dailynewsnblog
Alaska Airlines has been growing substantially at 
San Diego International Airport (SAN) recently. OAG data shows that the 
oneworld member has scheduled 8.5 million round-trip seats for sale in 2026. The airline’s capacity has exceeded the prior high, held in 2025, by a substantial 38%.
An additional 2.3 million seats have been added in 12 months, which is a phenomenal amount. This is partly because of growing head-to-head competition with 
Southwest Airlines. Compared to 2025, Southwest has added 2.2 million seats, with multiple new routes. Clearly, the pair’s considerable expansion in very little time is great for passengers, if not for the airlines.
Alaska Airlines Announces 50th Route From San Diego
Each week, airlines submit schedule changes to platforms such as Cirium and OAG. While updates could include many things, the revelation of new routes is, of course, usually the most enticing development. Alaska Airlines has just disclosed that it’d begin flying from SAN to the growing Mexican tourist destination of Loreto, served by Loreto International Airport (LTO). It is the airline’s 50th route from SAN.
Covering 507 nautical miles (939 km) each way, flights on the new airport pair will begin on December 19 in time for Christmas and the peak season. SkyWest’s 76-seat Embraer E175s will serve the relatively short link on Wednesdays and Saturdays through April 28, 2027.
The US Department of Transportation (DOT) shows that this will be the first time that nonstop flights have existed since 
Aeromexico operated from 2002 to 2006. 52,181 round-trip passengers were transported, and just 61.1% of the seats were filled. At least Alaska will be able to feed flights elsewhere via SAN, including across the West Coast. This includes 
San Francisco International Airport (SFO), as the carrier’s flights from SFO to LTO ended in April 2026.
Days | SAN To LTO; Local Times | LTO To SAN; Local Times |
|---|---|---|
Wednesdays and Saturdays | AS3474: 11:55 AM-2:55 PM | AS3474*: 3:45 PM-5:00 PM |
* Same number in both directions |
Loading map…
Drag to explore
Alaska Airlines’ 50 Routes From San Diego
As of September 9 and subject to change, the carrier’s full list of routes from SAN is as follows. This is based on what is currently scheduled for September 2026 to July 2027. Other routes may be announced soon. Conversely, it is possible that some rationalization may take place following the enormous expansion this year.
47 domestic routes will now be available. Five have been added in 2026: Dallas/Fort Worth, Oakland, Reno, Santa Barbara, and Tulsa. Alaska Airlines will compete directly with 
American Airlines and Frontier Airlines to Texas’s busiest airport, and with Southwest to Oakland, Reno, and Santa Barbara. Yes: even Santa Barbara now has two carriers. Only Tulsa will not have direct competition. Oklahoma’s second most populous city was last served by Frontier in 2018.
Given ‘only’ five additional markets, the vast majority of Alaska Airlines’ domestic expansion (seats for sale have jumped by 39% compared to 2025) is from higher frequencies on existing links. This is particularly due to more flights on the E175 (+48%), with that equipment enabling network breadth.
Three international markets will now be served. Funnily enough, that figure is not a record. Alaska Airlines previously flew from San Diego to Cancun (until 2024), Mexico City (until 2018), Vancouver (until 2010), and Zihuatanejo (until 2024). Perhaps it is no wonder that international capacity is not at a record level. Still, more seats for sale exist in 2026 than for the past eight years.
From SAN To…* | |
|---|---|
Domestic | Anchorage (AK), Austin (TX), Boise (ID), Boston (MA), Bozeman (MT), Chicago O’Hare (IL), Dallas/Fort Worth (TX), Denver (CO), Eugene (OR), Everett (WA), Fort Lauderdale (FL), Fresno (CA), Honolulu (HA), Jackson Hole (WY), Kahului (HA), Kalispell (MT), Kona (HA), Las Vegas (NV), Lihue (HA), Medford (OR), Missoula (MT), Monterey (CA), Newark (NJ), New York JFK (NY), Oakland (CA), Orlando (FL), Phoenix (AZ), Portland (OR), Raleigh/Durham (NC), Redmond (OR), Reno (NV), Sacramento (CA), Salt Lake City (UT), San Francisco (CA), San José (CA), San Luis Obispo (CA), Santa Barbara (CA), Santa Rosa (CA), Seattle (WA), Spokane (WA), Steamboat Springs (CO), Sun Valley (ID), Tampa (FL), Tulsa (OK), Vail (CO), Washington Dulles (VA), Washington National (DC) |
International | Loreto (MX), Los Cabos (MX), Puerto Vallarta (MX) |
* Operating at any point between September 2026 and July 2027 |
Alaska Airlines & Southwest Now Compete Directly On 29 San Diego Routes
Alaska Airlines now has 50 routes from SAN, while Southwest has 47. The latter operator has added nine routes this year: SAN to Boston, Bozeman, Fort Lauderdale, Kahului, Puerto Vallarta, Santa Barbara, Santa Rosa, Seattle, and Spokane. The pair will now compete head-to-head on flights to a considerable 29 destinations.
Alaska Airlines has the most capacity (of the two carriers) to Austin, Boston, Bozeman, Eugene, Fort Lauderdale, Fresno, Honolulu, Kahului, Kona, Lihue, Los Cabos, Orlando, Portland, Puerto Vallarta, Santa Barbara, Santa Rosa, Seattle, Spokane, and Tampa. Southwest will lead the pair to Boise, Denver, Las Vegas, Oakland, Phoenix, Reno, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Francisco, and San José.
