Southwest Airlines hasn’t even landed in Santa Rosa yet, but they are already doubling down on the North Bay.
The North Bay Business Journal says airport officials confirmed this week that due to high demand and strong advanced bookings, Southwest will expand its upcoming Denver service before it even begins. Originally slated as a Saturday-only route, the airline will now fly between Santa Rosa and Denver five days a week starting August 26th.
Airport Manager Jon Stout says the expansion comes at a critical time. While overall passenger numbers for 2025 are currently up four percent, heavy tule fog over the last three weeks has triggered a wave of flight cancellations, likely keeping the airport from breaking its all-time traffic record this year.
In other travel news, STS is looking toward the islands. Stout recently met with Alaska Airlines to discuss potential direct flights to Honolulu. Alaska is currently testing a similar route out of Burbank to see if the aircraft can handle Santa Rosa’s shorter runway.
Finally, a “Battle for Dallas” may be brewing. With Southwest potentially eyeing routes to Dallas Love Field in the future, Stout hopes the competition will push American Airlines to finally turn its seasonal service to Dallas-Fort Worth into a year-round flight.