with no reason and when they did speak it was in spanish only. Return trip, flight from Quito to Caracas was delayed 2 plus hours, then Caracas to Miami was delayed another 2 hours. When in Miami for baggage claim, no baggage. Well 2 days later, my luggage just arrived. I would not fly this airline again.

Santa Barbara Airlines customer review :  6 June 2010 by R Baker   (USA)

Miami to Quito. Pleasant ticket agents, good cabin staff, clean aircraft and decent meals. The only issue was the baggage contractor in Caracas. We had to change planes in Caracas and baggage handlers thought it was fun to throw the bags on the ground, make every attempt to crush baggage - and the same when the baggage was put on the next plane.

Santa Barbara Airlines customer review :  30 May 2010 by George Vrontos   (Greece)

I flew with their national subsidiary Aserca Airlines from CCS-PZO-CCS. The morning flight was on time with an old DC-9-31 plane. The service was plain; they offered only beverages or water. The return flight was in the afternoon and they had 2 hours delay. The aggravating thing was that; when we were boarding on the plane at 8:30 p.m. the airport screens of the departures appearing the flight departed at 6:30 p.m. They are a joke.

Santa Barbara Airlines customer review :  29 May 2010 by Volker Beck   (Spain)

Tenerife-CCS-MIA in business. TFN-CCS in an old ex AC Boeing 767, old business class seats but good service during the flight (Champagne, good wines, good food). Very nice staff, even the captain came during the flight and asks every business passenger if everything is OK.Transfer in CCS a little complicated, they are not used to it. CCS-MIA, older B757, but good cabin 2x2 seat configuration. Good service, also champagne and good wines.

SANTA BARBARA review :  4 May 2010 : by T Christiansen   (Denmark)

Big mistake to fly with SBA on a trip from Madrid to Caracas we were one day late and told several stories as to why the flight was late leaving Madrid. There was no help to be had from the ground staff and neither from the main office in Caracas. During the flight there was no service for a great deal of the time because the flight attendants were asleep 2 rows behind me in business class - we were 3 passenger in that section and 3 sleeping crew. The food was really poor. Luggage for business class was the last to come off the airplane, hence extra time getting through customs.

SANTA BARBARA review :  13 January 2010 : by W Hernandez   (USA)

MIA-CCS in a very old Boeing 757, no AVOD, and seats were uncomfortable. The food was edible, open bar for coach passengers, fare was $400 less expensive in comparison to other major airlines, and FAs were nice and professional. If you have a limited budget fly with Santa Barbara Airlines - if not, try not to.

SANTA BARBARA review :  15 September 2009 : by D Crum   (USA)

I made the mistake of flying with Santa Barbara airlines, and experienced the same problems others have brought forward on this page. I flew from Miami to Caracas. My flight to Caracas was late, with no explanation given at the gate. We planned for this by making our connecting flight 4 hours after our expected arrival. We didn't make it. The plane was old and dirty, but the service onboard was fine. When we tried to return to Miami, we found that our flight was cancelled with no warning. We were told we would have to wait two days before we could get another flight home. I chose to cut my losses and fly home with American Airlines. When we got back to the states I could not get a hold of SB airlines. A week later I was able to find a good working number and filed a claim. Three months later I have not been reimbursed, and the Airlines will not respond to my calls or e-mails. Don't make the mistake I did. Fly with someone else.

SANTA BARBARA AIRLINES review : 5 November 2008 : by A Hetier

Customer Rating :  3/5

MRD-CCS (domestic flight). Since Santa Barbara's old ATR-42 are the only way to fly to and from Mérida, it is difficult to complain. The other two companies, Avior and Aserca, operate much smaller planes and it is almost impossible to buy a ticket from them. But a friend of mine told me she had luggage lost and she could not get any refund or even a reply.

Santa Barbara Airlines - by Erik Kugler

9 October 2005

Traveled from Madrid to Caracas and back. They really pack these flights. I was expecting what I paid for, but I didn't expect them to up the price on me by 50% after I had booked my connections. The sound system didn't work. Stewardesses refused to help clients, and generally espoused a bitchy attitude. The food was on par with the original cheap ticket price, so no license to complain there. The plane was run down looking on the inside, and lacked things like reading lights and air flow. The restroom was not functioning 100 percent capacity either, so the passengers on the seats near the back of the plane got the olifactory shaft. But we arrived okay, carried on luggage, so no problem there. On the return trip, no movie again, and it was the first time I've seen a cockroach on a plane. I guess I arrived without physical harm at both destinations, so if you expect what you pay for and don't get your fare jacked after you book connections, then go for it, but keep in mind that these people make a fine art of seeing that your discounted purchase price purchases discounted services. Gotta respect them in a way for that.

Santa Barbara Airlines - by Alvaro de la Fuente

2 October 2005

I flew some weeks ago Tenerife-Caracas-Tenerife on their old and worn out DC-10 plane. I was just praying to get alive to my destination!! That plane is a museum piece. Did not think there were still airlines using it!! water was dropping on my head most of the trip flying from Tenerife to Caracas, and the flight was so crowded there was no empty seat I could change to. The seats are quite unconfortable and the audio did not work (so I completely forgot about the movie). I suppose they try to compensate the scary thoughts of people thinking they will not survive the trip with somewhat nice food.