Alaska Adds Five New San Diego Routes for Spring

Alaska Airlines will accelerate its San Diego build-up next spring, adding five routes on April 22, 2026, to Dallas Fort Worth, Raleigh Durham, Oakland, and Santa Barbara, and introducing daily San Diego-Tulsa on March 18, 2026. The network push follows the first phase opening of San Diego International Airport's New Terminal 1, which brought 19 gates online this fall, and is part of a 13-route announcement that also adds new links from Portland and Seattle and a summer Hawaiʻi flight from Burbank. Travelers gain more nonstop options and denser schedules on short-haul California corridors, plus a new one-stop gateway to mid-continent cities via Tulsa.

Alaska Airlines Network Expansion

The San Diego additions reflect Alaska's stated strategy to grow where new airport capacity and customer demand align. The carrier says its San Diego flying will be up more than 35 percent year over year next spring, reaching 49 nonstop destinations. The five SAN routes break out as follows, all starting April 22, 2026, except Tulsa, which begins March 18, 2026: Dallas Fort Worth and Santa Barbara twice daily, Oakland four times daily, Raleigh Durham daily, and Tulsa daily. Aircraft will vary by market, with Boeing 737 service planned on the longer hauls and Embraer 175s on shorter California hops.

Tulsa is also new to Alaska's map. In coordination with the airline, Tulsa International Airport confirmed that Alaska will enter the market with daily nonstops to both Seattle and San Diego on March 18, 2026, expanding connectivity in Oklahoma and offering West Coast one-stops to the Pacific Northwest and Southern California.

Latest developments

Alaska framed the moves as part of a 13-route spring package focused on San Diego, Portland, and Hawaiʻi. From Portland on May 13, 2026, the airline plans daily flights to Baltimore, Philadelphia, and St. Louis, plus a daily summer seasonal flight to Idaho Falls. Separately, the carrier will start daily Seattle-Arcata-Eureka on April 8, 2026, and daily Seattle-Tulsa on March 18, 2026. A summer-season daily Honolulu-Burbank flight also begins May 13, 2026.

Analysis

For San Diego-area travelers, the immediate wins are schedule breadth and new city pairs. Four daily Oakland flights and twice-daily Santa Barbara service add high-frequency options for business and leisure trips within California, while Dallas Fort Worth and Raleigh Durham expand transcontinental connecting choices on Alaska's partner network. Daily Tulsa service opens a new one-stop path to secondary Midwestern and Southern markets via Alaska and partners.

Infrastructure matters here. San Diego's New Terminal 1, which opened its first 19 gates in September, is enabling airlines to shift banks and add departures in peak periods. The facility's larger ticketing hall, expanded security lanes, and new baggage systems should ease pinch points that constrained growth in the previous Terminal 1 footprint. As more phases open, airlines will have additional options to retime flights and add capacity. Travelers making tight connections should still build in buffer time while the airport continues phased construction.

Background: Alaska's West Coast focus has long balanced point-to-point California flying with hubs in Seattle and Portland. The 2026 plan leans into that formula by shifting capacity from Los Angeles and San Francisco to markets where gates and growth opportunities are more available. Independent analyses of the announcement highlight San Diego and Portland as beneficiaries, with Bay Area and Los Angeles frequencies trimmed to "make room" for the spring adds. For travelers, that likely means more nonstops from San Diego and Portland, with some reduced options at legacy Alaska stations in California's largest metro areas.

What to watch next: filed schedules and aircraft assignments can still shift as Alaska finalizes summer timetables and coordinates with airports. The airline has flagged network adjustments tied to aircraft availability, so customers should monitor email notifications and re-check itineraries as we approach March and April. Expect introductory fares and competitive responses on overlapping routes once tickets are fully loaded.

Final thoughts

Alaska's spring 2026 push, centered on San Diego's new capacity, delivers five new SAN routes, a fresh Tulsa link, and broader West Coast connectivity. For travelers based in Southern California, the additions bring more choice on key business and leisure corridors and underscore the value of San Diego's New Terminal 1 improvements.

Sources

• Alaska Airlines strengthens commitment with 13 new routes, Alaska Newsroom
• Alaska Airlines 13 new routes and added frequencies, PR Newswire
• Alaska Airlines to launch San Diego and Seattle service at Tulsa, Tulsa International Airport
• New Terminal 1 opens with 19 gates, San Diego International Airport
• 2026 is Alaska's year of San Diego and Portland, Cranky Flier
• Alaska to add 13 routes in spring 2026, Business Travel News