tiny airports.

[vash]

i was in Los Angeles this weekend.

living in the boonies like i do means getting to an airport is a friggen hassle..to Peru, we took $80 worth of airport shuttles to/fro..for about 2 hours each way. (to SF)

this weekend. we both decided to fly out from a local regional airport. the one in Sonoma County..

what a blast! sure our flight out was delayed 3 hours and i already parked the car..(shame on me for not checking flight status). but there was a restaurant there with decent food, great coffee, all policed by a squadron of lululemon wearing waitresses.

our plane was prop driven.and took off like a regular plane. it served free beer and wine. 1.5 hours we were in LA.

coming home..i had to check my duffle because it held a new kitchen knife..(big surprise). the bag was in front of my face on the tiniest conveyor belt (it was maybe 25 feet of belt, and it moved fast!) in about 4 minutes..since the plane was right there on the other side of the wall.

oh, security was more of an interview..and a quick scan. haha..there were six people in line in front of me. fast. easy.

i like tiny airports. flights are more expensive tho..and my airport goes to very few places.

[vash]

the LA airport was insane. it is a city!

coming home..i got the royal treatment at TSA counter. dude searched my junk. (those are not pillows!)

and i think we should all get it together at baggage claim. it is NOT neccesary to crowd the conveyor belt. hang back..see the bags from afar..go up get it. leave. it sucks if you have to run the gauntlet to grab a bag.

[PetrolBlueSC]

When you mentioned small airports, I thought of a recent trip. No services, no ground crew and we had to push the plane a few feet because the front tire was in a shallow hole.

[IROC]

Appleton, WI airport is small and very pleasant. I think I had my baggage and was sitting in the rental car about 10 minutes after the plane landed.

[look 171]

That lil thing flew into LAX?

Our international airport is a mass of people 24/7. You description of a city is dead on. We were in Calgary a couple weeks ago. Their airport was so nice, no crowds, no lines in restaurants and more importantly, there are seats all over the place with few people. You are luck if you fine standing room for three hours as you wait for the flight.

Our TSA agents like to yell and have no freaking manners. I understand their job is stressful but that's not the way to ask folks. They were literally yelling and pointing."you, right there, right now". This old Indian couple in front of us spoke no english and they started to yell at them at a distance and they had no idea what to do when they were asked to remove their shoes. The yelling started again with hands and fingers weaving again. They must missed the memo that this is an international airport and there are folks that speak no english visiting? Our Canadian counterpart was just too pleasant to deal with and I made sure to let em' know. A simple smile goes a long way

Next time you come down this way if you have extra time, give me a shout, beer and lunch on me.

[Evans, Marv]

We were at a small airport month before last to take sail plane rides. Nothing else going on except for an Air Force Academy girl doing take offs and landings with a glider to build her number count. I don't think they have anything close to scheduled flights. It was a cool place to be.

Had a pic but it doesn't seem to upload.

[porsche tech]

Landing at Hilton Head.

[A930Rocket]

Our airport at Charleston is great. Very small compared to Atlanta, which you have to connect through. Lines at the counter and TSA are short and quick.

[widgeon13]

Lake Placid, NY

[GH85Carrera]

How about Chandler, OK.



Actually a nice place.

[Tervuren]

Originally Posted by look 171

That lil thing flew into LAX?

Our international airport is a mass of people 24/7. You description of a city is dead on. We were in Calgary a couple weeks ago. Their airport was so nice, no crowds, no lines in restaurants and more importantly, there are seats all over the place with few people. You are luck if you fine standing room for three hours as you wait for the flight.

Our TSA agents like to yell and have no freaking manners. I understand their job is stressful but that's not the way to ask folks. They were literally yelling and pointing."you, right there, right now". This old Indian couple in front of us spoke no english and they started to yell at them at a distance and they had no idea what to do when they were asked to remove their shoes. The yelling started again with hands and fingers weaving again. They must missed the memo that this is an international airport and there are folks that speak no english visiting? Our Canadian counterpart was just too pleasant to deal with and I made sure to let em' know. A simple smile goes a long way

Next time you come down this way if you have extra time, give me a shout, beer and lunch on me.

I do not plan on major airports again if I can help it, will take a boat.

This type of rigor on a regular basis cannot be good for the free soul.

In time, it will turn some from people into cattle.

[JavaBrewer]

Years ago (b4 America West -> US Airways -> American) I was a frequent flier to BWI/DC area. I flew AW out of Palomar Airport, Dash 8 turbo prop to PHX, and on to East coast. Back then long term parking was free, and I could arrive 45 minutes before the flight and make it easy to the plane. PHX was dead reliable to fly in/out of and Palomar was a short 10 minute drive from home. Perfect situation.

[sammyg2]

I do everything I can to avoid LAX.

Many years ago i was flying to Knoxville Tenn.
I could have flown direct out of LAX but instead I booked a connecting flight out of OC. it was worth it as long as I didn't have to set foot anywhere near LAX.
This is what I posted about that flight after I got home:

American airlines emergency landing

--------------------------------------------------------------------------------

Last Sunday morning I was aboard a flight that left Orange county airport. We almost made it to palm Springs when the plane started oscillating up and down.
It wasn't turbulence as it was repetitious and non-random.
the pilot came over the loud speaker and told us we were diverting to LAX.
We made a normal landing except it seemed much flatter and faster than normal and there were fire trucks and emergency vehicles lining both sides of the run way.
They followed the plane to the terminal and then left.
No one would tell us what was wrong with the plane but I later heard it was a failed stabilizer.
They kept us on the plane for 1 1/2 hours before they finally let us off, and then asked us to stand in-line another hour. They offered no assistance or help, no answers, just herded us like cattle while they tried to figure out what to do.
I called our corporate travel agent and got another flight 4 hours later to Chicago, then on to Knoxville on a puddle jumper. My luggage did not make the same trip. Very nice.

[Dantilla]

As a guy who flies little airplanes, any airport with baggage claim and rental cars is a "big" airport. And to be avoided.

[Gogar]

LAX is unbelieberably bad right now with the construction.

[Don Ro]

Flew in a puddle jumper, Swearingen Metroliner, from Fargo, ND to Minneapolis a hundred years ago.
As I recall, one seat on either side of the aisle. I liked it...sat behind the 2 man crew and listened and watched.

[masraum]

small airports are usually fantastic.

[KFC911]

I love my local airport name...Piedmont Triad INTERNATIONAL Airport (GSO)....your gate is the one with a few dozen people, and your baggage claim is the one running....eventually .

[jhynesrockmtn]

I flew into Sheridan WY a few years back to meet my then girlfriend who was down there for an Artist residence. She had driven my car down. I spent a lot of time at that airport because my bags got so screwed up coming out of Denver. They maybe handle a few dozen commercial flights a day down there, maybe less actually. It was kind of comical watching the TSA drones do their thing. There would be 10 of them to board a flight of 10 to 20. They'd work for 20 minutes, then go sit in a conference room for an hour + between flights, then come filing out again for the next one. It was like watching a crew of street repair guys. 8 people standing around watching a couple of guys fill a pothole.

[craigster59]

Bob Hope/ Burbank Airport is my choice to fly out of.