Portland flights popular at the Santa Barbara Airport

Santa Barbara and Portland have a tighter connection than you might think.

The Santa Barbara Airport says the seasonal flights to Portland will now be year round.

The passenger demand has been growing for months.

Alaska Airlines handles the flights, and it also serves Seattle from Santa Barbara.

For those heading north, the Portland flight leaves at 8 a.m. and the daily return flight is at 10:15 p.m.