beckoa

You have to call BA AFAIK to book a flight on AS using Avios.

Jlove

Thanks, beckoa.
That's good to know about another option available, besides AA, for using Avios for short trips.

Eastbay1K

Rail Service (SMART) begins today between the STS station (not right on site but close, with a bus link) and San Rafael. The frequency and hours aren't great, but it is another option for those in the area.

http://www.sonomamarintrain.org/stations

Eventually, the trains should go as far north as Cloverdale, and as far south as Larkspur (where one can catch a ferry to SF).

PDXPremier

Flying LAX-PDX on QX (award ticket) and it stops at STS....since that's an airport I've never been to, I thought I might get off the plane for a few minutes and walk around what I assume is a small terminal, but I wanted to make sure that deplaning passengers are still airside (like EUG, BOI, GEG, etc.). If departing passengers are immediately dumped into the non-secured area, I probably will just stay on the plane rather than clear security again since the stop is pretty short. Any STS flyers care to comment?

DrAlex

Actually, STS has been very busy this year. They lengthened the runway in 2016 (I think) to allow for 737s.

In 2017 STS added flights by: UA (SFO), AA (PHX), Allegiant (AZA & LAS), and seasonal service by Sun Country (MSP). I think Allegiant just pulled their service after AA joined in, though.

I believe there are even plans in the works to add jet bridges. I can tell you from personal experience that is a great idea. Pacific storms in March and deplaning onto a tarmac don't go well together...

There were a total of about 1700 flights out of STS last year and already 2300 so far this year. Pretty good growth!?

PDXPremier

Interesting stuff about the STS airport, but would anyone who has been to the airport care to answer my question about whether or not deplaning passengers stay airside or if they're dumped directly out the exit (pre-security)?

"Flying LAX-PDX on QX (award ticket) and it stops at STS....since that's an airport I've never been to, I thought I might get off the plane for a few minutes and walk around what I assume is a small terminal, but I wanted to make sure that deplaning passengers are still airside (like EUG, BOI, GEG, etc.). If departing passengers are immediately dumped into the non-secured area, I probably will just stay on the plane rather than clear security again since the stop is pretty short. Any STS flyers care to comment?"

bostonbali

@PDXPremier - Short answer - no, you don't end up airside.
Long answer - when you and at STS, you walk off the tarmac to a TURNSTILE, which dumps you landside / near baggage claim. You will then need to go back through security, which only operates before a flight takes off (they close the gate into the security area between flights). Not much to do in the landside (or airside) areas. There's a cafe landside, and a statute of snoopy. I would probably just stay onboard.

jlemon

Every time I've flown in there, you walk right into the terminal (the non-secured side). So there's really not an airside at STS as the terminal is very small. On the plus side, the restaurant in the terminal is great with a wonderful wine selection (as one might expect in Sonoma County).

PDXPremier

Thanks....bummer, I guess I'll stay on the plane then since I don't really want to go through security again.

rowsign

The queue is usually very short. I would suggest getting out and taking a look since you will be there. It won’t be so long you will regret getting out.

jrl767

I've connected there a handful of times; as I recall, the FAs have generally requested thru passengers to remain on board

I can also see some TSA person making a procedural issue out of the fact that you don't actually have a BP for STS-PDX, but that's a subject for the TSA forum

Eujeanie

PDXPremier, is it some sort of bucket list thing that you want to be inside every airport's terminal? There are images on line, you can see how unexciting it is (what airports are really exciting and worth deplaning for?).

Anyway, since this thread was started by me, I'll share my STS story - back in the day, maybe 25 years ago, we were flying home to LAX on UA from STS. Flight was overbooked, back then they gave you a free ticket (not a dollar voucher) and a food voucher...we took the bump, sat in a corner of the restaurant and played cards and ate our free food...next flight, again oversold...again we took the bump, sat and played cards (and ate our free food) for a few more hours...finally decided it was time to go home (even though THAT flight was oversold, too) - made out with 4 free tickets to anywhere for playing cards for half a day. Great memory.

PDXPremier

Although it's a new airport for me, I wouldn't classify it as a "bucket list" item, but I think the layover is around 45 minutes or so and I'd rather walk around for a few minutes instead of sitting on the plane which is normally pretty painless if they don't directly dump you outside of security like some smaller airports.

Same question, but different airport....I'm flying through MFR in March and have a relatively short layover there....do they dump arriving passengers directly outside of security or do arriving passengers enter the airside part of the terminal?

Eujeanie

I don't think anyone is going to know that a question about MFR is on a thread about STS.

flyupfrnt

But as is many times the case on flyertalk; an individual reading may spot the question and answer?