Cahokia Heights, Illinois · Private jet and charter pickups
St. Louis Downtown (CPS) Car Service for Private & Charter Flights
No airline terminal, no baggage hall, no line. Just a ramp, an FBO door and a waiting car.
St. Louis Downtown is a general aviation field, so everything here happens through the fixed base operator rather than an airline terminal. Executive Transportation meets private jet, charter and corporate arrivals at that door and drives them on to the meeting, the plant or the hotel without a terminal anywhere in the way.
- 7,002 ftPrimary runway
- NoneAirline terminals
- 24/7Dispatch answers
- 2004Chauffeured since
Why riders book Executive Transportation
Private aviation pickups since 2004A person answers dispatch at any hourUniformed chauffeurs at the FBO doorSedans, SUVs, Sprinters and coaches
Know the airport
What to know about St. Louis Downtown Airport
St. Louis Downtown Airport, code CPS, is a general aviation field at Cahokia Heights on the Illinois bank of the Mississippi. There are no scheduled airline flights and no passenger terminal. Aircraft park on the ramp, passengers walk through the fixed base operator, and the car is standing at that door. Bi-State Development owns and runs it.
Everything moves through the FBO, not a terminal
There is no ticketing hall, no checkpoint and no baggage carousel at CPS, because nothing scheduled operates here. Jet Aviation is the fixed base operator the airport names on its own page, and it publishes 24-hour line service, Phillips 66 Jet A and 100LL, heated hangars, conference rooms, executive and crew lounges, and a flight planning room. Passengers come and go through that lobby.
Three runways, and a tower that keeps its own hours
The airport lists a primary runway 12R/30L at 7,002 by 150 feet of grooved asphalt, a parallel 12L/30R at 5,301 by 75 feet of concrete, and a 2,800-foot crosswind runway 5/23, at an elevation of 413 feet above sea level. The FAA control tower works 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily, with tower and CTAF on 119.925 outside those hours.
The location is the whole point
The airport puts itself minutes from downtown St. Louis and the Gateway Arch, and minutes from three major interstates. That is why a charter into CPS beats a hub for a same-day meeting: the aircraft stops a short drive from the appointment rather than out past the county line.
Tell us the tail number and the FBO
A reservation coordinator wants the tail number, the operator, the scheduled arrival and which building you are walking out of. That is all it takes to have a chauffeur standing there when the stairs come down. If the flight slides an hour, one call moves the vehicle with it.
Runway, tower, operator and fixed base operator details checked on the airport’s own site, stlouisdowntownairport.com, on September 17, 2026. Pages like these get revised, so check anything time sensitive close to your date.
CPS ground transportation
The run out to the ramp, and the run back from it
Without a terminal in the way, the only two moments that matter are the FBO door and the aircraft.
Departures
Your address to the FBO door
- Send the tail number and the departure timeOperator, tail number, scheduled wheels up and which FBO you are meeting the aircraft at. That is the booking.
- The pickup is built backward from the slotPrivate departures are not held for you the way an airline gate is, so the margin here is about the road rather than a checkpoint. We work back from the crew’s time, down I-55 and onto I-255.
- Bags loaded once, at your addressThe chauffeur takes the luggage at the door you leave from, and it does not change hands again until it is beside the aircraft.
- Dropped at the operator’s lobbyThe vehicle stops at the FBO entrance rather than a terminal roadway, so the walk from the back seat to the ramp is measured in a couple of minutes.
Arrivals
Down the stairs and into the car
- Give us the scheduled arrivalTail number, operator and the time the crew expects to be on the ground. Call dispatch if it moves, at whatever hour that happens.
- The chauffeur is waiting before you landThere is no baggage hall to buy time here. The vehicle is at the FBO ahead of the aircraft, which is the point of arriving this way.
- Luggage beside the aircraft where the ramp allowsWhere the operator clears it, cases move from the hold to the trunk without a second handling. Where it does not, the handover happens inside the lobby.
- Straight on to the meeting or straight northDowntown St. Louis is a short run across the river. Springfield and Central Illinois are a little over an hour and a half up I-55, and the same vehicle takes you either way.
Private jets and charter
Private jet and charter flights at St. Louis Downtown
This is the entire business of the airport, so it is the entire business of this page. Executive Transportation works the general aviation ramp at Cahokia the way other companies work an airline terminal door, and has since 2004.
- 01
The FBO lobby is the pickup point
There is no alternative here and that is the advantage. Your chauffeur waits inside or directly outside the operator’s entrance, and you are in the car within a few minutes of the stairs coming down. No levels, no lanes, no shuttle.
- 02
Plane-side loading where the operator allows
Ramp access is at the FBO’s discretion, and where it is granted the bags go straight from the hold to the vehicle. Where it is not, the same chauffeur takes them in the lobby, and the timing is unchanged.
- 03
Two destinations off one aircraft
Corporate flight departments turn aircraft quickly. We carry the crew to their hotel and the passengers to their appointment on a single booking, in one vehicle or two, without anybody waiting for a second car.
- 04
A Sprinter or a coach for a full aircraft
Fourteen seats and a stand-up aisle cover most charters in one vehicle, with room for hard cases and sample kits. Larger groups move to a coach, and the quote still covers the vehicle.
Where general aviation runs at CPS
- Jet AviationEast Ramp, 6100 Archview Dr., Cahokia Heights, Illinois 62206The only fixed base operator St. Louis Downtown lists on its own page. It publishes 24-hour line service, Phillips 66 Jet A and 100LL, heated hangars, conference rooms and executive and crew lounges, which is the building your chauffeur pulls up to.
Book with the tail number, the name of the operator and the time the crew expects to be down, then call us the moment that time changes. The line is answered whatever the hour. We prefer 72 hours’ notice, but call anytime. Short-notice trips depend on availability.
Executive Transportation is a ground transportation company. We drive to the aircraft, we do not charter it.
Request a QuoteCall (217) 523-5466Private jet shuttle
Why be driven
Four reasons to book the car before the flight
People fly privately into CPS to protect a schedule. A rental counter, a wrong turn in East St. Louis or a car that is forty minutes away undoes most of that in one go.
One figure, however many step off
The vehicle and chauffeur are quoted by the hour, minimum stated up front, and the hours are planned around the crossing into the city. Six passengers off one aircraft share that single figure.
The car is there before you are
A charter that lands twenty minutes early should not sit in a lobby. The vehicle waits at the FBO rather than being summoned once you are down.
Work the whole way north
Cahokia to Springfield is a little over an hour and a half. In the back seat that is a conference call, a debrief, or the sleep you did not get before the trip.
Chauffeurs, not drivers
Uniformed, early, and used to ramps and operators rather than terminal roadways. We have run private aviation pickups across Illinois and Missouri since 2004.
We prefer 72 hours’ notice, but call anytime. Short-notice trips depend on availability.
The fleet
Fleet for this run
A charter arrives with whoever is on it, so the vehicle is chosen by headcount and hard cases rather than by class. Every one of these is quoted by the hour, for the whole vehicle.
Executive Sedan
A principal and an assistant off a light jet, heading straight into a meeting across the river.
View vehicle
Luxury SUV
Five or six passengers with real luggage. The usual answer for a midsize cabin and a hotel drop.
View vehicle
Sprinter Van
A full aircraft in one vehicle, with a stand-up aisle and room for sample kits and hard cases.
View vehicle
Groups of 15 to 35
Two aircraft arriving together, or a delegation meeting a charter. Shuttle coaches seat 22 to 35.
Shuttle CoachLimousine CoachEach one shows up with a uniformed chauffeur at the wheel. A stretch limousine seats 8 to 10 when an arrival is meant to look like one.
See the full fleetRequest a QuoteCities we connect to CPS
Where our St. Louis Downtown runs start
Executive Transportation drives to and from the Cahokia ramp across Central Illinois, on one quote for the whole vehicle. These are the cities the CPS work comes from most, and each one has its own page.
Every figure below is a clear-road drive to the airport. Give dispatch the tail number and the scheduled time rather than a drive time: the pickup is built backward from the aircraft.
Calibrated clear-road drives, and the floor rather than a promise. We also collect from Jacksonville, Litchfield, Carlinville, Edwardsville and Alton, and from any address between them.
One number for the vehicle, wherever the run begins.
Book your CPS transfer
Have the car waiting when the stairs come down.
A coordinator needs three things: the tail number, the operator it parks with, and how many are walking off. Back comes a named chauffeur, a vehicle and a time, quoted by the hour for the whole car.
(217) 523-5466We prefer 72 hours’ notice, but call anytime. Short-notice trips depend on availability.
Airport to airport
Popular transfers between CPS and other airports
Flying in privately and out commercially is an ordinary pattern, and the two rarely use the same field. Executive Transportation drives the gap in one vehicle, with the bags where you left them.
Each card is the drive between the Cahokia ramp and the airport named, in either direction. Give us the tail number, the onward flight number and both scheduled times at booking.
Clear-road figures. The Mississippi bridges are the variable they do not carry.
Both fields on one reservation, quoted by the hour for the vehicle.
What riders say
Riders, in their own words
Executive Transportation saved the day after another bus company fell through last minute.
The scheduling process was seamless, and the timely pickup from Bloomington airport made my journey stress-free.
Our group of 7 needed a ride from Chicago O’Hare to Springfield. The vehicle was clean and comfortable.
Flight departments and executive assistants book the ground half of a charter through our executive chauffeur service, one trip or one season at a time.
State agencies and visiting delegations arriving privately arrange their runs through government and legislative travel.
CPS questions
What people ask before booking a car to CPS
The answers below use St. Louis Downtown Airport’s own published information, checked on stlouisdowntownairport.com in September 2026, and our own calibrated drive times.
Does St. Louis Downtown Airport have scheduled airline flights?
St. Louis Downtown Airport is a general aviation field, so there are no scheduled airline departures, no checkpoint and no baggage hall. Private, charter and corporate aircraft use it instead. If you need an airline seat, Lambert is about twenty-five minutes away and MidAmerica sits further east in Illinois.
See the Lambert airport page for airline flights.
Where does the chauffeur meet you at St. Louis Downtown Airport?
Executive Transportation meets private and charter arrivals at the fixed base operator entrance rather than any airline terminal, because CPS has none. Jet Aviation on the East Ramp is the only operator the airport names on its own page. Your chauffeur confirms the building with you before the aircraft is down.
Call (217) 523-5466 with the tail number and the operator.
How far is St. Louis Downtown Airport from Springfield, Illinois?
Executive Transportation figures about 101 miles and about 1 hour 35 minutes on clear roads, down I-55 and across on I-255. Decatur runs about 2 hours 10 minutes, Quincy about 2 hours 30, and Peoria about 2 hours 40. Those are clear-road numbers with nothing added for weather or a bridge backup.
Request a Quote with your dates.
Do you pick up from private jets and charter flights at St. Louis Downtown Airport?
Executive Transportation does almost nothing else here. We meet private, charter and corporate aircraft at the FBO door, load beside the aircraft where the operator allows it, and carry flight crew and passengers on one booking. A Sprinter takes a full cabin in a single vehicle, with room for hard cases.
Book through executive chauffeur service.
What are the runways and control tower hours at CPS?
St. Louis Downtown lists three runways: 12R/30L at 7,002 by 150 feet, the parallel 12L/30R at 5,301 by 75 feet, and the crosswind 5/23 at 2,800 feet, on a field 413 feet above sea level. The FAA tower works 6:30 a.m. to 10:00 p.m. daily, with tower and CTAF on 119.925.
Send the arrival time when you request a quote.
What happens if the aircraft lands early or late at CPS?
Executive Transportation asks for a call as soon as the crew knows. The vehicle is held against the tail number and scheduled arrival you gave at booking rather than a feed we watch, so a phone call is what moves it. Dispatch is answered around the clock, including the small hours.
Call (217) 523-5466 to move a booked pickup.
Which vehicle should a charter party book at CPS?
Executive Transportation runs executive sedans for two to three passengers, luxury SUVs for five to six, Sprinter vans for fourteen, and coaches for parties up to thirty-five. Hard cases and sample kits usually decide it before headcount does, so tell a coordinator what is coming off the aircraft.
Compare the full fleet.
Can you drive from St. Louis Downtown to Lambert or Spirit of St. Louis?
Executive Transportation covers the St. Louis area fields as single bookings, with the luggage untouched. Lambert is about 21 miles from the Cahokia ramp, Spirit of St. Louis sits west of the city, and MidAmerica is east in Illinois. Book it as one run and send both the inbound tail number and the outbound flight.
Keep reading
More on CPS and the fields around it
What we have written about the St. Louis run, plus the airports and services around this page.
From the blog
The drive south, and what the trip is worth.
- St. Louis Airport Shuttle From Illinois: The Drive DownThe run down to the St. Louis fields, town by town.
- STL Airport Parking: The Real Cost of Driving to LambertThe airline hub next door, priced out lot by lot.
- What Is a Chauffeur? Chauffeur vs. Driver, ExplainedWhy the distinction matters at an FBO door.
- How Much Does a Car Service Cost? A Booking GuideHow the hours on a written quote are actually put together.
- Conference Transportation: An Event Planner’s PlaybookMoving a delegation that arrives in pieces.
Airports near CPS
For the legs that use a different field.
- STLSt. Louis LambertThe airline hub, about twenty-five minutes north.
- SUSSpirit of St. LouisChesterfield, the other business aviation field.
- BLVMidAmerica St. LouisMascoutah, and an Allegiant schedule.
- SPIAbraham Lincoln CapitalSpringfield, Illinois, and its own single terminal.
- ORDChicago O’HareWhen the onward leg is a long haul.
Service and corporate
The services a Cahokia booking is written under.
- Executive Chauffeur ServiceThe service most CPS bookings are made under.
- Airport TransportationEvery field and ramp we cover, gathered in one place.
- Airport-to-Airport TransfersWhen the outbound and the inbound do not match.
- Government & Legislative TravelState visits and agency travel, run to their own schedule.
Book the ride
Request your CPS ride
Three things flight departments tell us matter on a Cahokia pickup.
The car is there first
The vehicle waits at the FBO rather than being called once you are down, because a charter that lands early should not wait in a lobby.
The aircraft is the party, and the party is one figure
Quoted by the hour, with the minimum stated up front and the bridges already planned for. Everyone off the aircraft shares one figure.
Dispatch answers day and night
Private schedules move, and somebody picks up the phone when they do, including at three in the morning.
Photo credits
- St. Louis Downtown Airport from the air at dusk, via Wikimedia Commons. Photo by formulanone, CC BY-SA 2.0, source.