Alaska Airlines to Launch Service Between Sonoma County and Las Vegas

Alaska will launch daily, nonstop service from Santa Rosa/Sonoma County (STS) to Las Vegas (LAS) this fall, reaffirming its presence on the West Coast.

Let’s dive into this new route and how to book it!

Alaska’s Newest Route From the Bay Area

The new route between Sonoma County and Las Vegas begins on Oct. 1, 2024, and Alaska will fly its 3-class Embraer 175 regional jet.

Alaska was the first carrier to begin commercial service at Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport nearly 20 years ago, and the new route will become the carrier’s seventh destination from Napa Valley. Today, Alaska offers service from this airport to Los Angeles (LAX), Burbank (BUR), Orange County (SNA), Seattle (SEA), Portland (PDX), and San Diego (SAN).

Sonoma County is world-famous for its wine, so you’re probably interested in taking a few bottles back home. Alaska’s Wine Flies Free program offers Mileage Plan members the ability to check a case of wine — up to 12 bottles — for free.

“As the only airline serving all four Bay Area airports, including Santa Rosa, San Francisco, San Jose and Oakland, we can’t wait to connect guests between Santa Rosa and Las Vegas and have them experience our premium, award-winning service,” said Kirsten Amrine, vice president of network planning and revenue management at Alaska.

Alaska’s new route competes directly with low-cost startup carrier Avelo, which currentlly offers 4x weekly service on the exact same flight between Santa Rosa/Sonoma County and Las Vegas. In fact, Avelo announced a new crew base from the Sonoma County airport at the beginning of 2024.

How to Book

Alaska’s tickets for the route are now on sale and start at $134 round-trip for an economy ticket. (Alaska offers 3 types of fares: the most restrictive Saver, Main, and the flexible First Class.)

However, this could be an excellent time to put your Mileage Plan miles to use, especially if you want to save money. That’s because tickets on this route start at just 5,000 miles each way, plus $6 in taxes — a true steal.

Alaska Mileage Plan miles aren’t the easiest to earn, but they are incredibly valuable. In fact, they are the highest-valued airline miles out there, according to our monthly valuations. Here are some ways you can earn Mileage Plan miles:

• Through welcome bonuses and spending on Alaska co-branded credit cards
• Transferring points from Marriott Bonvoy at a 3:1 ratio
• (New!) Transferring Bilt Rewards points at a 1:1 ratio
• Referring a friend for bonus miles
• Shopping through the Mileage Plan Shopping portal
• Mileage Plan Dining

Final Thoughts

Alaska has launched a route between Santa Rosa/Sonoma County — the heart of California’s wine country — to Las Vegas, which is great news for travelers living in either region. With award flights starting at just 5,000 miles, this is an excellent way to visit Las Vegas or Sonoma County on a budget!