Santa Barbara Airport gives passengers a week of perks during special appreciation event
John Palminteri
SANTA BARBARA, Calif. – Free treats, a nuzzle from a therapy dog and some on-the-spot prizes are all part of Passenger Appreciation Week going on at the Santa Barbara Airport this week.
The airport is out front during this special week to share many perks. That includes coffee from the Santa Barbara Roasting Company, ice cream from McConnells, Ivan nutrition bars (locally based), coloring books and emergency information from Direct Relief and tickets to UC Santa Barbara sports. The airport also has luggage tags, small wooden airplane kits for kids, wing pins from Alaska Airlines and stickers.
Cottage Hospital therapy dogs are giving passengers some stress relief in their walk between the gates. Nadine Melancon handles a couple of poodles and said she is at the airport on a regular basis. “I come when ever I am in the neighborhood, once a week.”
The airport has been busy this summer season which follows in line with recent years post-Covid. The annual passenger count has exceeded 1-million since 2022.
Data from the airport shows:
2024: 1,418,996 passengers
2023: 1,277,545 passengers
2022: 1,219,581 passengers
Santa Barbara Airport Director Chris Hastert says he is personally meeting passengers and getting input through conversations. “We make little changes based on their feedback, so we have a new crosswalk over to the bus stop.” He also says business travel can make an impact. “If somebody mentions a route you can never discount it. There could be a local company with 100 employees that travels back to that location that we don’t know about so we listen to everything.”
One traveler, Vivian Leilani Shay came in from the bay area, she said, “I love Santa Barbara airport. I think it is just the quaintest easiest airport ever.”
Jennifer and Bryan Brown were traveling with their son Max who had a skateboard carry-on and said compared to New York, “this is so much easier a dream. We are so happy to fly out of here than to leave from LAX (Los Angeles). It has gotten easier, you don’t have to take your shoes off and the machines here, you don’t have to take your laptops out. I think once you get through the gate everything is pretty simple. “
Seeing the passenger perks when she arrived Shay said she had a stronger sense of comfort here. “We literally flew over my house today so I texted my neighbors saying ‘sorry guys that was me if you heard the noise!’ Yea flying is privilege and I don’t take it for granted and it is wonderful that we have such good infrastructure here.”
While waiting for planes the airport passengers can also taste a locally made beer from Figueroa Mountain Brewing. Friday, “Fig Mountain” will have some specials for the travelers as part of their promotional day to encourage people to their tasting rooms in the Funk Zone and the Santa Ynez Valley.
Saturday there will be a locally owned mobile book business, All Booked Up.
The airport has just added a Sunday non-stop flight to Phoenix on Southwest. This past weekend it was full.
For more information go to: Santa Barbara Airport Passenger Appreciation Week.