Southwest adds 1 new city in 4-route California expansion
Southwest Airlines has tapped a small airport serving California wine country as its newest destination.
The flights to Santa Rosa's Charles M. Schulz — Sonoma County Airport (STS) in Northern California will begin April 7 and come amid an intensifying turf war in the Golden State.
Southwest will fly four routes from Santa Rosa, including daily service to both San Diego and Las Vegas. Flights to Burbank will operate five times per week, while the Denver service will be Saturdays only.
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STS sits about 60 miles north of San Francisco in Sonoma County and next to Napa County — two of California's best-known wine regions.
Southwest's arrival will give Santa Rosa three carriers. Alaska Airlines, the busiest carrier at STS, flies eight routes from the airport, while American Airlines offers two.
Santa Rosa will be Southwest's 14th destination in California, a state where Southwest has long enjoyed a strong presence. But the carrier faces new competitive pressures there, particularly from Alaska Airlines' rapid growth in San Diego and from carriers trying to fill the void in Burbank from the impending exit of budget carrier Avelo Airlines.
Competition at STS revved into high gear in April 2021 with the arrival of startup Avelo, which eventually flew as many as eight routes from STS. That drew a competitive response from several airlines in the West, including Alaska, at STS.
But Avelo announced in July that it would abandon its entire West Coast operation, prompting a number of carriers to unveil routes backfilling service that it had offered from numerous airports — including STS and Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) near Los Angeles.
Now, Southwest is picking up two of the STS routes being left by Avelo: Las Vegas and Burbank. Southwest will compete with Alaska on both routes, as well as with Alaska's fast-growing operation in San Diego.
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Southwest referenced the competitive California aviation market in announcing STS as its newest destination.
"Adding Charles M. Schulz Sonoma County Airport to our route map provides more access to California's famed Wine Country for our Customers and further solidifies our yearslong commitment to California," Andrew Watterson, Southwest's chief operating officer, said in a statement.
"Southwest® offers, without regional carriers, more intra-California service than any other airline. It also leads in available seats, daily departures, and proudly carries the most passengers in the Golden State," Southwest added in the statement — though excluding regional affiliates of its rivals dramatically undercounts their market share.
More broadly, the addition of STS continues a recent expansion spree by Southwest. With the new destination, the airline has now announced four new destinations in 2025 after not adding any during the previous four years. The other new destinations announced this year are Knoxville, Tennessee; St. Thomas in the United States Virgin Islands; and St. Maarten in the Caribbean.
At least one more appears to be on the way, with Southwest saying it "intends to moor another new destination to its route map soon."
Meanwhile, for Southwest's new California city, it remains to be seen if — or how — rivals might respond there. Stay tuned ...
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- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
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| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 4X | Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year. |
| 3X | Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com. |
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Why We Chose It
There’s a lot to love about the Amex Gold. It’s a fan favorite thanks to its fantastic bonus-earning rates at restaurants worldwide and at U.S. supermarkets. If you’re hitting the skies soon, you’ll also earn bonus Membership Rewards points on travel. Paired with up to $120 in Uber Cash annually (for U.S. Uber rides or Uber Eats orders, card must be added to Uber app and you can redeem with any Amex card), up to $120 in annual dining statement credits to be used with eligible partners, an up to $84 Dunkin’ credit each year at U.S. Dunkin Donuts and an up to $100 Resy credit annually, there’s no reason that foodies shouldn’t add the Amex Gold to their wallet. These benefits alone are worth more than $400, which offsets the $325 annual fee on the Amex Gold card. Enrollment is required for select benefits.Pros
- 4 points per dollar spent on dining at restaurants worldwide and U.S. supermarkets (on the first $50,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter and $25,000 in purchases per calendar year; then 1 point per dollar spent thereafter, respectively)
- 3 points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with the airline or with amextravel.com
- Packed with credits foodies will enjoy
- Solid welcome bonus
Cons
- Not as useful for those living outside the U.S.
- Some may have trouble using Uber and other dining credits
- You may be eligible for as high as 100,000 Membership Rewards® Points after you spend $6,000 in eligible purchases on your new Card in your first 6 months of Card Membership. Welcome offers vary and you may not be eligible for an offer. Apply to know if you’re approved and find out your exact welcome offer amount – all with no credit score impact. If you’re approved and choose to accept the Card, your score may be impacted.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on purchases at restaurants worldwide, on up to $50,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 4X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent at US supermarkets, on up to $25,000 in purchases per calendar year, then 1X points for the rest of the year.
- Earn 3X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on flights booked directly with airlines or on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 2X Membership Rewards® points per dollar spent on prepaid hotels and other eligible purchases booked on AmexTravel.com.
- Earn 1X Membership Rewards® point per dollar spent on all other eligible purchases.
- $120 Uber Cash on Gold: Add your Gold Card to your Uber account and get $10 in Uber Cash each month to use on orders and rides in the U.S. when you select an American Express Card for your transaction. That’s up to $120 Uber Cash annually. Plus, after using your Uber Cash, use your Card to earn 4X Membership Rewards® points for Uber Eats purchases made with restaurants or U.S. supermarkets. Point caps and terms apply.
- $84 Dunkin' Credit: With the $84 Dunkin' Credit, you can earn up to $7 in monthly statement credits after you enroll and pay with the American Express® Gold Card at U.S. Dunkin' locations. Enrollment is required to receive this benefit.
- $100 Resy Credit: Get up to $100 in statement credits each calendar year after you pay with the American Express® Gold Card to dine at U.S. Resy restaurants or make other eligible Resy purchases. That's up to $50 in statement credits semi-annually. Enrollment required.
- $120 Dining Credit: Satisfy your cravings, sweet or savory, with the $120 Dining Credit. Earn up to $10 in statement credits monthly when you pay with the American Express® Gold Card at Grubhub, The Cheesecake Factory, Goldbelly, Wine.com, and Five Guys. Enrollment required.
- Explore over 1,000 upscale hotels worldwide with The Hotel Collection and receive a $100 credit towards eligible charges* with every booking of two nights or more through AmexTravel.com. *Eligible charges vary by property.
- No Foreign Transaction Fees.
- Annual Fee is $325.
- Terms Apply.