Lewiston-Nez Perce County Regional Airport – LWS

Last week I was flying from Sacramento to Seattle then changing planes and on to Lewiston Idaho. Well while I was on the Seattle bound plane, a stewardess came to my seat and one other persons seat and told us that it was going to be cutting it really close for our connecting flight so to come up towards the front of the plane and we would be let off first and a shuttle would be at the plane to take us to the gate we needed to be at. They made an announcement on the plane to please let us exit before anyone else due to our circumstances. Sure enough the shuttle got us there just in time. In fact we landed in Lewiston about 10 minutes early. I have to say its the 3^rd time Ive done this flight and they are outstanding ‘re on time as well as going above and beyond on this most recent flight. So Thankyou Horizon! See u again in a few months!

I think the title of this airport says it all, welcome to the middle of nowhere! This airport has 2 gates, meaning two doors that exit the same tiny waiting room. If you are lucky you arrive when it is not really cold, because you actually walk down the stairs onto the tarmac and into the ‘lobby’. If you are really lucky you won’t have a prop plane. Most flights don’t accommodate overhead luggage very well so you end up having to check your bag «a’ la carte», then you stand freezing on the tarmac waiting for your roller bag. I know better than to do this, so I always check my bag coming into this airport.
If you are super lucky to be there during ‘normal hours’ there is a gift shop that has all kinds of silly cliché Idaho potato paraphernalia, but don’t expect to see potato farms in the northern panhandle of Idaho.
Most flights seem to leave here at the ass crack of dawn (5−6am) and arrive after 11pm. All connecting flights I have had going to and from here seem to have at least 3 hour layovers. Also expect turbulence and a bumpy landing coming-​in; LWS is in a deep mountain valley and can be socked in with clouds, not to mention a very short runway.
Security at LWS is comparable to Fort Knox, so please leave your tweezers at home! It is slow and not exactly what I would call friendly… but who is friendly at 4am in the morning when people are checking in?
So, why two stars? Well this is my home town regional airport. I usually always see familiar faces when I land, if not already on the airplane going in. Parking is free and footsteps from the doorway. I honestly hope it never changes :)

I can see their control tower from my living room and they have always been good neighbors. Only occasionally do we hear airplane engine sounds. I fly out of there about three times a year and, while flying isn’t nearly as much fun as it used to be, nothing has ever happened that I can blame on them.

Love our local airport! Five minutes away from our house :-) Easy pick up & drop off for family & other guests. Still FREE parking!

This is a small airport serving two airlines: Horizon and Delta. Parking is free for both short and long term parking. Getting in the security gate takes, at most 20 min when its at its busiest. Luggage is a bit slow coming out for such a small airport, but that’s all I really have to complain about.