Alaska marks 40 years in San Diego with Loreto, its 50th nonstop, but SAN still has no Alaska Lounge

Alaska Airlines flew its first flight out of San Diego on Dec. 1, 1986. Forty years on, it is marking the date with a new route. On Dec. 19, Alaska will start nonstop flights between San Diego (SAN) and Loreto (LTO), a coastal destination in Baja California Sur, Mexico. Alaska says Loreto is its 50th nonstop destination from San Diego, and that no other airline flies between the two cities.

The details come from Alaska's Sept. 3 announcement. Tickets are on sale at alaskaair.com.

The Loreto flights

The route is seasonal. It runs twice a week, on Wednesdays and Saturdays, from Dec. 19, 2026, to April 28, 2027. SkyWest Airlines will fly it for Alaska on Embraer 175 regional jets. Alaska says these jets have Starlink Wi-Fi, which is free for Atmos Rewards members thanks to T-Mobile.

Alaska did not share flight times or fares in the release. It also did not say whether the route will return next winter.

Loreto joins Cabo and Puerto Vallarta on Alaska's Mexico map from San Diego. Alaska calls itself the leading carrier to Mexico from the city. It also says it serves more nonstop destinations from San Diego than any other airline. Those are the airline's own claims.

"Launching our 50th nonstop destination from San Diego as we celebrate 40 years of serving the region is a meaningful way to thank our guests," said Darren Scott, Alaska's managing director of network.

The anniversary giveaway

Alaska is running what it calls a months-long thank-you campaign in San Diego. The first part is a giveaway. Forty winners will get Atmos Rewards Gold status for 40 years. One grand-prize winner will get 1 million Atmos Rewards points. Alaska says more giveaways and events will follow through the year.

The release does not explain how to enter, who is eligible or when winners are drawn. Check alaskaair.com for the rules before you count on anything.

Gold status does matter for lounges in one case. Our listing for The Plumeria Lounge in Honolulu shows Atmos Gold, Platinum and Titanium members can get in when flying international. For other recent program changes, see our story on what's new in Atmos Rewards.

Mayor Todd Gloria said more nonstop service brings "stronger connections with important partners like Mexico." Neil Thwaites, Alaska's vice president of global sales and California commercial performance, noted that Alaska is the only airline with both a pilot base and a flight attendant base in the region.

Lounges at San Diego today

There is a catch for lounge users. Alaska calls itself "San Diego's airline," but it has no lounge at SAN. The release says it plans to build "one of the largest airline lounges in San Diego," set to open in 2028. In its Sept. 29 premium plans, Alaska put the size at 14,000 square feet. See our story on Aurora, Leihōkū and the new lounges. No location or access rules have been given yet.

Until then, Alaska Lounge members and oneworld elites have no lounge of their own at SAN. All four open lounges in our data are in Terminal 2:

• Chase Sapphire Lounge by The Club is the top-rated at 4.6 out of 5. It sits on the mezzanine between gates 46 and 47 in Terminal 2 West and is open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Sapphire Reserve cardholders get in. Other Priority Pass members get one visit a year, per our listing.
• Aspire Lounge rates 4.2. It is in Terminal 2 East near gates 23 to 33, open 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. It takes Priority Pass, LoungeKey and DragonPass, and sells walk-up day passes when space allows. Our listing shows no Alaska Lounge or oneworld access.
• United Club rates 4.5, for United Club members and Star Alliance elites.
• Delta Sky Club rates 3.9, for Sky Club members and SkyTeam elites.

American, Alaska's oneworld partner, has no Admirals Club at San Diego either. Our records show its old club there closed in 2014. So for an Alaska flyer at SAN, a Priority Pass card or a day pass at the Aspire Lounge is the most likely way in. See all options on our San Diego airport page.

At the other end, Lounge Frog lists no lounges at Loreto, and the airport is not yet in our directory. Plan to wait at the gate.

What we don't know yet

Alaska has not shared Loreto flight times. It has not said how to enter the giveaway. And it has not said where its 2028 San Diego lounge will go or who will be able to use it. We will update this story when it does.