We were in San Francisco for the World Cup and planned to head to Las Vegas for the next leg of our USA journey. Until then, we had travelled by train and bus, but the journey from San Francisco to Las Vegas looked far too expensive and time-consuming for such a short trip by bus.
We looked at flights, but fares from San Francisco’s main airports fell well outside our budget. As we struggled to decide what to do next, I discovered a small airport called Stockton, not far from San Francisco and found Allegiant Air offered cheap flights from Stockton to Las Vegas.
Before I knew it, we had booked our tickets and were flying out of Stockton Airport to Las Vegas!
Where is Stockton Airport?
Stockton Airport is in San Joaquin County, California, about 5 miles (8 km) southeast of downtown Stockton. Around 50 miles (80 km) east of San Francisco.
Who operates from Stockton Airport?
As you can see from the departure boards, Allegiant is the only airline operating from Stockton Airport. They usually run just one or two flights each day. On the day we flew, Las Vegas was the only destination on the board. I believe Phoenix is another destination they serve.
Getting to Stockton Airport
I guess this depends on where you’re coming from, but driving to Stockton Airport should be easy. The airport also has plenty of parking a few metres away, which makes driving very convenient.
Public transport, on the other hand, isn’t nearly as straightforward. It seems Stockton has no direct public transport to the airport, that we could find anyway.
We took a bus from San Francisco to Emeryville, then caught a train from Emeryville to Stockton. We then had to spend the night in Stockton before our flight. (I wouldn’t recommend staying there unless you really have to. We didn’t find it particularly appealing).
The next morning, we booked a ride share to the airport. While the journey in getting to the airport involved a lot of drama and hassle, the money we saved made it worthwhile.
Tour of Stockton Airport
We usually like to arrive at the airport a few hours before our flight. We get through security, relax in departures, have a beer, and let Megan wander around the shops. However, I wouldn’t recommend arriving too early when flying out of Stockton Airport. It’s one of the smallest airports I’ve ever visited, with very little there to keep you occupied. There are no rows of shops or airport bars to have a pint in. Once you’re through security, there isn’t much to do, so timing your arrival is important.
Terminal
This photo shows the entire terminal building, taken from a restaurant that didn’t look like it ever opened. I was actually surprised by this, especially with a morning flight. You’d expect passengers to want a coffee or something to eat before flying.
Check in Desk
For some reason, Allegiant still requires you to check in at the airport, even after you’ve provided all your details online. It wasn’t a major issue because Stockton only had one flight that morning, so the queue wasn’t particularly long. Most passengers travelled with hand luggage only, which helped the check-in process move quickly.
Baggage Re-Claim
This made me chuckle because it has to be the smallest baggage reclaim area I’ve ever seen. To be honest, I doubt many passengers use it. As I mentioned earlier, most people travelled with hand luggage only
Security
As you’d expect, security only opens shortly before a flight departs and closes again afterwards. We were the first people through security that day and I soon realised they don’t get many international travellers, our British Passport raised a few questions.
Normally, security should be very quick, especially at such a small airport, and while it was for us, I wondered why so few people followed us through, especially with a long check-in queue behind us. We discovered the reason when we boarded our flight. The security machines had broken down, so staff had to open and check every bag by hand. This caused a major delay and pushed our departure back by more than an hour.
Airport Bars
Once through security at most airports, you’d expect to sit down, relax, and enjoy a beer, but not at Stockton Airport. There is a bar, but it wasn’t open, and I’m not sure when it actually opens.
I guess running a bar at an airport with only one or two flights a day proves difficult. With so few passengers, the demand probably isn’t there to justify keeping it open. Sadly, as I love a pre-flight pint, just one of the things I enjoy in life.
Vending Machines
Duty-free shops, clothing stores, watch shops, fast-food chains… the list goes on. These are the things you normally expect to find in an airport departures terminal.
Not at Stockton Airport….
Here, you’ll find three vending machines.
The view…
With not much else to do, we spent the 2.5 hours looking out of the big window. We watched the activity outside and admired the only flight scheduled to depart that day — ours to Las Vegas.
Would we recommend flying out of Stockton Airport?
I guess I will say yes, we would recommend flying out of Stockton Airport. Getting there without a car can prove a bit of a pain, though.
It’s a small, simple airport, so you wouldn’t expect many delays. Unfortunately, our experience proved otherwise!
If you plan to fly from Stockton, make sure you eat and drink before you arrive. There isn’t much available once you’re inside.
Hopefully, you’ve enjoyed reading about our experience flying out of Stockton Airport. If you have any questions, feel free to ask.
Thanks for reading!
The Lewis Family