New Ontario And Burbank Honolulu Flights In 2026

Passengers in Southern California planning Hawaii or coastal California trips next year will soon have new ways to skip Los Angeles International entirely, because Southwest is adding daily Ontario Honolulu flights from June 4 2026, plus peak day Burbank Honolulu flying from August 4, alongside a fresh San Diego Santa Barbara route and new Long Beach Seattle and Portland service. The changes put Southwest head to head with Alaska on several key pairs where Alaska already sells nonstop seats, adding competition and schedule choice from Ontario, Burbank, San Diego, and Long Beach. Travelers who lock in dates early will have a much better chance of grabbing lower fares or award redemptions on the new routes before peak summer demand catches up.

In plain terms, Ontario Honolulu flights 2026 and the parallel Burbank Honolulu launch shift some Hawaii traffic away from LAX and Long Beach, while the new San Diego Santa Barbara link and the Long Beach Seattle and Portland flights round out a broader West Coast push that gives Southern California based travelers more nonstops to the Pacific and the Pacific Northwest.

What Is Changing On The New Hawaii Routes

Southwest will introduce daily nonstop service between Ontario International Airport (ONT) and Daniel K. Inouye International Airport (HNL) in Honolulu starting June 4 2026, creating a second carrier option on a route Alaska already operates with daily nonstop flights. Ontario airport officials say the flight is planned as a morning departure from Ontario with an evening return from Honolulu, which keeps same day hotel check in and family friendly timings practical on both ends.

On August 4 2026, Southwest will add a new Burbank Honolulu link from Hollywood Burbank Airport (BUR) on peak travel days, also aimed squarely at leisure demand. Alaska has already announced its own daily seasonal Burbank Honolulu service beginning May 13 2026, which means that by late summer both airlines will be selling nonstop seats from the smaller San Fernando Valley airport to Honolulu, an airport that has not had direct Hawaii service in more than twenty years.

For travelers, the Hawaii pieces of this expansion mainly do three things. First, they create a second Southern California basin alternative to LAX and Long Beach for Honolulu trips, which matters for anyone in the Inland Empire or the northern Los Angeles suburbs who would rather avoid the 405 and 105 entirely. Second, they introduce head to head competition with Alaska on Ontario Honolulu and Burbank Honolulu, which should, in theory, put downward pressure on fares, especially outside peak holiday peaks. Third, they give Southwest loyalists more options to redeem Rapid Rewards points on Hawaii flights from airports closer to home, instead of backtracking through LAX.

How The San Diego Santa Barbara Route Fits In

The mainland piece that may matter most to California based travelers is the new link between San Diego International Airport (SAN) and Santa Barbara Municipal Airport (SBA). Southwest plans to start daily San Diego Santa Barbara flights on August 4 2026, just a few months after Alaska launches its own SAN SBA nonstops on April 22 2026, eventually offering two daily flights in that market.

For Santa Barbara travelers, this finally turns San Diego from an often awkward connection via other hubs into a simple one stop gateway for Boston, Hawaii, and multiple East Coast and Midwest destinations, regardless of whether they prefer Southwest or Alaska. For San Diego based travelers, Southwest's entry gives an additional way to reach Santa Barbara without driving Highway 101 or I 5, which can be heavily congested on weekends and holiday periods.

Because Alaska and Southwest use different terminals and alliances, however, travelers trying to mix tickets between the two carriers will need to allow extra buffer time, especially on self built connections. Same carrier connects through San Diego should be straightforward as long as passengers follow normal minimum connection time guidance and avoid tight turnarounds in peak travel periods.

Long Beach Links To Seattle And Portland

Southwest is also using this announcement to restore and grow its network from Long Beach Airport (LGB), which has some of the tightest slot and noise constraints in the country. From August 4 2026, Southwest will operate six flights per week between Long Beach and Seattle Tacoma International Airport (SEA), plus six flights per week between Long Beach and Portland International Airport (PDX), re entering city pairs it has flown before and going up against established Alaska services at both endpoints.

These Long Beach routes mainly benefit Orange County and southeast Los Angeles County residents who find LAX and John Wayne Airport crowded or inconvenient. The limited six day per week pattern, rather than full daily, reflects both slot rules at Long Beach and a focus on higher yielding business and leisure peaks, so travelers needing very specific departure days may still find more flexibility from LAX or other area airports.

San Diego As A Growth Hub

Underpinning all of these changes is Southwest's decision to push San Diego to an all time high of roughly 139 peak day departures in late summer 2026, helped by new gates and terminal infrastructure at SAN. Alongside the San Diego Santa Barbara addition, Southwest is doubling San Diego flights to Portland, Seattle, and Salt Lake City on August 4 2026, which will make laddered connections between Southern California, the Pacific Northwest, and the Mountain West easier inside its own network.

This San Diego growth also positions Southwest as a more direct competitor to Alaska's own expansion in the city, which includes the same San Diego Santa Barbara nonstop plus several new long haul routes to Dallas Fort Worth, Tulsa, and Raleigh Durham. Travelers who live closer to San Diego than to LAX may increasingly be able to treat SAN as their main hub, using either Southwest or Alaska for a large share of domestic trips.

How These Routes Compete With Alaska

The new Southwest routes overlay with Alaska in three key places. First, on Ontario Honolulu, where Alaska already runs daily nonstops and markets the route heavily to both Hawaii vacationers and VFR travelers. Second, on Burbank Honolulu, where Alaska will reach the market in May 2026, and Southwest will follow in August with peak day capacity in the same summer season. Third, on San Diego Santa Barbara, where Alaska will be first mover in April 2026, and Southwest joins four months later.

From a traveler perspective, this should translate into more schedule choice and, at least initially, some fare competition as the carriers seek to fill new seats. It also creates more flexibility on irregular operations days, because passengers may be able to switch airports or airlines in the same region to salvage a trip if weather or other disruptions hit. However, anyone booking nonrefundable fares or basic economy style products should still read change rules carefully, because lower promotional fares around launches may carry stricter conditions.

Booking Windows And Practical Planning

Southwest has extended its schedule through September 2026, which means that summer and early shoulder season dates for all of these new routes are already open for booking. That long runway is especially useful for Hawaii trips, where families and wedding parties often plan many months in advance, and for university calendars that drive demand between Southern California and Santa Barbara.

Travelers intent on using Rapid Rewards or Alaska Mileage Plan and Atmos Rewards points for these flights should move quickly on the first waves of availability, because launch timetables tend to fill with award bookings before cash fares move much. Conversely, very price sensitive travelers who are flexible on dates might find better deals by watching sale periods and midweek flights once the routes have matured and airlines have real load factor data.

How This Fits Into Southwest's Wider Strategy

Taken together, the Ontario Honolulu, Burbank Honolulu, San Diego Santa Barbara, and Long Beach Seattle and Portland moves show Southwest leaning even harder into California flying after a period of network consolidation. They complement recent news that Southwest will begin interlining with Philippine Airlines on certain international itineraries, which could eventually make it easier to string together domestic Southwest flights like these with long haul Asia services from West Coast gateways.

For now, though, the message to travelers is straightforward. If you live in the Inland Empire, the San Fernando Valley, North San Diego County, or the coastal strip near Long Beach, you will have more nonstops and more choice in summer 2026 than you did before, particularly if your goal is Honolulu, the Pacific Northwest, or Santa Barbara. That should cut both drive times to the airport and connection times in the air for many trips, even if the most competitive fares still require some flexibility on exact travel dates.

Sources

• [Book On Southwest Today For Late Summer 2026][1]
• [Southwest Adds New California Hawaii Routes][2]
• [Southwest Adds 5 New Routes From California][3]
• [Southwest Hawaii Attacks Alaska Hawaiian With First New Mainland Routes In Years][4]
• [ONT Announces Ontario To Honolulu Aboard Southwest Beginning June 2026][5]
• [Alaska Airlines Adds 13 New Routes From San Diego][6]
• [Alaska Airlines Will Start Daily San Diego Trips At Santa Barbara Airport][7]