Sonoma County airport ascends to another record year

Charles M. Schulz–Sonoma County Airport finished 2023 having flown a total of 641,178 passengers, another record-setting year that beat the prior year’s figure by 4%, according to airport officials.

Last year proved to be a busy one at the airport, highlighted by the August unveiling of the facility’s $40 million terminal improvement and modernization project, an endeavor that took three years to build after decades of planning. The finished product brought to fruition the renovation of 7,000 square feet, along with the addition of 33,000 square feet, ultimately increasing the terminal’s size to approximately 56,000 square feet.

That achievement alone stood out for Airport Manager Jon Stout.

With the new terminal, he said, travelers can move through the airport with greater ease and less stress.

“From the customer experience standpoint, I think we really improved in 2023,” Stout said. “Getting the wine bar open, adding more vending options, and getting more food options past security really helps make it a more pleasant visit through the airport.”

For example, Tap and Pour, the wine bar, is located beyond the security checkpoint so customers can relax and have a drink before their flight, said Stout.

“It's great seeing the people enjoying the bar, getting a glass of wine before they leave,” he said.

The only option to have a drink before was at the restaurant’s bar. That location meant customers had to keep a watchful eye on the security line. If it got long, they’d have to rush.

Last year also saw activity among some of the commercial air carriers servicing the regional airport.

American Airlines made a move that on the surface seemed worrisome, but showed the carrier is further invested in its service at the Sonoma County airport.

Even though American delayed by three months the resumption of its seasonal service to Dallas that paused Dec. 4., the flight will return on May 6 with bigger planes. Instead of flying the Embraer E175 with 76 seats, American will fly the Airbus A319, with 128 seats.

Avelo Airlines on Sept. 7 upped its presence at the airport by doubling its nonstop service to Las Vegas from two to four times a week. Before that, on June 23, the leisure carrier added a fourth market at the airport with twice-weekly nonstop flights to central Oregon’s Bend/Redmond market.

Stout said the central Oregon market isn’t big, but that it has been performing well.

“It’s good to have that option available and it’s been a good connection to other markets for us,” Stout said. “But I wouldn't put it in the same category if United were to return to Denver.”

That pursuit will continue.

“Denver is still our number one,” Stout said. “We want that because it gives us more eastbound opportunities. … Chicago is right there with it.”

But challenges remain.

“We're such a small player in the airport world, it’s hard to get (many big airlines’) attention when they've been cutting back and doing a lot of eliminating in smaller markets,” he said.

Stout said he hopes more opportunities will come after American starts using the Airbus A319 planes for the Dallas route. If the flights perform well, American may use the bigger planes for the Phoenix route which, if also successful, could then possibly open up the Chicago market for the Santa Rosa airport, Stout said.

Should that ideal scenario with American play out, it could get the attention of more big airlines.

“It’s a very competitive industry,” he said.

Realistically, the one possibility for this year would be Sun Country bringing back the seasonal service it offered to Minneapolis between 2017 and 2020. Talks are still underway, Stout said.

Recapping the airport’s performance over the past five years shows a facility that has demonstrated growth and resilience. After finishing 2019 with a record high 488,179 passengers served, the airport’s numbers plummeted in 2020 at the height of the pandemic to a dismal 195,303 passengers served. The airport came back strong in 2021 having flown 435,427 passengers. The final tally for 2022 was a new record high of 614,481 passengers flown before the airport ascended further to close out 2023 with 641,178 passengers served.

Looking at the airport’s figures for December, 48,306 passengers traveled through Santa Rosa, up 8% from a year earlier. In November, the airport flew 59,535 passengers.

Alaska Airlines in December flew 30,246 passengers through the Sonoma County airport, up 5.1% from a year prior. Its load factor — the measure of how full airplanes are on average — was 79%. Alaska flew 37,293 passengers through the airport in November.

Avelo Airlines flew 11,066 passengers in December, up 6.1% from a year prior. Its load factor was 72%. Avelo in November flew 11,288 passengers through the county facility.

American Airlines last month flew 6,994 passengers through the regional airport, up 27% from a year earlier. Its load factor was 84%. American in November flew 10,954 passengers.

Cheryl Sarfaty covers tourism, hospitality, health care and employment. Reach her at cheryl.sarfaty@busjrnl.com or 707-521-4259.