Phoenix-Santa Rosa Flights Elevate Wine-Country Getaways
14 October 2026
Arizona travelers eager for new wine-country escapes will soon have a fresh nonstop option out of Phoenix Sky Harbor. Starting November 1, 2026, and running through April 21, 2027, Alaska Airlines will introduce daily, seasonal flights from PHX to Santa Rosa/Sonoma County Airport (STS). The new route makes it easier than ever to explore the renowned vineyards and charming towns of California's wine-rich Napa and Sonoma Valleys.
Santa Rosa, served by Santa Rosa Airport, is the largest city in Sonoma County. The area is home to more than 400 wineries, along with a vibrant downtown scene filled with restaurants, museums, art galleries, and performing arts venues. The region is also a popular destination for outdoor enthusiasts, with attractions like the Armstrong Redwoods State Natural Reserve, the Russian River, and the scenic Sonoma Coast all nearby. The town also pays tribute to Charles M. Schulz, the famous cartoonist and creator of the Peanuts comic. But the true highlight is the area's wine country, spearheaded by its famed vineyards and wineries.
The Phoenix-Santa Rosa route will operate once per day on a 76-seat Embraer E175 aircraft. Alaska Airlines will be the second carrier to service this route, joining American Airlines in offering direct flights between these destinations. Reports indicate the route is part of a broader Santa Rosa expansion for Alaska that will grow its service out of that airport to 12 routes in total.
Though the route is seasonal, from November to April, it will operate daily. This gives Phoenix-area travelers a new option to explore the area with direct flights. Sky Harbor's announcement with Alaska marks the latest in a series of nonstop routes the airport has added in 2026. The airport has also confirmed service to Edmonton and Calgary in Canada by Porter Airlines, and to Lincoln, Nebraska, by American.
In addition to the new Alaska route, Sky Harbor has made other significant service changes in 2026. Delta Air Lines will add a seventh daily flight to Phoenix from Atlanta in May, raising the total to 14 daily departures in peak summer. Elsewhere, Air France will increase its Phoenix-Paris service from three to five flights per week in May, then switch to daily flights in June. For autumn, Delta will launch a new direct route from Phoenix to Austin, Texas, with twice-daily service beginning November 9.
For Arizona travelers, the new PHX-STS service means easier, lower-cost access to the vineyards of Sonoma County, and a simple way to escape for a weekend trip. Larger expansion of West Coast travel options this year extends beyond wine country, with four new nonstop routes added. The Santa Rosa-Phoenix flight makes wine country an especially short flight from the Valley of the Sun for part of each year.
The new Phoenix-Santa Rosa route gives Arizonans a convenient option to explore the wine country of Sonoma County, California. With no connections and a flight time under 3 hours, weekend getaways to Napa Valley and Sonoma County become much more accessible for local travelers.