Southwest Airlines has launched new service at Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport, adding additional nonstop routes that could impact travel options for Sonoma State University students.
The expansion by Southwest Airlines includes flights to destinations such as Burbank, San Diego, Las Vegas, and Denver, increasing connectivity between Sonoma County and major cities across California.
Southwest Airlines said the Santa Rosa expansion is part of a broader network growth, making the airport as its 14th in California and reinforcing its presence in the state. “We are proud to add Santa Rosa/Sonoma County as our 14th airport in California,” a Southwest Airlines spokesperson said.
For some Sonoma State students, the new service could make travel more accessible and affordable, particularly for those traveling to Southern California.
“Southwest flights out of Santa Rosa would make traveling both easier and more affordable,” said Ava Gorman, a third-year psychology major at Sonoma State University. “Having a local option would simplify the process and reduce overall travel time.”
Gorman said that easier access to flights may have influenced her decision to attend Sonoma State. “As a student from Southern California, proximity to home and ease of travel were important considerations,” she said. “Direct flights would have made Sonoma State feel more accessible and convenient.”
Other students said their travel habits differ, but still see value in expanded flight options.
Jaden Villarreal, a third-year student majoring in Communications and minoring in Business and a Sonoma State student, said he typically drives between campus and Los Angeles, describing the trip as time-consuming despite offering flexibility.
“The drive back and forth is not necessarily challenging, just very time consuming,” he said. “I would rather just pay for a tank of gas then spend money on a plane ticket.”
However, he said the addition of new flights at the Santa Rosa airport could still benefit students.
“Being able to use an airport that’s only about 30 minutes away rather than going to San Francisco or Oakland is definitely more desirable,” he said.
Joshua Oldt, a fourth-year biology major at Sonoma State University, said he has had a generally positive experience traveling through the Santa Rosa airport, noting its size and efficiency compared to larger airports.
“The airport itself is relatively small and easy to navigate, which makes the overall travel experience much less stressful compared to larger airports,” Oldt said.
He also pointed to the potential benefits of increased airline competition.
“Alaska holds somewhat of a monopoly from Santa Rosa to Burbank or LAX,” he said. “I hope Southwest will provide that competition for Alaska, forcing them to minimize prices.”
Oldt said increased flight options could improve convenience for students from out-of-state regions such as Texas, Colorado, and Hawaii, who otherwise rely on larger airports like San Francisco or Oakland.
Airport officials said they could not comment on Southwest Airlines’ route decisions, noting that such motivations are determined by the airline. However, they noted that the addition of service suggests sufficient demand in Sonoma County. “We can conclude that they found Sonoma County to have sufficiently high demand to justify a market presence,” said David McCluskey, airport marketing specialist at Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport.
