Southwest Airlines has announced its latest destination: the Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport (STS) in Santa Rosa, California, which serves the renowned wine country.
Starting April 7, the airline will offer four routes from Santa Rosa, including daily flights to San Diego and Las Vegas. Additionally, there will be five weekly flights to Burbank and Saturday-only service to Denver.
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Located about 60 miles north of San Francisco, STS is nestled between Sonoma and Napa Counties, two of California’s premier wine regions.
With this development, Santa Rosa will have three airlines serving the airport. Alaska Airlines, the primary carrier at STS, operates eight routes, while American Airlines services two routes.
Santa Rosa marks Southwest’s 14th destination in California, a state where it has a long-standing presence. However, the airline faces increased competition, particularly from Alaska Airlines, which is rapidly expanding in San Diego, and other carriers seizing opportunities in Burbank following the exit of budget airline Avelo.
The competitive environment at STS intensified in April 2021 with Avelo’s entry, which operated up to eight routes from the airport, prompting various airlines, including Alaska, to increase service in response.
However, in July, Avelo announced it would cease operations on the West Coast, leading several carriers to introduce routes to fill the gap left by Avelo, including services from STS and Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) near Los Angeles.
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Southwest is taking over two of the routes previously offered by Avelo: Las Vegas and Burbank, where it will compete with Alaska Airlines on both routes, alongside Alaska’s expanding operations in San Diego.
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The airline highlighted the competitive nature of the California market when announcing STS as a new destination. “By adding Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport to our route map, we enhance access to California’s renowned Wine Country for our customers while reinforcing our long-standing commitment to California,” stated Andrew Watterson, Southwest’s Chief Operating Officer.
“Southwest offers more intra-California service, without regional carriers, than any other airline, leading in available seats, daily departures, and passenger numbers in the Golden State,” the airline added, though this claim notably overlooks regional affiliates of competing airlines.
In a broader context, the addition of STS is part of Southwest’s recent expansion efforts. With this new destination, the airline has announced four new routes for 2025, having not added any in the previous four years. The other new destinations include Knoxville, Tennessee; St. Thomas in the U.S. Virgin Islands; and the Caribbean island of St. Maarten.
Another destination seems to be on the horizon, as Southwest mentioned it “intends to add another new location to its route map soon.”
As for the new California destination, it remains to be seen how competitors will react. Stay tuned for updates…
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