American Airlines has round-trip flights from Dallas (DFW) to Albany or Santa Barbara (ALB, SBA) for $157, NONSTOP. Albany flights September to December. Santa Barbara flights September to February. Cheapest departures on Tuesday, Wednesday, and Saturday. Origin/Destination reversible. No Christmas dates available.
American allows one carry-on bag and one personal item for free. You can avoid paying for seat selection by accepting the randomly assigned seat at the gate.