Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport is rolling toward Southwest Airlines’ April debut after logging 45,804 passengers in February, a month airport officials say reflects a patchwork of airline activity that does not yet show what a major low-cost carrier might do to the numbers.
According to Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport’s monthly tally, February’s 45,804 passengers followed January’s 47,201 and brought the year-to-date total to 93,005. The airport’s public page lists month-by-month data going back several years and serves as the data set county officials watch to track seasonal trends.
Alaska Soars While Overall Traffic Slips
As reported by The Press Democrat, February’s traffic was dominated by Alaska Airlines, which carried 38,924 passengers, while American Airlines handled 6,880. Those gains were not enough to pull the overall total into positive territory: the airport’s February traffic was down about 7.5% year over year, even as Alaska jumped 21.4% and American edged up 5.6%.
Southwest Touches Down April 7 With Four Routes
As announced by Southwest Airlines, service is set to begin April 7, 2026, with initial nonstop flights to Burbank, San Diego, Las Vegas and Denver. The airline says San Diego and Las Vegas will operate daily, Burbank will start at five days per week, and Denver will run on Saturdays only at launch, a schedule the airport notes could shift once actual demand comes into focus.
Fees, Parking and a Bigger Revenue Picture
County agenda materials show the airport has been updating its Master Fee Schedule with dozens of line items covering aircraft storage, landing fees, ground leases and vehicle parking. The Board of Supervisors’ agenda materials and the Master Fee Schedule PDF outline the changes and estimate that the FY25-26 package will generate roughly $819,834 in additional airport revenue…