talk about a diversion

Oct. 28, seems like there are a bunch of airports closer than where they went. Upon further review it looks like they just went to the next place the aircraft was scheduled to go, still one heck of a diversion.

flightaware.com/live/flight/QXE468

Looks like you hit the nail on the head (divert to next scheduled stop, also known as company home base, where they can put the passengers on the next flight out to STS).

Here may be the reason for the divert. Looks like an arrival time may be about 1640Z:

KSTS 281753Z 00000KT 10SM FEW001 10/08 A3023 RMK AO2 SLP232 T01000083 10100 20072 50006
KSTS 281733Z 00000KT 3SM BR BKN001 09/08 A3024 RMK AO2
KSTS 281713Z 00000KT 1 1/2SM BR OVC001 09/08 A3024 RMK AO2
KSTS 281705Z 00000KT 1/2SM FG VV001 09/08 A3024 RMK AO2
KSTS 281653Z 00000KT 1/4SM FG VV001 08/08 A3024 RMK AO2 SLP233 T00830078
KSTS 281553Z 00000KT 1/4SM FG VV001 08/08 A3023 RMK AO2 SLP230 T00780078
KSTS 281453Z 00000KT 1/4SM FG VV001 08/07 A3022 RMK AO2 SLP226 T00780072 51009
KSTS 281353Z 00000KT 1/4SM FG VV001 08/07 A3022 RMK AO2 SLP225 T00780072

Home base is actually PDX.

Sure says something about the DHC8’s capabilities. I don’t know how many pax they had, but it looks like they planned for this. They (presumably) made takeoff weight at LAX, would have been under max landing in STS and still had the fuel to divert to SEA. By the time they got to SEA the fog had rolled in there too. I heard them land on liveatc, the RVR was 1000 ft. which is pretty normal for them. 8)

It’s possible that they loaded enough fuel to do that aircraft’s entire routing either LAX-STS-LAX or LAX-STS-SEA because of fuel costs in STS.

STS is a great little airport. I know they have JET-A there so and perhaps cost is an issue. Bottom line, more than likely, there’s only one runway with ILS and perhaps the wind was blowing the wrong way and it was socked in. The marine layer can really hang around there.