Southwest Airlines launched new flights from Charles M. Schulz – Sonoma County airport on Tuesday, connecting California’s wine country with the airline’s sprawling network across the United States.
Santa Rosa passengers, community leaders, and local businesspeople gathered to celebrate the arrival of a new airline at the airport alongside hometown mascot Snoopy and plenty of groundside festivities.
Airport Manager Jon Stout said he has been working to bring Southwest to Santa Rosa for over 15 years. He said the departure of Avelo Airlines last year created an opportunity for Southwest to begin operations from the airport.
“We’re looking at a 30% increase in seats for the next three quarters of this year,” said Stout.
The airport handled over 386,489 passengers in 2025 — a 61% increase from 2019 levels.
Southwest is one of the largest airlines in the U.S. by passengers carried, with over 166 million people flying the airline in 2025. It operates a large hub from nearby Oakland San Francisco Bay Airport but primarily runs on a point-to-point model that directly connects cities without requiring layovers.
The airline will connect Sonoma County to San Diego, Las Vegas, Denver, and Burbank with nonstop service.
Southwest Chief Operating Officer Andrew Watterson said Santa Rosa will be the airline’s 14th destination in California. He said the new routes will expand their offerings and not interfere with their services from other Bay Area airports.
“We have Oakland, San Jose, and SFO, and we’re committed to all three of those, and want to add more service there,” said Watterson. “You see lots of big metro regions where there’s multiple airports and we serve all of them, or as many as we can. So, to us, it’s just giving people the neighborhood airport service they desire.”
Local businesses also joined in on the celebration at Flying Ace, the airport’s main — and only — restaurant.
Ananda Sweet, CEO of the Santa Rosa Metro Chamber, said more commercial passenger flights are a boon for Sonoma County, where more than 80% of businesses are small and local.
“The bulk of our businesses in Sonoma County are small local businesses,” said Sweet. “While our major employers need this kind of connectivity for their business needs, we also need to be able to bring people here and support our small, local businesses, too, that are really the engine of our economy.”
Passengers on the inaugural Las Vegas-bound flight arrived early to take part in the welcoming event. Dex Howell, a 25-year Santa Rosa resident, said the new service will make traveling easier and less stressful — and he hopes to see Southwest expand its presence at the airport over time.
“I think that they just add another level of competition and flights,” said Howell. “A lot of people fly Southwest, and so I think a lot of people are happy that they’re here.”