It’s only been a month since the first Southwest Airlines planes landed in Sonoma County, but a turf battle is brewing between airlines in California’s wine country.
Now, the region will receive three new routes from Alaska Airlines, its longest-serving airline.
Alaska announced Thursday that it will launch service this fall from Sonoma to three western cities: Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Boise, Idaho.
Each of the new routes will begin on November 1.
The move comes just weeks after Southwest Airlines service launched of Santa Rosa and reflected Alaska’s long-standing “wine flies free” policy. The policy allows travelers to review a case of wine (up to 12 bottles) for free, a setup clearly intended to benefit tourists visiting Sonoma wineries.
Here’s the rundown of Alaska’s three new routes from Sonoma County Airport (STS) Charles M. Schulz, each of which will be seasonal service operating during the winter months.
| Route | Dates | Aircraft |
|---|---|---|
|
STS to Boise Airport (BOI)
|
from November 1 to April 19, 2027; “Up to date” service |
Embraer 175 |
|
STS to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)
|
from November 1 to April 21; daily service |
Embraer 175 |
|
STS to Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)
|
from November 1 to April 21; “Up to date” service |
Embraer 175 |
Rapid growth of air service in Sonoma County
Even before Alaska’s expansion into Sonoma County, the airport had seen a notable increase in air service this year.
During the first half of 2026, the total number of departures from STS was expected to increase almost 20% from last year, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.
In November, Alaska will link a dozen cities with Santa Rosa.
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Southwest, which didn’t fly there until April, now has nonstop STS service from Denver, Las Vegas, San Diego and Burbank, California.
Suffice to say, if you want to visit Sonoma (or even Napa Valley) and avoid the traffic of San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose, or Sacramento, there are an increasing number of flight options to choose from.
Alaska returns to Long Beach
Alaska also had news about routes in Southern California this week.
The Seattle-based airline revealed plans Thursday to return to Long Beach for the first time in more than a decade.
On September 8, Alaska will launch nonstop service from Long Beach Airport (LGB) to its home base at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA).
Alaska last flew to LGB in 2015, according to Cirium.
The service will provide a key link with Hawaiian Airlines, now part of Alaska Air Group, which flies from Long Beach to Honolulu and Maui.
Alaska will operate its SEA-LGB service with one of its Boeing 737s.
In a nutshell
Alaska’s new routes reinforce its old West Coast network. But the revelation comes just a week after the airline took the final step toward becoming a truly global airline with its First service to Europe.
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