San Francisco airport flyers can soon clear security in wine country

Landline coaches are coming to San Francisco International Airport (SFO).

The airport transportation provider that offers bus connections inside security at a growing number of airports will launch its first West Coast route on Nov. 17: SFO to Charles M. Schulz-Sonoma County Airport (STS) in Northern California’s wine country.

“People love traveling. What they don’t love is everything it takes to get to the airport,” David Sunde, founder and CEO of Landline, said in a statement. “‘Straight to Gate’ connects [STS] to SFO’s global network, so trips to anywhere in the world can start close to home.”

Landline will operate the new service under its own brand, initially with eight daily round trips. Travelers can book tickets on the company’s website, with adult fares of $55 one-way and children under 15 free; the rides are not eligible for airline loyalty points.

The offering is similar to Landline’s new remote terminal service in the Boston suburb of Framingham, Massachusetts.

Travelers will check in and drop their bags at the STS terminal, clear security and then board a bus bound for SFO. Journeys are expected to take a little over two hours, depending on traffic. Buses arrive at Gate A3 in the International Terminal at SFO, where travelers can proceed to their connecting flights without needing to reclear security.

And as is standard practice for Landline, travelers can check luggage at STS, where it will be automatically transferred to their connecting flight at SFO. The company is partnering with Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Hawaiian Airlines, JetBlue Airways and United Airlines with additional partners planned for the future.

Returning travelers collect their luggage at SFO and then board the Landline coach to STS at the baggage claim curb.

All Landline buses are configured with 2-1 seating and equipped with high-speed Starlink connectivity.

The evolution of Landline

Landline’s new SFO-STS service is the latest for the company, which launched seven years ago with the idea that lower-cost buses could replace short regional flights. Its first partnership was with Sun Country Airlines and followed in later years by Air Canada, American and United. Initial offerings were white-labeled services — similar to an American Eagle or United Express flight, but with buses — painted in the airline partner’s colors. Its service has since evolved into a mix of independent and airline-affiliated operations.

The company debuted airside-to-airside buses, or ones that operate entirely inside security between two airports, with American at Philadelphia International Airport (PHL) in 2023.

Today, Landline offers both independent and airline-branded services. That includes its own remote terminal anda Transportation Security Administration checkpoint in Framingham, part of a collaboration with Massport, which runs Boston’s Logan International Airport (BOS).

“Our team has really learned how to take the best from all the networks we’ve built and make it even better for the person sitting in the seat,” Sunde said in an interview.

Landline has “doubled” in size in 2026, he added, citing expanded offerings with Air Canada, the new Logan Express service with Massport and now the new SFO coaches that will debut in November.

The growth comes as travelers embrace Landline’s services. The company now offers 19 daily round trips between Northern Colorado Regional Airport (FNL) in Fort Collins, Colorado and Denver International Airport (DEN), a route that operates outside security and debuted with just four round trips in 2021.

And, at BOS, what began as a three-month trial with Massport of postsecurity coaches from the Framingham terminal was extended through March 2027, less than 30 days after launch.

Landline staff said in late June that buses frequently departed for BOS full, and the parking lot was at capacity.

“Most of our customers are coming from their car,” Sunde said of the company’s recent expansion.

Landline in California

Landline’s new SFO-STS route may just be the beginning for the company in the Golden State. If all goes well, Sunde said Monterey Regional Airport (MRY) on the coast and Stockton Metropolitan Airport (SCK) in the Central Valley may be next for SFO connections. Modesto City-County Airport (MOD) and Sacramento International Airport (SMF) could come in the future.

All of these potential future Landline routes from SFO are either current or former air routes. United operates up to four flights a day from SFO to both MRY and SMF, according to schedule data from aviation analytics firm Cirium. SFO to STS operated until 2022, MOD until 2014 and SCK until 1993.

Replacing flights with buses on the remaining routes could help alleviate SFO’s notorious flight congestion, especially in bad weather. It could also offer travelers an alternative to driving.

First, however, Landline is working with SFO to secure a more central gate in the terminal complex, Sunde said. Gate A3 is convenient for any airline in Terminal 1 — Alaska, American, Hawaiian and JetBlue — but not United in Terminal 3.

“We’re successful in markets when we convince people not to drive themselves,” he said. “We think that the combination of an airside arrival, bag transfer to multiple major carriers and a comfortable seat with high-speed Wi-Fi is hard to beat.”

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Source: thepointsguy.com