One of the most frustrating things above frequently traveling between Chicago and St. Louis is the cost. Flights between the two cities often are in excess of $300 round trip for reasonable times. On holiday weekends it’s not uncommon to see prices exceed $400 round trip. I personally find that price absurd given it’s only about a 45 minute flight.
There are other options however, but neither of them are that appealing. You could take the Amtrak which costs about $50 for reasonable travel times, but the Amtrak typically takes more than 6 hours. Although the trip should only take 5.5 hours, the Amtrak between Chicago and St. Louis constantly stops to yield to freight trains. This means the trip often takes much more than the 5.5 scheduled hours.
For that reason I often look at renting a car and driving, but driving for 5+ hours isn’t exactly my idea of fun. Plus renting a car can be hit or miss on holiday weekends.
Luckily, there is another option! No, I’m not talking about the Megabus, instead I’m talking about the hidden gem of the midwest, Cape Air.
What In The World Is Cape Air?
Yeah, that’s the question I got asked about 100 times before departing on my flight back to Chicago. Cape Air is a small regional airline headquartered in Barnstable Mass. Get it, Cape, as in Cape Cod!
Cape Air maintains a fleet of approximately 90 aircraft and provides air service to about 40 airports, mostly in the United States. The airline’s fleet consists mostly of Cessna 402 aircraft which seat about 8 passengers.
The airline provides Essential Air Services to several rural airports which otherwise wouldn’t receive air travel service from mainline carriers. Because Cape Air provides these Essential Services the federal government provides them with substantial subsidies to operate.
All of this is important because the end result is extremely inexpensive airfare between most of the cities in which they operate.
Booking My Cape Air Flight
This year my Birthday and Easter fell quite close to one another. I decided to fly home for the weekend in order to celebrate Easter with my family. For the past several years I’ve spent my Birthday abroad so it was nice to go home and celebrate with my family for the first time in a while.
Getting to Saint Louis wasn’t much of a problem. I flew out Friday evening after work of Easter weekend and prices were about $100 one-way. I thankfully grabbed an American Airlines flight at that price which gives me the flexibility to standby for free thanks to my elite status.
To get back to Chicago however proved much more difficult. As I needed to fly on Easter Sunday the cost of a one-way ticket on a mainline carrier was well above $200. Instead, I noticed on Google Flights there was an option that would only cost me $89! That option was on Cape Air.
To book I simply clicked through to the Cape Air website and entered my credit card information. A short while later I received a confirmation email with a reservation number.
Checking In To My Cape Air Flight
Cape Air operates out of Lambert International Terminal 1. This is one of the more iconic airports in the United States (in my opinion, I’m definitely not bias).
As you pull up to the arrivals area you’ll notice the Cape Air name on Door 4 of the Arrivals Hall.
Once instead the majestic terminal (again, their words not mine) you’ll find the Cape Air ticket counter just across from the American Airlines counter.
Upon checking in the agent weighed each of my bags on the scales. They let me bring both my backpack and roll-aboard suitcase as carry-on baggage which I found surprising. Also at check-in the agent asked for my body weight as they must seat passengers based on weight.
Lastly, when buying my ticket online, the system would not accept my Known Traveler Number (TSA PreCheck). However, when checking in the agent was able to add it to my reservation with ease.
After checking in and receiving my boarding pass I proceeded downstairs to the C Concourse security checkpoint.
Once downstairs I passed through the TSA PreCheck lane which is almost always empty.
After clearing security I made the short walk to the dedicated Cape Air gate area. It’s hard to believe just 20 years ago this airport was a bustling hub for TWA.
Boarding Cape Air To Chicago Via Decatur
Cape Air flights depart from gate C7 in the C Concourse at Lambert International. There isn’t a jet bridge to get to the plane. Instead, passengers exit the airport by elevator.
The elevator door is just to the right of the old C7 jet-bridge door.
When the gate agent began the boarding process passengers were loaded into the elevator and sent down to ground level.
At this point a Cape Air employee called for each passenger in order by weight. Certain passengers were placed in certain parts of the cabin due to their weight. Heavy passengers sat toward the front of the aircraft while lighter passengers sat to the rear.
The Cessna 402 only seats 8 passengers in an extremely tight 1-1 arrangement. If your much taller than 6 foot I would probably avoid Cape Air at all costs.
At this point the ramp agent yelled at me for having my cell phone out. Apparently the FAA does not allow powered on mobile devices, or any electronic device for that matter outside of the main terminal. Yes, that included on the aircraft as well. So, while I intended to take photos of the cabin and the flight I was unable.
On Cape Air flights you are not allowed to have ANY powered on electronics in the main cabin. That includes phones, e-readers, tables, cameras, headphones, iPods, you name it, you can’t have it.
So Was My Cape Air Flight Comfortable?
Well, in a word, No, it wasn’t. The seats lack headrests and leg room, there is no lavatory on the plane, and you can’t listen to music or wear noise canceling headphones. Oh, and did I mention those twin engines were loud. So loud in fact that it’s hard to hear yourself think. It sure would have been nice to have my noise canceling headphones on during the flight.
On top of all of that the flight to Decatur is just over an hour. An hour is a fairly long time to sit without anything. I didn’t know I couldn’t listen to music or watch a video on my iPad so I didn’t bring a book to read. Oh, and I thought I could look out of the window, but we flew to Decatur during a snow storm and it was IMC conditions the whole way.
Also, the flight was quite bumpy. If you’re prone to motion sickness then I would recommend steering clear of Cape Air!
How Was The Connection In Decatur?
Terrible, thanks for asking. When we landed I wanted to use the restroom. In order to do so I had to leave the secure area of the airport and head inside to the main terminal. From there I had to once again go through security with all my bags. However, this time the TSA decided to do its job and take my toothpaste!
Was The Flight To Chicago Better?
No, not really. Well, it got much better for the last 20 minutes of the flight. Just before landing in Chicago we broke out of the clouds and got absolutely stunning views of Chicago from 4,000 feet. On top of that it was absolutely incredible landing at O’Hare and being able to see out of the front of the aircraft! Honestly, that alone made the entire experience worth it.
When we landed we taxied around the airport for a bit where again you could see everything happening in front of the aircraft. That’s something really only pilots get to see.
After a long taxi we arrived at the “gate” and an airport employee directed us inside the terminal. Again, it was pretty neat getting to stand on the ramp before heading into the airport.
So, Would You Fly Cape Air Again?
Well, you know, when I got off the flight I left the experience saying “never again” however now that it’s a few weeks later I think I would if the price is right. Honestly, as an AvGeek the entire experience was pretty cool. I sat just behind the co-pilot on both flights and had an unobstructed view of the cockpit controls and forward windscreen. Although there wasn’t much to see outside the views of the cockpit inside were fantastic.
Sure, it’s not the most comfortable way to fly, but for $75-$90 it’s a bargain. The trip from St. Louis to Chicago takes just about 3 hours even with the stop in Decatur. That’s not bad considering it’s faster than the train and only marginally more expensive.
Final Thoughts
The biggest bummer about my Cape Air Flight was not being able to use my phone. I didn’t mind sitting still for an hour watching the clouds go by, but I really wanted to take photos of the entire experience. I especially wanted to get photos of us landing at O’Hare and the subsequent taxi to the gate. That part of the trip was awesome.
Overall, Cape Air is a somewhat viable way to get to/from Chicago from St. Louis. However, in the future I will probably pay a little bit more to fly American just because of the flexibility it offers and the fact that it takes nearly 1/3 of the time. However, if the price differential is in excess of $100 I would definitely at least consider flying Cape Air again.
