Five new nonstop destinations coming to San Diego from Alaska Airlines

Alaska Airlines continues to double down on San Diego, announcing Monday that it will add five nonstop destinations in the spring — spanning the country, from Dallas to Santa Barbara.

With the new routes, plus increased flight frequency to other destinations, Alaska estimates a 35% year-over-year growth in overall seat capacity from spring of this year to spring of 2026.

Beginning March 18, Alaska will launch a daily nonstop between San Diego and Tulsa, Okla., with four more new destinations to follow on April 22. Those are Dallas-Forth Worth, which will operate twice daily; Raleigh-Durham, a daily flight; Oakland, which will be four times a day; and Santa Barbara, which will operate twice daily.

“Alaska Airlines is committed to serving San Diegans with the broadest and most relevant network of direct destinations from San Diego International Airport,” said Neil Thwaites, regional vice president of California at Alaska Airlines. “Many of these destinations are among the most traveled from San Diego that are currently unserved by us, and so these announcements fill key utility gaps to ensure our guests can get to everywhere they want to go on Alaska Airlines and our broad network of global partners.”

While three of Alaska’s new nonstops are served by other airlines at San Diego International Airport, Tulsa and Santa Barbara are not, said airport spokesperson Nicole Hall.

In addition to the new routes, Thwaites said, Alaska Airlines will also be increasing frequencies on existing routes, such as Santa Rosa, San Jose and Austin.

While Alaska isn’t San Diego’s largest airline, it currently offers the most nonstops — 49, with the latest additions — of any other carrier. Among new destinations already added this year are Phoenix, Denver, Chicago O’Hare, Reagan National in Washington, D.C., and Medford, Ore.

The latest expansion, which also includes new flights out of Portland, Ore., appears to be coming at the expense of several cuts to routes at Los Angeles and San Francisco international airports. Alaska Airlines on Monday confirmed reports that it will permanently exit out of six routes from San Francisco and three from Los Angeles.

“These adjustments are firmly rooted in the need to be disciplined with our aircraft in 2026, as fewer new aircraft enter our fleet, Alaska said in a statement provided to the Union-Tribune. “Although these decisions are difficult, SFO and LAX remain key markets for us.

“Our strategic growth plan focuses on building scale, relevance, and loyalty — essential to success in the airline industry. San Francisco remains a crucial part of our long-term growth. At SFO, we’re seeing positive signs of a rebound in business travel and healthy holiday bookings — something we’re keeping a very close eye on.”

The airline noted that even with the planned cuts, it will serve more California airports year-round than any other airline.

As evidence of Alaska’s commitment to growing its presence in its San Diego hub, the airline announced last month that it’s planning to develop a new lounge at the San Diego airport’s Terminal 2, with construction expected to begin in 2027.