Alaska Airlines Expands California Routes: Book Before Fares Rise

If you fly Alaska Airlines anywhere on the West Coast, this past week brought three separate announcements that all point the same direction: the carrier is spending real money and real airport slots to tighten its grip on California, even while it keeps integrating Hawaiian Airlines into the same combined network. The most immediate change is at Long Beach Airport, where Alaska relaunched twice-daily nonstop service to Seattle-Tacoma on Tuesday, September 8, flying Boeing 737s, its first Long Beach flying in more than a decade. Alaska pulled out of Long Beach in January 2015 and had already dropped nonstop Seattle service there back in 2009 due to weak demand. This time it is walking into a market Southwest just claimed for itself: Southwest controls roughly 86% of Long Beach's limited commercial capacity, 50 of the airport's 58 daily slots, and launched its own daily Long Beach-Seattle nonstop in August, just weeks ahead of Alaska's return. Alaska picked up its two daily slots off the airport's waitlist rather than negotiating them directly, a sign of how scarce gate access has become at Long Beach. Both carriers are now flying the same nonstop, and Alaska's introductory one-way fares started at $139 when the route was announced back in May. With two airlines fighting for the same route, fares on Long Beach-Seattle are worth watching closely this fall; head-to-head competition like this tends to produce the best pricing in the weeks right after launch, before one carrier settles into a steady rhythm. Alaska also confirmed three new seasonal routes out of Santa Rosa's Sonoma County Airport starting November 1: nonstops to Phoenix, Salt Lake City and Boise, all flown on Embraer E175 jets and running up to daily through mid-to-late April 2027. The timing is clearly built around ski season and winter sun travel, Salt Lake City and Boise both feed Utah and Idaho mountain corridors, while Phoenix covers the warm-weather-escape crowd. Alaska is already Santa Rosa's largest carrier, and these additions extend that lead. Seats on regional E175 service tend to be limited relative to mainline jets, so anyone eyeing a Wine Country-to-slopes trip this winter should book earlier rather than waiting for a holiday-week sale that may not come. The bigger milestone, symbolically, is in San Diego. Alaska is marking 40 years of service there, dating to its first flight on December 1, 1986, by launching a new nonstop to Loreto, in Mexico's Baja California Sur, its 50th nonstop destination from San Diego International. That seasonal route starts December 19 and runs through April 28, 2027, flying twice weekly on Wednesdays and Saturdays aboard Embraer E175s operated by SkyWest, with Alaska as the only carrier on the route and complimentary Starlink Wi-Fi for Atmos Rewards members. Alaska says it already offers more nonstop destinations from San Diego than any competitor, and it's using the anniversary to run a months-long guest appreciation promotion, including complimentary status giveaways, alongside plans to open one of San Diego's largest airline lounges in 2028. So what should you actually do with any of this? If a Long Beach-Seattle trip is on your calendar this fall, compare Alaska and Southwest directly rather than defaulting to whichever you usually fly, since both are running introductory-style pricing on the identical route right now. If you are planning a ski trip into Utah or Idaho, or a winter escape to Phoenix, out of Sonoma County, book your Santa Rosa seats several weeks ahead of travel, since regional jet capacity on new seasonal routes fills faster than mainline routes do. And if a Baja getaway is on your radar, Loreto is now bookable directly on alaskaair.com starting this winter, with no competing nonstop carrier to shop against, so there's no fare-comparison advantage to waiting once the schedule opens for your travel dates. Across all three moves, the throughline for travelers is the same: Alaska is actively fighting for California passengers right now, and that competitive posture, especially at Long Beach, is the kind of window that tends to produce better fares than you'll see once the dust settles. Sources Alaska Airlines Returns to Long Beach After 11 Years, Taking On Southwest - Hoodline - https://hoodline.com/2026/09/alaska-airlines-returns-to-long-beach-after-11-years-taking-on-southwest/ There's a Lot to Learn From Alaska's Return to Long Beach - Cranky Flier - https://crankyflier.com/2026/05/12/theres-a-lot-to-learn-from-alaskas-return-to-long-beach/ California dreaming: Alaska Airlines expands route network from Santa Rosa and returns to Long Beach with connection to Seattle - Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air - https://news.alaskaair.com/destinations/california-dreaming-alaska-airlines-expands-route-network-from-santa-rosa-and-returns-to-long-beach/ 40 years in San Diego: Alaska Airlines kicks off anniversary celebration with 50th nonstop destination - Alaska Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines and Horizon Air - https://news.alaskaair.com/alaska-airlines/40-years-in-san-diego-alaska-airlines-kicks-off-anniversary-with-50th-nonstop/ Alaska Airlines adds 50th nonstop destination from San Diego Airport - NBC San Diego - https://www.nbcsandiego.com/news/local/alaska-airlines-adds-50th-nonstop-destination-from-san-diego-airport/4069225/