It’s 8 o’clock at night as you cram the last tropical outfit and flip-flops into your bulging suitcase, write down the vet’s number for the cat-sitter and make sure you have your passport. Suddenly the doorbell rings. You rush to the door and ask, “Who is it?” A polite voice answers, “It’s Patrick Garcia with the Sonoma Airporter.”
With a sigh of relief, you hand your bags to him and make one last check of the house, you pet the cat and go out the door and into the comfortable passenger van waiting to take you to San Francisco International Airport. Garcia checks with you to confirm the airline and terminal and the flight time, then suggests you sit back, buckle up and relax as he pulls out of the driveway and heads for the highway.
In operation since 1980, and acquired by current owner Les Wheeler in 1995, the Sonoma Airporter is the only scheduled transportation service between SFO and Sonoma. Locals have come to rely on the door-to-door service that allows them simply to walk out their front door and not have to worry about driving, parking or the logistics of getting to other transportation.
Garcia’s next stop is at the Fairmont Sonoma Mission Inn, where chief concierge Judy Mendel greets Garcia and bids her guests farewell. Mendel has been at the resort for six years and the Sonoma Airporter is a service she recommends.
“It’s important to me and our guests that the transportation be efficient and reliable. I know I can trust them to treat passengers courteously and make every effort to accommodate their needs,” she said.
Mendel also appreciates the fact that the company goes the extra mile when necessary.
“They’ve really ‘saved the day’ a number of times when we had guests with emergency travel situations,” she said.
One final pickup at Westerbeke Ranch, on the southwest side of town, and it’s off to SFO. As the light fades in the west, Garcia pops in a classical CD and passengers settle in, chatting quietly or lost in their thoughts. The hour-and-a-half ride takes them past the rolling hills of the wine country, over the Golden Gate Bridge and through the city, usually via 19th Avenue. Owner Les Wheeler and van drivers monitor the traffic reports to work around any trouble spots that occur.
“We are able to shift our routes when accidents back things up,” said Wheeler. “Then there are days that are just so beautiful, the driver can opt to take the Great Highway and give passengers a view of the Pacific. It takes no longer and is something visitors – and even longtime residents – will remember.”
Arriving at the airport, Garcia pulls into the domestic terminal transit island outside baggage claim. The van passengers exit in a flurry and Garcia continues to the international terminal, parking outside the customs exit, where he is picking up arriving passengers. Office staff routinely checks inbound flight information for delays or changes, particularly with international flights. In the post-9/11 world of air travel, drivers are not allowed to park and wait for passengers, so timing is important. Not only has security changed, but the number of airplanes and people is very different, which has had a big impact on ground transportation companies.
“Our business went from a high of 17,000 passengers a year in 1999 to the present level of 10,000,” said Wheeler. “We are anticipating increases when JetBlue starts service at SFO in May and Southwest Airline returns in August.”
Today the company has seven drivers and an office staff of two, and runs four nine-passenger vans with six scheduled departures to SFO each weekday and four on weekends.
Over the course of his 12 years with the Sonoma Airporter, Garcia has learned to deal with almost every kind of passenger, from nervous flyers to newlyweds. The thing he pays strict attention to is his route to and from the airport.
“The time of day and the kind of drivers who will be on the road then really determine what lanes are best, especially with the night runs,” he said.
His riders on the ride up to Sonoma are an Australian couple and three returning Sonomans who travel with him regularly and hail him by name. The Australians are interested in the area and Garcia is well versed in California history. He regales them with stories of early California and weaves in a smattering of wine lore.
At the entrance to their hotel last week, the Lodge at Sonoma, the Australians, about to debark, notice that a cell phone is lying on the seat in front of them. Everyone checks purses and pockets, but the phone doesn’t belong to anyone on the van.
“We’ll add it to the other cell phones, keys, and eyeglasses in our lost-and-found,” said Garcia.
The Australian couple goes inside and talks with the concierge, Dean Gross, mentioning the pleasant trip and fascinating history lesson they just had. Chuckling, Gross agrees it’s a charming welcome to the Sonoma Valley. Like his counterpart at the Sonoma Mission Inn, Gross appreciates the service and recommends it highly.
“It’s the most reasonable transportation and they are extremely accessible. All their people have a lovely humanitarian attitude and are flexible about any special needs.”
Garcia drops his other passengers off at their homes in Glen Ellen and Oakmont, and then takes the van into the company headquarters on Highway 12 just south of the Sonoma Mission Inn. It’s the end of a long night, and, finalizing his paperwork, he gives the cell phone to Wheeler who puts it in the lost-and-found storeroom, where it joins a lunchbox, dozens of eyeglass cases, gloves, hats and books. Looking at the items, Wheeler shakes his head.
“We try to figure out who was sitting in the place where things were left, but sometimes we don’t see the item until a couple of runs have gone by. We did manage to locate the lady who left an envelope containing $400 tucked into the seat pocket, but,” he said with a slightly puzzled expression, “we never could find the person who left their garage door opener.”
Sonoma Airporter
707.938.4246
18346 Highway 12
info@sonomaairporter.com
www.sonomaairporter.c
