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Eric Onnen
Managing Partner

Founding partner of SBA. Eric has been with Santa Barbara Airbus since its inception in 1983.

Eric graduated from University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) with a major in Business Economics. He is active in all aspects of daily Airbus operations. Primary duties are management, administration and marketing.

He is currently an active member and past President of the Goleta Rotary Club, and is a past board member of the Greater Goleta Valley Chamber of Commerce. He was also past President of the Santa Barbara Conference and Visitors Bureau and Film Commission and served as Goleta City Mayor. Eric is valued among the community as a business owner and has been invited to speak at numerous public speaking events and for local charities. Eric takes pride at having been a Goleta resident since 1978.

Contact via telephone (805) 964-7759 or toll-free at (800) 423-1618 x109

Mark Klopstein
COO

Founding partner of SBA. Mark has been with Santa Barbara Airbus since its inception in 1983. He has worked in all areas of the operation from driving to maintenance. He is now currently in charge of operations. His responsibilities at SBA include being in charge of operations for dispatch and drive staff, scheduling drive staff and managing and booking our charter division.

Contact via telephone (805) 964-7759 or toll-free at (800) 423-1618 x108

Samantha Onnen
CEO

As the CEO of Santa Barbara Airbus Samantha is responsible for helping drive the company vision, lead the strategic plan, and look after the company culture. Samantha embodies the company’s core values every day which she demonstrates in her daily dedication to the customer, the Santa Barbara Airbus team and the community. Samantha has Airbus in her blood, and her involvement started when she was young. Starting when Samantha was in elementary school, she would assist the Airbus team by assembling the monthly Airbus mailer and day trip calendar and prepared it for distribution. Samantha studied Hospitality and Tourism Management at San Diego State University and has applied her learnings in a collegiate setting during her time at Airbus.

Community engagement is a significant part of Samantha’s life. She currently serves on the Goleta Valley Cottage Hospital board, a 2020 Alumni of the Katherine Harvey Fellows Program, and a former Junior League of Santa Barbara member. She has been named a 2019 Top Women in Business and a 2020 40 under 40 by the Pacific Coast Business Times.  She is passionate about Airbus’s mission to “improve our customer’s lives and our community through passenger transportation services.” When Samantha is not at work she can be found enjoying the beauty of Santa Barbara, traveling (when the world allows), hiking with her husband, or getting cuddles from her dogs.

Samantha is excited to work for the amazing team at Santa Barbara Airbus and help to rebuild the company after the challenges of 2020 and the COVID-19 pandemic.

Contact via telephone (805) 964-7759 ext 114

Tim Onnen
Operations Manager

Tim has been with Santa Barbara Airbus since the beginning in 1983. He has years of experience working in the transportation industry. A graduate of Cabrillo High School in Lompoc in 1986, Tim has been involved in all aspects of operations. He started out cleaning vehicles and advanced to being a managing partner of Monterey/Salinas Airbus, CA. The Monterey/Salinas Airbus division operated from years 1994 – 1999. Tim returned to SBA in 1999 as the general manager. His responsibilities include management of our LAX, Charter, Daytrip, training and compliance of all drive staff, hiring and termination of drivers. He is a certified DMV examiner.

Contact via telephone (805) 964-7759 or toll-free at (800) 423-1618 x106