Wine country turf war? Alaska Airlines adds 3 Sonoma routes, returns to Long Beach

It has only been a month since Southwest Airlines’ first planes touched down in Sonoma County, but an airline turf battle is brewing in California’s wine country.Now, the region is getting three new routes from Alaska Airlines, its longest-serving carrier.Alaska on Thursday announced it’ll 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 Nov. 1The move comes just weeks after Southwest Airlines launched service from Santa Rosa and mirrored Alaska’s long-standing “wine flies free” policy. The policy allows flyers to check a case of wine (up to 12 bottles) for free — a setup clearly meant to benefit tourists visiting Sonoma wineries.Sonoma County, California. STEVE PROEHL/THE IMAGE BANK/GETTY IMAGESHere’s the rundown of Alaska’s three new routes from Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport (STS), each of which will be seasonal service that will run during the winter months.RouteDatesAircraft<span style=”font-weight: 400;”>STS to Boise Airport (BOI)</span><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Nov. 1 through April 19, 2027; “up to daily” service</span><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Embraer 175</span><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>STS to Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)</span><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Nov. 1 through April 21; daily service</span><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Embraer 175</span><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>STS to Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC)</span><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Nov. 1 through April 21; “up to daily” service</span><span style=”font-weight: 400;”>Embraer 175</span>Fast air service growth in Sonoma CountyEven before Alaska’s expansion in 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 set to be up nearly 20% versus last year, according to data from aviation analytics firm Cirium.Come November, Alaska will link a dozen cities to Santa Rosa.Alaska Airlines’ planned route map from Sonoma County as of November 2026. CIRIUMSouthwest — which didn’t fly there until April — now has nonstop STS service from Denver, Las Vegas, San Diego and Burbank, California.Suffice it to say, if you want to visit Sonoma (or even Napa Valley) and skip the traffic of San Francisco, Oakland, San Jose or Sacramento, there’s a rapidly increasing number of flight options from which to choose.Alaska returns to Long BeachAlaska also had route news in Southern California this week.The Seattle-based carrier on Thursday revealed plans to return to Long Beach for the first time in more than a decade.On Sept. 8, Alaska will launch nonstop service from Long Beach Airport (LGB) to its Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) home base.Alaska Airlines Boeing 737-900. SEAN CUDAHY/THE POINTS GUYAlaska last flew to LGB in 2015, per Cirium.The service will offer a key link to 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.Bottom lineAlaska’s new routes bolster its long-standing West Coast network. But the reveal comes just about a week after the carrier took the latest step toward becoming a true global airline with its first service to Europe.Related reading:When is the best time to book flights for the cheapest airfare?The best airline credit cardsWhich US airline is best? TPG’s latest rankingsFlight delayed or canceled? Here’s what to doThe best credit cards to reach elite statusWhat are points and miles worth? TPG’s monthly valuationsHow your points and miles are shaping where airlines flyEditorial disclaimer: Opinions expressed here are the author’s alone, not those of any bank, credit card issuer, airline or hotel chain, and have not been reviewed, approved or otherwise endorsed by any of these entities.