The flight from Oakland to Terceira is, technically, a charter flight ticketed by Azores Airlines (the "new" identity of SATA International) but managed and operated by a private company. I took this flight last summer and it was wonderful. However, SATA has sometimes cancelled this flight and rebooked passengers from San Francisco or Oakland to Boston for the regular Azores Airlines flight to the islands, either Ponta Delgada, São Miguel, or Lajes, Terceira. Be on the alert. My assumption is such a change occurs when there are too few passengers for the charter flight to break even for SATA.
Regardless, you definitely should book your ticket entirely to Pico (PIX) through SATA so that you are completely covered on each leg of the journey. SATA has code-share arrangements with Virgin America and JetBlue from SFO to BOS and then to PIX through either PDL or TER. I would attempt the through flight first before considering the ferry from Terceira to Pico. Reason: One ticket through SATA protects you against cancellations, delays, or who-knows-what because SATA then accommodates you with hotel and meal vouchers and retickets you for the next flight. If you piece-meal your transit any other way and happen to miss a connection, it's your problem. July and August are the highest demand months for travel to and from the Azores. If you are going, get your tickets NOW, if you can. The fares will be at their highest, unfortunately. The Oakland flight might well be sold out already. That's just how it is during high season. The later you go in August, the lower the fare; a return in September is cheaper than in August. This is because the demand shifts. However, you might want to spend a day or three either in Ponta Delgada or Angra, both to adjust to the time difference and for the adding sightseeing. As for ferry service, you can get information at https://www.atlanticoline.pt/p/p/ There are two high-speed catamaran ferries now running, cutting the transit time considerably. Seats on the ferries are generally easy to get up to the departure time. Useful to know: There is a significant discount for passengers over 65. As a foreigner, you must present a passport to verify your age; a driver's license or anything else is likely to be refused because it is not an internationally-recognized item. The ferry ride can be lovely. From Terceira, there is regular service from Praia de Vitória to Santa Cruz, Graciosa, to Velas, São Jorge, to São Roque, Pico. There is occasional service from Angra as well. The Atlântico line has information on all the routes. The new ferries, however, are enclosed and not open as the older Santorini was, so the ride is not at open-sea feeling as before. Still, the boats come close enough to the islands that you can see things otherwise missed by airplane. Where in Pico would you be staying? I'm in Santo Amaro the whole summer. It would be wonderful to meet a fellow list-member in person! Tomás Leal On Friday, June 9, 2017 at 11:40:26 PM UTC, "E" Sharp wrote: > A relative has invited my husband and I to their home in Pico the > beginning of August. We would leave out of Oakland to Terceira, I guess. > How does one get from Terceira to Pico? Are the flights usually full this > time of year Oakland to Terceira in August? > > Thanks, > "E" > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "Azores Genealogy" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to azores+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/azores.
