Southwest on Tuesday officially launched operations at its 14th airport location in California.
The carrier now serves Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport, located near Santa Rosa.
First announced in September, the expansion to Sonoma County brings connections to San Diego, Las Vegas, Denver, and Burbank, California. The San Diego and Las Vegas routes are operating daily, with two roundtrip flights to San Diego on peak days. Service between Sonoma County and Burbank will initially operate five days per week, while service to Denver will operate on Saturdays only.
“We’re excited to open the door to more of California’s incredible destinations, especially the stunning wine region of Sonoma County, as we add our 14th airport to our already best-in-industry intra-California service,” Andrew Watterson, Southwest’s chief operating officer, said in a news release.
Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport is known for its decor celebrating the long-running comic strip Peanuts. It is named for the strip’s creator, who lived in Santa Rosa.
Coinciding with its arrival in wine country, Southwest said it is launching a new program, “Sip and Ship,” that will allow customers to check one case of wine at no cost from select West Coast locations. The program is expected to start on April 24.
Caribbean Service
Southwest also launched a connection to Princess Juliana International Airport in St. Maarten on Tuesday.
The airline now offers one daily roundtrip flight between St. Maarten and Orlando, Florida. A second route to the island territory, from Baltimore, will start later this week.
