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The baggage claim area has airplanes hanging from the ceiling reenacting Snoopy in a biplane in a dogfight with the Red Baron in a triplane at the Charles M. Schulz\u2013Sonoma County Airport in Santa Rosa, Calif., on Jan. 23, 2026.\u00a0<\/p>\n
Douglas Zimmerman\/SFGATE<\/p>\n
In this week\u2019s air travel developments, faced with spiking jet fuel costs, two big U.S. airlines have raised\u00a0fees<\/a> for checked baggage;<\/a> Santa Rosa gets new service from Southwest Airlines<\/a> to four destinations; United and American add new domestic routes at LAX; United is slated to boost SFO-Australia flights this fall; Delta eyes a new transpacific route; long security lines at major airports are disappearing after TSA officers finally get a paycheck; United adds TSA wait times<\/a> at hub airports to its mobile app; United splits premium cabin pricing into three tiers; Delta picks a new vendor for in-fight Wi-Fi\u00a0\u2014 and it\u2019s not Starlink; Alaska Airlines unveils a new international business class for its 787-9s and adds Hawaiian Airlines to its mobile app; Southwest Airlines credit card holders have a new way to earn Rapid Rewards points; and Italy\u2019s ITA Airways officially joins United\u2019s Star Alliance.<\/p>\n In domestic route news, April 7 is the launch date for Southwest Airlines\u2019 new presence at Sonoma County\u2019s Charles M. Schulz Airport in Santa Rosa. The carrier is set to introduce daily flights<\/a> from Santa Rosa to San Diego and Las Vegas, with the San Diego route adding a second daily frequency on peak days. During the middle of the week in June, some one-way fares to SAN were selling as low as $74. Similarly, the cheapest seat for a one-way, midweek flight to LAS was just under $100. Service to Burbank is scheduled for five days a week, while Santa Rosa-Denver is slated to get just one flight a week, on Saturdays.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n At the Eureka\/Arcata airport on California\u2019s northern coast, Alaska Airlines is set to begin service April 8 with one daily round trip to Seattle, operated by SkyWest with an Embraer E175, according to Aeroroutes<\/a>. In Southern California<\/a>, United is scheduled to\u00a0start flying from Los Angeles International to Kansas City, Missouri, on April 6 with one daily United Express\/SkyWest E175 round trip. Also at LAX<\/a>, American Airlines on April 7 is set to launch new routes to Cleveland and Washington Dulles, both operating once a day year-round with 737s.<\/p>\n FILE: A United Airlines jetliner sits at a gate along the A concourse of Denver International Airport on March 20, 2026.<\/p>\n David Zalubowski\/AP<\/p>\n Along with rising air fares, could this be the next impact of the Iran war on air travel costs?\u00a0Two U.S. airlines \u2014 JetBlue and United \u2014 raised their fees for checked baggage this week. JetBlue blamed the increases on \u201crising operating costs\u201d in a statement to CNBC<\/a>. The biggest increase in airlines\u2019 operating costs these days is the price of jet fuel, which has nearly doubled in recent weeks as the Strait of Hormuz remains blocked to oil shipments. JetBlue faces a financial headwind, as the airline\u2019s share price has fallen by at least 40%<\/a> since the start of 2025.<\/p>\n With the new pricing<\/a>, JetBlue\u2019s rate for a first checked bag on domestic, Caribbean and Latin America flights during off-peak times rises from $35 to $39 and during peak periods from $40 to $49. (Those fees are based on prepayment online at least 24 hours before departure<\/a>; last-minute charges for a first checked bag or those paid at the airport will face increases ranging from $10 to $49 depending on the flight.) Passengers on Blue Plus fares get one checked bag free, and Mint passengers get two. JetBlue credit card holders get one checked bag fee, and elite-level Mosaic members of the airline\u2019s TrueBlue loyalty program get one or two free depending on status.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Make SFGATE a preferred source so your search results prioritize writing by actual people, not AI.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Add Preferred Source<\/p>\n <\/a><\/p>\n United, which has a hub at San Francisco International, quickly followed suit, with first and second checked bag fees rising by $10 effective immediately for domestic travel and for flights to Mexico, Canada and Latin America, CNBC<\/a> and USA Today<\/a> reported. That brings the new fee to $45 for a first checked bag and $55 for a second when paid in advance, or $50\/$60 for payment within 24 hours of departure. The fee for a third checked bag goes up by $50. United allows holders of its credit cards, Premier members of its MileagePlus loyalty program, active military and customers in premium cabins to check a bag for free. United has an online calculator for checked bag fees<\/a>.<\/p>\n On the international side, Aeroroutes notes<\/a> that United plans to boost frequencies on its route between San Francisco and Brisbane, Australia, from four flights a week to seven starting Sept. 24, using a 777-200ER. The LAX-Manila route, currently served only by Philippine Airlines, could get some competition next year. According to AirlineGeeks<\/a>, Delta revealed in a filing with the U.S. Transportation Department that it intends to start LAX-Manila flights, and it is asking DOT to hold up on approval of Philippine Airlines\u2019 planned new Manila-Chicago route until Delta secures favorable slots and airport access at Manila from the Philippine government.\u00a0<\/p>\n People wait in a\u00a0TSA line at John\u00a0F. Kennedy International Airport on March 22, 2026, in New York.<\/p>\n Yuki Iwamura\/AP<\/p>\n More than 400 Transportation Security Administration officers quit their jobs after they stopped getting paid in mid-February, but since the government started the paychecks flowing again early this week, it looks like thousands more who stopped showing up for work have returned to airport checkpoints to get the lines moving again. Delta said on March 31<\/a> that lines at TSA checkpoints \u201chave eased markedly across U.S. airports,\u201d including its hubs at Atlanta, New York LaGuardia and New York JFK. Atlanta\u2019s airport had some of the longest waits in previous weeks. So did United\u2019s Houston Bush Intercontinental hub, but at midmorning on Wednesday (April 1), the airport\u2019s website showed TSA wait times<\/a> ranged from 3 to 9 minutes across its terminals. A headline in the Washington Post<\/a> this week said: \u201cSome airports beg: Please don\u2019t show up four hours early,\u201d because that creates long lines in the morning that persist through the day as TSA screeners try to catch up with the volume. Before this week, some airports had been saying just the opposite, advising travelers to arrive four hours before their scheduled departure.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n To reassure anxious customers, United Airlines this week added a new feature to the Travel section of its mobile app, tracking TSA lines around its system. \u201cUnited customers can view security wait times for the airline\u2019s U.S. hub airports in Chicago, Denver, Houston, Los Angeles, New York\/Newark, San Francisco and Washington D.C. United will provide estimated wait times for specific lanes \u2014 including standard security and TSA PreCheck \u2014 throughout terminals serving United customers, allowing them to choose the option that works best for them,\u201d United said<\/a>.<\/p>\n A Delta Airlines jet taxis before departing from San Diego International Airport on Nov. 6, 2025.<\/p>\n The San Diego Union-Tribune via Getty<\/p>\n Tiered pricing within airlines\u2019 primary fare categories continues to spread.\u00a0Delta, which last year split its main cabin fares into three tiers, is widely expected to extend the same model to its premium cabins<\/a> this year. And now, United is doing the same for front-cabin fares.<\/p>\n United said this week<\/a> it will adopt new tiered fares for United Polaris and United Premium Plus customers on long-haul international flights, as well as transcontinental U.S. and select Hawaii flights. United said the new tiers will mirror \u201cthe existing basic, standard and flexible fares in United Economy cabins.\u201d With the new pricing model, \u201cCustomers can select options related to seat selection, checked bags, refundable tickets, and club and lounge access that best meet their preferences,\u201d United said in a news release. It noted that on some transcontinental and longer Hawaii routes, the front cabin will be rebranded as United Polaris. Customers who buy standard or flexible Polaris fares will gain access to United\u2019s exclusive Polaris airport lounges, while those who buy the Polaris base fare option \u201cwill still have access to the United Club.\u201d The airline said it is redesigning its website and mobile app to accommodate the changes and will launch the premium cabin tiered pricing \u201cin select markets\u201d this month, expanding to more long-haul international, transcontinental U.S. and longer Hawaii flights \u201clater this year.\u201d<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n Several major U.S. and foreign carriers have signed on with SpaceX\u2019s Starlink Wi-Fi, but it\u2019s not the only option out there. Amazon is deploying its own massive fleet of low-Earth-orbit satellites, a project called Amazon Leo, and it just signed Delta as its largest airline customer<\/a>. (Last fall, JetBlue announced it would transition its free Fly-Fi in-fight internet service to Amazon Leo starting in 2027.) But Delta flyers will have to wait a while to meet Leo: While United is moving rapidly this year to keep installing Starlink across its fleet, Delta said it doesn\u2019t expect Amazon Leo to be available until 2028 on the first 500 aircraft, which is only a portion of its overall fleet. Delta currently uses satellite service from Hughes and Viasat for its Delta Sync in-flight Wi-Fi, but Amazon Leo\u2019s network of hundreds of satellites will enable worldwide streaming-quality connectivity for passengers \u2014 \u201cfrom uploading vacation photos and videos in real time to securely sending presentations or business files after a high-stakes meeting \u2014 without waiting until they land,\u201d Delta said in a news release. And that will be only a part of the airline\u2019s growing relationship with Amazon and its Amazon Web Services operation. \u201cDelta and Amazon plan to partner to integrate AWS, Amazon Leo, other Amazon technologies and AI to enhance the customer experience across the entire travel journey,\u201d the airline said.<\/p>\n As Alaska Airlines expands its fledgling transpacific and transatlantic networks from Seattle, the carrier this week announced a new International Business Class for the Boeing 787-9s that it uses on the routes.\u00a0The new 787-9s are slated to go into service on the airline\u2019s Seattle-Rome route April 28, Seattle-London May 21 and Seattle-Reykjavik May 28<\/a>, and they are also set to be deployed on Seattle-Seoul flights in April and Seattle-Tokyo later in the year. The new business class will offer lie-flat suites with privacy doors and 18-inch video screens, noise-reducing headsets, personal power outlets and wireless charging; \u201celevated restaurant-quality dining\u201d; and bedding and travel amenity kits. And business-class passengers will get access to Alaska\u2019s airport lounges and those of its Oneworld airline partners. This fall, Alaska said, the 787-9s will have Starlink Wi-Fi service, free for Atmos Rewards members. The new planes will also have premium economy and main cabin seating. In other news, the mobile apps of Alaska Airlines and its Hawaiian Airlines affiliate\u00a0have been combined into a single app<\/a>, the company said. \u201cGuests accustomed to the Hawaiian Airlines app will enjoy long-desired features beginning April 22, including the ability to change or cancel flights via the app and share boarding passes,\u201d Alaska said.<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n A Southwest Airlines airplane in flight departing from Ontario International Airport in California.<\/p>\n sanfel\/Getty Images<\/p>\n Southwest Airlines Rapid Rewards credit card holders can now earn points for taking Lyft rides, the airline announced<\/a>. Total points earned for rides will be multiplied based on the type of card used to pay for them. \u201cJust set the Southwest Rapid Rewards Credit Card as the default payment in the\u00a0Lyft app,\u201d Southwest said. \u201cNo special codes or enrollment hoops needed.\u201d Holders of the Rapid Rewards Plus card will earn twice the total points, while the earning rate is triple for Rapid Rewards Premier and Premier Business cards, and five times for Rapid Rewards Priority and Performance Business cards.<\/p>\n Italy\u2019s ITA Airways, which became a part of the Lufthansa Group last year, this week became the 26th member of the Star Alliance, a global family of airlines led by United and Lufthansa. From ITA\u2019s bases at Rome Fiumicino and Milan Linate, passengers can connect with 17 Star Alliance carriers. \u201cCustomers travelling across the network can now benefit from through check-in, reciprocal frequent flyer recognition and access to Star Alliance lounges, creating a more seamless customer experience, in and out of Italy,\u201d the alliance said in a news release<\/a>. Star Alliance Gold members now have access to\u00a0ITA\u2019s lounges in Rome, Milan and Catania. At the same time, ITA has also taken on Lufthansa\u2019s Miles & More<\/a> as its official loyalty program.\u00a0<\/p>\n Article continues below this ad<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"The baggage claim area has airplanes hanging from the ceiling reenacting Snoopy in a biplane in a dogfight…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":252439,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[28],"tags":[74,76,75,925,108324,1228],"class_list":{"0":"post-252438","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-san-diego","8":"tag-san-diego","9":"tag-san-diego-headlines","10":"tag-san-diego-news","11":"tag-sfgfreelance","12":"tag-sfgroutes","13":"tag-sfgtravel"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252438","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=252438"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/252438\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/252439"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=252438"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=252438"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/us-ca\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=252438"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}<\/p>\n
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