Sonoma County airport passenger traffic rises in February as omicron variant eases

Passenger traffic at Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport in February saw an uptick from January, suggesting the dip from the omicron variant of COVID-19 has mostly subsided.

Passenger numbers, released March 17, began to increase in mid-February and continue to climb so far in March, said Airport Manager Jon Stout. In addition, he noted rising fuel prices haven’t made much of a blip in the airlines’ schedules. His office doesn’t track ticket prices.

Meanwhile, American Airlines restarted its Dallas flights as planned on March 3, while United Airlines has again pushed back resuming its Denver flights, this time from June 3 to June 24, Stout said.

Looking at total passenger numbers at the airport in February, the four commercial air carriers servicing the Sonoma County airport — Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, United Airlines and Avelo Airlines — flew 36,550 passengers through the facility, up 450.1% from a year earlier. The airport flew a total of 31,643 passengers in January.

Alaska Airlines in February flew 22,136 passengers through the Santa Rosa facility, up 354.7% from a year earlier, and 1,700 more than January. The airline’s load factor — the measure of how full airplanes are on average — was 74%.

Avelo Airlines last month flew 9,048 passengers through the airport, adding more than 2,000 passengers than in January. Avelo’s load factor was 58%. The airline in late April will mark one year of service at the Sonoma County airport.

United Airlines in February flew 1,751 passengers compared to 1,171 the month prior. Its load factor last month was 65%. United’s service at the airport at this time in 2021 was suspended.

American Airlines last month flew 3,615 passengers through the regional airport, up 103.5% from a year earlier and an additional 500 passengers from January. American’s load factor in February was 83%.

In addition, passengers are advised to note that the airport’s indoor-mask mandates follow the Transportation Safety Administration's rules rather than Sonoma County’s or the state. TSA has pushed the end date from March 18 to April 18, Stout said. The date could change again, contingent on the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s ongoing evaluations.