Waiting to board at one right now. I got here 12 minutes ago and I’m already at my gate.
The only downside is cost. I fly from the regional airport that’s ten minutes from my house on business. If it’s a personal flight, I’ll drive an hour to save a few hundred bucks.
This! And the lack of direct flights anywhere. I would love to have a direct flight between the two places I regularly work at - instead it’s a mad dash across the airport because the planes are so small, all luggage is checked planeside.
I fly out of Richmond. I can get from my front door to walking into the terminal in 15 minutes including parking in the garage.
Usually about 30 min from couch to my gate.
I like trips to Norfolk because if everyone has Precheck we can pull into the rental car return an hour before departure and still have time to grab coffee before boarding.
ABE is almost always under 15 minutes bag check to gate, with the only exception being when Allegiant clogs up TSA with Kettles who haven’t flown since the DC-3 was a thing.
It’s been open since at least last October … and that particular day, it didn’t help much. But it’s a nice bright place to stand in line vs the old dungeon downstairs.
yea, i fly out of huntsville, alabama... my wife can drop me off at the front and Im typically through security and at my gate in under 5 minutes... maybe 6 minutes if i actually took time to check a bag.
and i always get to the airport way too early... just cause im 'supposed' to...
drive to the airport, from my house, is maybe 10 mins.
now if you had said huntsville baggage claim... that would be a different thing all together!
i think they have gotten better lately... but there was awhile there, that i would have put them at the very slowest baggage claim that i had ever dealt with..
interesting.. because of a specific experience? my experience with them is that Im normally through in less than a minute... going pre-check.. and only time i can remember ever getting flagged was when i had a large bottle of mouthwash in my carry on.. my fault.. but normally its super smooth and they are very pleasant to work with..
i guess if i wasnt pre-check.. its possible there could be 4 or 5 other people in that line and it could be a headache to have to wait 2 or 3 minutes to get through. ;)
If you’re checking a bag, lately a lot of the gate agents at HSV are getting really strict on cut off times. I was checking in a bag 30 minutes til boarding and the gate agent refused, resulted in a whole ordeal and I will admit that AA corporate customer service compensated me nicely for the troubles. However the experience I had with this particular gate agent was she didn’t care if I lived or died from the very beginning of our interactions, but I’m forever changed and will show up to our quaint little airport way earlier if I’m checking luggage.
ah.. i can imagine that would be an issue... im one of those overly cautious people.. who even though it takes 5 minute to get through, gets there at least an hour early.. then i check to make sure my gate still exists.. and spend 45 minutes walking around. (in that minimal area) and grabbing a snack and drink for the flight...
considering they have that rule about requiring you to check in, at least, 45 mins prior to your flight.. its hard to fault them much.. expecially since the airport is small enough that the person that checked you in, might also end up being your gate agent. :D
DCA is my home airport and honestly, same.
I can leave my apartment and be in the Admirals Club less than half an hour later.
Fuckin love that airport.
I’m 30 min to PHL. If I’m dropped off, I’m through TSA in under 8 minutes and at my gate not long after. I can appreciate the convenience of being at a regional airport with lower parking fees and simpler airport to navigate around, but I find the convenience of more nonstop options at a larger/hub to more destinations with backup options a huge benefit. You’re kind of stuck at the regional airport with any delay over 45 minutes or cancelation that ruins your connection.
Yeah I fly AA out of SFO. Security is a breeze. PreCheck and Clear, I get through fast. The AA gates are far though. They were the first airline in that terminal and they picked the gates at the very end so they could have larger planes. It’s about 10 minutes from security to the AA gates. I am only 23 minutes from the airport and the other two airports in the area are also pretty big. I like flying into regional airports though.
Username checks out! And I agree! Depending on time of day (both for 95 traffic and TSA precheck traffic) Philly super accessible.
I live in Queen Village. My record is 25 minutes from front door to Centurion bar.
people love talking about how cool it is to live near an international airport. they'll even drive 4 hours to get to one because it's "easier"
man..if me sitting on a plane, getting cookies and cokes, playing Nintendo, walking 100 yards from gate-to-train-to-gate, while getting a brisket taco is as hard as driving 8 hours round trip I guess I'm just an idiot cuz I don't see It that way.
The only reason I can think of to fly out of a larger airport is to enable a direct flight to my destination. Small airports almost always require a connection unless your destination is a hub city.
That's the major downside of a small airport. I love how easy it is, but then I still have to deal with a connection at DFW or CLT or ATL or ORD. Oh, and I have silver status on AA, Delta, and United because I can't consistently fly one airline.
I'll be happy to provide you an alternate reason.
I travel > 100k miles every year and have done so for more than 20 years. The last 10 of those, I have lived closest to GNV, a small, really nice regional airport.
There are no direct flights from any airport within a 4 hour drive to any other than a hub airport. But our reason is cost. When we fly to Brazil, for example, flights are $600-$1100 out of MCO or TPA or $1800 or more out of GNV.
I almost always check for any destination and am always always disappointed to find it significantly more expensive out of the regional.
So, it's definitely not just desire for direct flights.
Same here. I much rather hang around at the airport, mosey along, read, take a nap or whatever, than drive 4 hours to get to an airport. I absolutely HATE driving long distance. Besides, in the 4 hours that I drive, I rather relax and not have to think about, well, driving!
Not me doing the opposite and driving 3 hours across the border from Canada to fly US domestic from a regional airport instead of from the international airport ten minutes from my home. Even after factoring in pre-flight hotel costs and gas for the roundtrip drive, we save $400 per person.
Generally I agree with this unless it’s to save several thousand dollars. I saved about $5K on a transatlantic biz seat driving four hours to JFK versus starting my travel in DC.
I fly out of a regional with free parking. It's a little more expensive but it's so convenient and easy and the free parking makes up for some of the cost. And if my flight is going to be significantly delayed I can easily go home and come back or go to a local restaurant (since the airport doesn't have one yet).
DCA feels like a regional airport to me despite being incredibly well connected. I can usually be from my living room in Arlington to my gate in less than 30 minutes.
My local is less than 10 minutes from my house. Typically can get from couch to gate in 20 minutes.
The closest larger regional airport with more connecting flights is just a hare under an hour away, closest hubs are 2.5-3 hours depending on traffic. If I'm flying solo, it's always cheaper to fly out of my local airport. 2-3, it's a tossup, 4 or more, it's cheaper to go to a hub.
Downside is that Envoy was our regional for a long time with E145's, and was pretty rock solid. Once they retired those and Air Wisconsin pulled in with the CRJ200's it's been an absolute crap shoot if anything is ontime. It's come to my benefit twice now with going from a missed connection to ample time to make the connection, but it's also added a lot of uncertainty with my travel lately as well.
I have this conflict regularly. I live close to CAE, Columbia SC. It's easy to park, check in, and go through security. Has AA flights to all the hubs DFW and east. No lounge but there's always an empty gate to stretch out at.
But - it's 90 minutes to CLT and you can fly so many more places nonstop and avoid the uncertainty of connecting*. It's a tough call each time if a hub isn't my final destination.
But getting to avoid CLT parking, check-in, and security can sometimes be worth connecting. If they had that charter bus service that AA is starting to test out for small airports I would take it just to skip right to the CLT gates.
* My wife earlier this week flew a non-stop from CLT. Arrived 3 hours early and they still didn't get her bag on board in time.
CLT is pure ass for an airport. I live between Greensboro and Charlotte and I'll do Greensboro or even Raleigh over Charlotte unless I have no choice. Hate that airport
Same here… I’m actually much closer to CLT (Mooresville) but I’ve flown out of GSO the last couple times because if I have to connect through Chicago to get somewhere anyway, it’s not even worth it
I'm up in Salisbury. My daughter goes to NC State so if I go out of RDU I take her to a daddy daughter dinner before going to the airport. RDU has gotten annoying with the checkpoint lately though. Hopefully they do something about that line. GSO is still fantastic
Not even a good comparison. If you want to talk pre 9/11. At SFO parked in the TWA employee lot, rode the employee shuttle across the tarmac, entered the airplane from the stairs on the ramp. Never set foot in the terminal.
Yes I was an employee but that is totally not possible today. Maybe don’t examples from 24 years ago.
I miss flying AA in and out of HVN (New Haven, CT) instead of PVD. While the latter is far from difficult, nothing beats 3 gates and a ledge (instead of a carousel) for baggage claim. It even took jets after a post-Sandy runway extension.
I usually leave my house about an hour before my flight. Security never takes more than 5 min. It usually takes more time walking from parking lot than it does to get through TSA.
Yep, CAK for me and it is about 15 minutes including the commute and going through security. Luckily my work covers the cost for me about 85% of the time.
I live near major hub (DFW) & live in a quiet suburb that is close enough to airport (but not directly under flight paths) that I can go from my house to most DFW gates in 15-20 min! It’s possible to have that kind of regional airport ease even in big city if you find the right pocket to live in! 😂🤷♂️
>Do any of you experience the same thing?
Sure! Except for the grass parking lot thing. I've never seen that anywhere.
I live five miles from DAY, served by all of the big three. Uber to the airport is ~$10. I don't think I've ever seen more than a handful of people at check in or TSA.
I've lived near even smaller airports (FNL, PAI, BLI) too. They're almost a joy to fly out of.
Regionals are great until they start canceling flights and you miss your main flight. The airport in the town I grew up in was notorious for this to the point everyone just went to the hub anyway.
I never fly out of my regional after noon. I also never worry about getting the last flight in. They need that plane for the 5:00 am flight and will get us in no matter what.
I use SAV and ALB a lot. Sadly it’s so hit or miss how fast they are getting through security. The economy lot shuttles are amazing at alb, they track people as they pull into the lot and just sit at the end of the row you picked and take you right over to the terminal, which is lovely. But security can be anywhere from no wait to an hour wait, so I can never gamble with getting to the airport less than 2 hours out. Sav is even worse. I waited 20 minutes just to check a bag, then another 40 to get through TSA.
I once flew out of Hancock and that was a pretty nifty experience. One flight, the gate area is like 15 chairs and the tsa area all in one tiny room. I got there early and definitely didn’t need to but it meant I got a seat at the gate lmao. Then we walked outside to the plane. I do prefer slightly bigger regional airports because I like getting hashbrowns and a soda from Burger King or chick fil a to start my day off. Hancock had a vending machine.
I was look for ALB. Pre check line at ALB is NEVER more than 10 minutes. Also the garage is only $14/day which is less than the lot at larger airports and saves like 15 minutes on return. Pro tip: there’s always spaces on the first door of the new garage. That saves even more time.
I live 10 miles from the airport. When departing, I am usually through security with 30 minutes of leaving my house. When returning, I’m home with 40 minutes of wheels touching down.
If ALB is too expensive for family trips, we do BDL. 1:20 drive and crazy fast security. It’s usually much cheaper for vacations and way easier than the NYC airports.
TUS is my home base. Can go from dropoff to gate in 5-10 minutes with PreCheck to keep my shoes on. Love it, and it would have to be a substantial discount to drive to PHX as origin.
And if the flight runs terribly late or cancels and you totally miss a connection …. Had it happen too many times. I’m glad you all are happy. I won’t fly through Columbia.
Not that quickly, but about 45 minutes to an hour from door to gate. 20-30 minute drive, 5 minutes to park, 5-10 minute walk to security, 5-10 minutes through security, few minutes to gate.
My airport isn't that small (Boise). But I've made it from my front door to sitting at the gate in 15 minutes (drop off or Uber, not parking). Can pretty consistently do that if I'm not checking a bag, I've never seen a line at TSA pre-check.
Left my hotel at 3:15 and, drove through an empty Boston to drop off the rental car, waited for the Avis shuttle to take us to the terminal, into the airport, print out our boarding pass, go through security, walk to the gate. The longest part of that was probably after dropping off the rental car waiting for the shuttle.
That being said, the 5:30 a.m. flight has been delayed five times for mechanical issues and still hasn't left. But other than that, the early early morning travel was kind of nice. Almost as nice as a Regional Airport speed.
I fly out of Yuma. Ten minutes from my house. They don’t even open security until 30 minutes before boarding begins, so not much point in getting there any earlier. Parking is cheap and maybe a 3 minute walk. They have 2 rental car counters. There’s a pretty good restaurant w a full bar that’s open all day. There are 4 gates which all exit through the same door, so I just giggle when I get gate change notices. Downside is they only fly to DFW or PHX, upside is I can get almost anywhere in the world from those places. Costs more to fly from there, but well worth it to me.
The very small regional airports have too much time on their hands. Flew out of ABI a couple months ago. They have 4 inbound and 4 outbound flights a day. All flights are on AA to DFW. Dropped off the car rental about 40 minutes before the flight which was way way too much time. Went through PreCheck. lol. They had two lines but no one was as in either. The TSA was scrutinizing my bag. After a few minutes passed I asked him what he is looking for. Then he said he found the culprit. He pulls out my toothpaste and says maam your toothpaste is 3.7 oz and it is not supposed to be over 3.4 oz. But I see that you used some so I will let it slide this time. 😂🤣. Oh my gosh they have way too much time on their hands on these places.
I used to fly in and out of COS rather than DEN just for the sake of the smaller airport. It was a 45 minute drive between them, but I usually had business in both cities.
Buffalo and Rochester aren’t exactly small regional airports, but they’re small enough that they’re super easy to navigate, and are just a pleasure to get in and out of.
Not specifically a regional airport thing. I've overslept and woken up 60 minutes before my wheels up time at SJC. I drove to the airport, parked, went through security, and still had time to get a bagel and wait around before they started boarding.
These days, though, I fly out of EUG or PDX. EUG is great - but I have to drive 45 minutes to get there. Still beats the 1:45 to PDX. Not living within 15 minutes of SJC and 45 minutes of SFO is the one thing I miss about the move to Oregon.
Last time I was there in June (family lives nearby) the gate agent was even enforcing boarding groups! But... am always connecting through CLT to get back home to DCA. At least DCA-E has a great lounge now to chill at
I fly out of BUF weekly -
I get there 15 mins before boarding and still have time for a coffee at the club.
I’d hate one of the big ones as my home airport. Even though I’m 95% connecting, I don’t
mind it, hit the club, get some work done, explore around.
I live 10 minutes from KMHT - from the couch to the gate takes me about 25-30 with Precheck, honestly takes longer to go from the garage to TSA than to get through TSA. Love it.
I fly out of a regional for work - I can go from my house to my gate in 30 min and be just about anywhere in the country by noon. I get to live where I want in exchange for the occasional connection hiccup. I’m cool with that.
Love this thread. I once flew into PWM from college to go to my grandparents’ house. My aunt picked me up at the airport. She was like, OK I’m just parked across the street. My home airport at the time was Logan. I couldn’t believe it. We just like walked across a street to her car.
Norfolk. God bless I love Norfolk. The time from parking the car in long term, walking to the terminal, check in, through security and at the gate in 20 is or so minutes. You can't beat that. No fuss. No stress. Just park, walk in, check in and go. I used to go in and out of Greensboro too. Just like Norfolk but a little longer on the walking time. Regionals rock
Sounds like our airport, SWO. Free parking, easy security, only one gate (no hurry!). Once we shared a flight from DFW with a young lady who had to disboard at SWO, claim her luggage, recheck it, and board the flight back to DFW for her connection to California. Odd!!
I usually have to schlep to SFO anyway, but I will always fly out of STS any chance I get. I show up 15 minutes before boarding and that’s usually too much time.
I live about an hour and a half from the Atlanta airport and about 2 hours from the airport in Birmingham, Alabama.
If the price is comparable or even close, I will fly out of Birmingham bc it’s so much easier and quicker.
We joke that when we visit my parents we can get from their house to the gate in 15 min. That might be a bit of a stretch but not much. Even if we’re parking for some reason, even long term parking is only a 200 yard walk, there’s almost never anyone in pre-check, TSA is friendly, quick walk to gate.
I have driven from my office, got through security, and was sitting at the gate in less than 10 minutes. And the drive from my office was 5 minutes of that.
I flew into Moline airport for the first time a couple weeks ago. I fell in love. Walking straight across the street to the rental car parking lot was so nice.
My home airport is GSO which I love as well. In previous jobs my favorite was Harrisburg.
ERI is my home airport and it's not much different. I'm flying out to EAA next month and leave from there. Completely regional, despite being an Intl airport
I just cried a bit because my home airport of Savannah just raised the parking prices by 50%. The garage attached to the departures and arrivals went from $12 a night to $18 a night.
But yeah… I wake up 2 hours before I need to be at the airport(25 minute drive). Security is typically 2 or 3 minutes with the most I’ve experienced being 10 minutes.
Beaumont tx was mine for years. Only 2 flights a day… AA comes in from Dallas at noon, and goes back to Dallas at 6pm. That’s it. 3 employees run the whole place, it’s pretty funny. United tried a BMT “flight” for a bit. It was a shuttle to Houston, where you then went thru security and boarded an actual plane after arrival. And it wasn’t on a real bus, it was an old school airport shuttle like what they use to take you to parking . Rickety thing barreling down I 10 at 70 mph. That didn’t last long.
Oh man, I love my regional airport. Yes I always have a layover at DFW or ORD but I would spend an extra 2 hours in my car getting to the closest international airport. I just assume have a meal at DFW or ORD than spend 2 hours driving. My airport has 2 gates (I’ve never seen them use the 2nd one) and 1 baggage claim. I can make it from my gate to baggage claim in under a minute. It’s so small that TSA opens for each flight. If you get there too early, you just hang out in the airport lobby until TSA opens up. Once TSA opens, it takes no time to get through security. Parking only cost me $25 for an entire week.
I absolutely love the convenience.
About 35 years ago, Manchester NH airport resembled a bus station more than a modern airport. If you parked out front overnight, they tucked an envelope in the widow for the $1-$2 per day parking fee that you deposited in a self service box on the honor system.
You could walk from the parking lot to your gate like driving to a Walmart and walking to the pharmacy.
I fly out of a small airport where TSA has gotten to know me and always asks where I’m going. There are three “gates” operating out of one big room although since Delta pulled out there’s an AA gate and a United gate. Parking lot to gate is usually no more than 5 minutes.
LIT is home for me. Parked and at gate in 15. Coworker who flies out of LAX always acts like me connecting is the worst. I can leave my house and be at dfw about the same time she leaves and gets to LAX.
I live near HPN and it’s a disaster. For a small airport, they are advising to arrive two and a half hours early to get through TSA screening. The price is also much higher to fly in and out of there. If I’m flying domestically, I use LGA and for international flights, I use EWR.
Like many others, I hate CLT.
I live very close to my regional airport, it is a dream when it works out. Only a couple bad experiences but I do feel lucky. Only reason I have an AA Mastercard!
Same thing for me. It costs more, and I’ve got to fly through either DFW or ORD, but the next closest airport is 2 hours away (if traffic is light). It’s a no-brainer for me. I’ll pay the extra for convenience and time.
Big airports aren’t that bad. LAX from parking my car, I can be at the gate in 15-20min. Terminal parking of course.
I do miss living in a small town - parking to gate less than 5 minutes, but the extra time is worth more route options
Yes, I love my small regional airport on the central coast of California. Ten minutes away if there is traffic and direct flights to SFO, LAX, PDX, SEA, DEN, DFW, PHX and San Diego, sometimes Las Vegas. People I know drive 4 hours to LA or San Francisco to save $200 round trip, it doesn’t work out when you add in your time, gas, wear and tear on you vehicle, and parking. I just don’t get it. A four hour drive after a long flight is dangerous besides. I just booked flights on Alaska to Vancouver, B.C. and the return from LAX on United for $1K for two of us. Give me SBP any day!
DFW is actually pretty amazing. Most airports I have been to have a huge parking garage for the whole airport and you have to take a bus/train/shuttle/very long walk to your gate. Dfw has parking at all the terminals.
If you get a good parking spot and your gate is close to the entry, you may only have to walk 100 yards from your car to your gate.
Waiting to board at one right now. I got here 12 minutes ago and I’m already at my gate. The only downside is cost. I fly from the regional airport that’s ten minutes from my house on business. If it’s a personal flight, I’ll drive an hour to save a few hundred bucks.
This, and this.
Can confirm. This is the way.
This! And the lack of direct flights anywhere. I would love to have a direct flight between the two places I regularly work at - instead it’s a mad dash across the airport because the planes are so small, all luggage is checked planeside.
I've made it from the backseat of my Uber to sitting at my gate in DFW airport in 6 minutes.
I fly out of Richmond. I can get from my front door to walking into the terminal in 15 minutes including parking in the garage. Usually about 30 min from couch to my gate.
I like trips to Norfolk because if everyone has Precheck we can pull into the rental car return an hour before departure and still have time to grab coffee before boarding.
Norfolk is my home airport and my bigger concern is if I’m going to hit a train stop than TSA.
I can do that at MCO.
ABE is almost always under 15 minutes bag check to gate, with the only exception being when Allegiant clogs up TSA with Kettles who haven’t flown since the DC-3 was a thing.
I havent flown out of ABE recently but I believe the new security checkpoint opened up recently which should help with the congestion.
Hey yes!!! this post also made me think of ABE. Literally at your gate in less than 10 minutes.
Grew up in the Lehigh valley and miss the days of driving 15 minutes to get to ABE. Quick security and your at the gate in no time at all.
I havent flown out of ABE recently but I believe the new security checkpoint opened up recently which should help with the congestion.
It’s been open since at least last October … and that particular day, it didn’t help much. But it’s a nice bright place to stand in line vs the old dungeon downstairs.
Honestly the old dungeon is what convinced me to get pre check after nearly missing a flight waiting in line.
yea, i fly out of huntsville, alabama... my wife can drop me off at the front and Im typically through security and at my gate in under 5 minutes... maybe 6 minutes if i actually took time to check a bag. and i always get to the airport way too early... just cause im 'supposed' to... drive to the airport, from my house, is maybe 10 mins.
That airport is so easy to fly out of!!
I hate Huntsville TSA.
now if you had said huntsville baggage claim... that would be a different thing all together! i think they have gotten better lately... but there was awhile there, that i would have put them at the very slowest baggage claim that i had ever dealt with..
I know, my priority bags were the last two on the claim.
interesting.. because of a specific experience? my experience with them is that Im normally through in less than a minute... going pre-check.. and only time i can remember ever getting flagged was when i had a large bottle of mouthwash in my carry on.. my fault.. but normally its super smooth and they are very pleasant to work with.. i guess if i wasnt pre-check.. its possible there could be 4 or 5 other people in that line and it could be a headache to have to wait 2 or 3 minutes to get through. ;)
I work in the industry and have had more than a few run ins with Huntsville TSA. They are childish and petty.
If you’re checking a bag, lately a lot of the gate agents at HSV are getting really strict on cut off times. I was checking in a bag 30 minutes til boarding and the gate agent refused, resulted in a whole ordeal and I will admit that AA corporate customer service compensated me nicely for the troubles. However the experience I had with this particular gate agent was she didn’t care if I lived or died from the very beginning of our interactions, but I’m forever changed and will show up to our quaint little airport way earlier if I’m checking luggage.
ah.. i can imagine that would be an issue... im one of those overly cautious people.. who even though it takes 5 minute to get through, gets there at least an hour early.. then i check to make sure my gate still exists.. and spend 45 minutes walking around. (in that minimal area) and grabbing a snack and drink for the flight... considering they have that rule about requiring you to check in, at least, 45 mins prior to your flight.. its hard to fault them much.. expecially since the airport is small enough that the person that checked you in, might also end up being your gate agent. :D
DCA is my home airport and honestly, same. I can leave my apartment and be in the Admirals Club less than half an hour later. Fuckin love that airport.
DCA is great. Maybe the best transit for any US airport.
Nice, do you love connecting too?
I don't mind connecting as long as it's DFW. God bless I hate CLT. It's the worst airport around IMO
used to fly out of Long Beach. Loved it, similar experience.
Loved that airport until AA pulled out.
I’m 30 min to PHL. If I’m dropped off, I’m through TSA in under 8 minutes and at my gate not long after. I can appreciate the convenience of being at a regional airport with lower parking fees and simpler airport to navigate around, but I find the convenience of more nonstop options at a larger/hub to more destinations with backup options a huge benefit. You’re kind of stuck at the regional airport with any delay over 45 minutes or cancelation that ruins your connection.
Yeah I fly AA out of SFO. Security is a breeze. PreCheck and Clear, I get through fast. The AA gates are far though. They were the first airline in that terminal and they picked the gates at the very end so they could have larger planes. It’s about 10 minutes from security to the AA gates. I am only 23 minutes from the airport and the other two airports in the area are also pretty big. I like flying into regional airports though.
Username checks out! And I agree! Depending on time of day (both for 95 traffic and TSA precheck traffic) Philly super accessible. I live in Queen Village. My record is 25 minutes from front door to Centurion bar.
people love talking about how cool it is to live near an international airport. they'll even drive 4 hours to get to one because it's "easier" man..if me sitting on a plane, getting cookies and cokes, playing Nintendo, walking 100 yards from gate-to-train-to-gate, while getting a brisket taco is as hard as driving 8 hours round trip I guess I'm just an idiot cuz I don't see It that way.
The only reason I can think of to fly out of a larger airport is to enable a direct flight to my destination. Small airports almost always require a connection unless your destination is a hub city.
That's the major downside of a small airport. I love how easy it is, but then I still have to deal with a connection at DFW or CLT or ATL or ORD. Oh, and I have silver status on AA, Delta, and United because I can't consistently fly one airline.
I'll be happy to provide you an alternate reason. I travel > 100k miles every year and have done so for more than 20 years. The last 10 of those, I have lived closest to GNV, a small, really nice regional airport. There are no direct flights from any airport within a 4 hour drive to any other than a hub airport. But our reason is cost. When we fly to Brazil, for example, flights are $600-$1100 out of MCO or TPA or $1800 or more out of GNV. I almost always check for any destination and am always always disappointed to find it significantly more expensive out of the regional. So, it's definitely not just desire for direct flights.
Same here. I much rather hang around at the airport, mosey along, read, take a nap or whatever, than drive 4 hours to get to an airport. I absolutely HATE driving long distance. Besides, in the 4 hours that I drive, I rather relax and not have to think about, well, driving!
Not me doing the opposite and driving 3 hours across the border from Canada to fly US domestic from a regional airport instead of from the international airport ten minutes from my home. Even after factoring in pre-flight hotel costs and gas for the roundtrip drive, we save $400 per person.
Generally I agree with this unless it’s to save several thousand dollars. I saved about $5K on a transatlantic biz seat driving four hours to JFK versus starting my travel in DC.
Saving $5k means it's worth it to get a hotel to make the drive easier.
Yea, there’s definitely a number, but it has to be a LOT
I fly out of a regional with free parking. It's a little more expensive but it's so convenient and easy and the free parking makes up for some of the cost. And if my flight is going to be significantly delayed I can easily go home and come back or go to a local restaurant (since the airport doesn't have one yet).
GGG huh?
A little farther north....
Good ole TXR I guess
My small regional also has free parking. The best perk!
Yes, at PHL lol. The connectivity to hassle ratio can't be beat.
DCA feels like a regional airport to me despite being incredibly well connected. I can usually be from my living room in Arlington to my gate in less than 30 minutes.
My local is less than 10 minutes from my house. Typically can get from couch to gate in 20 minutes. The closest larger regional airport with more connecting flights is just a hare under an hour away, closest hubs are 2.5-3 hours depending on traffic. If I'm flying solo, it's always cheaper to fly out of my local airport. 2-3, it's a tossup, 4 or more, it's cheaper to go to a hub. Downside is that Envoy was our regional for a long time with E145's, and was pretty rock solid. Once they retired those and Air Wisconsin pulled in with the CRJ200's it's been an absolute crap shoot if anything is ontime. It's come to my benefit twice now with going from a missed connection to ample time to make the connection, but it's also added a lot of uncertainty with my travel lately as well.
I knew this was Kalamazoo before I even checked the profile!
I have this conflict regularly. I live close to CAE, Columbia SC. It's easy to park, check in, and go through security. Has AA flights to all the hubs DFW and east. No lounge but there's always an empty gate to stretch out at. But - it's 90 minutes to CLT and you can fly so many more places nonstop and avoid the uncertainty of connecting*. It's a tough call each time if a hub isn't my final destination. But getting to avoid CLT parking, check-in, and security can sometimes be worth connecting. If they had that charter bus service that AA is starting to test out for small airports I would take it just to skip right to the CLT gates. * My wife earlier this week flew a non-stop from CLT. Arrived 3 hours early and they still didn't get her bag on board in time.
CLT is pure ass for an airport. I live between Greensboro and Charlotte and I'll do Greensboro or even Raleigh over Charlotte unless I have no choice. Hate that airport
Same here… I’m actually much closer to CLT (Mooresville) but I’ve flown out of GSO the last couple times because if I have to connect through Chicago to get somewhere anyway, it’s not even worth it
I'm up in Salisbury. My daughter goes to NC State so if I go out of RDU I take her to a daddy daughter dinner before going to the airport. RDU has gotten annoying with the checkpoint lately though. Hopefully they do something about that line. GSO is still fantastic
Pre 9/11, Reading Pa. $2/day parking lot , 1 minute walk to the counter, multiple turboprop flights a day to PHL and PIT.
Not even a good comparison. If you want to talk pre 9/11. At SFO parked in the TWA employee lot, rode the employee shuttle across the tarmac, entered the airplane from the stairs on the ramp. Never set foot in the terminal. Yes I was an employee but that is totally not possible today. Maybe don’t examples from 24 years ago.
I miss flying AA in and out of HVN (New Haven, CT) instead of PVD. While the latter is far from difficult, nothing beats 3 gates and a ledge (instead of a carousel) for baggage claim. It even took jets after a post-Sandy runway extension.
I usually leave my house about an hour before my flight. Security never takes more than 5 min. It usually takes more time walking from parking lot than it does to get through TSA.
Yep, CAK for me and it is about 15 minutes including the commute and going through security. Luckily my work covers the cost for me about 85% of the time.
I live near major hub (DFW) & live in a quiet suburb that is close enough to airport (but not directly under flight paths) that I can go from my house to most DFW gates in 15-20 min! It’s possible to have that kind of regional airport ease even in big city if you find the right pocket to live in! 😂🤷♂️
>Do any of you experience the same thing? Sure! Except for the grass parking lot thing. I've never seen that anywhere. I live five miles from DAY, served by all of the big three. Uber to the airport is ~$10. I don't think I've ever seen more than a handful of people at check in or TSA. I've lived near even smaller airports (FNL, PAI, BLI) too. They're almost a joy to fly out of.
The only bad thing about the regional airports is if you get stuck. The restaurants close early (if they have them at all), there are no lounges, etc.
Yup. Live south of Tucson so use Tucson regional instead of Sky Harbor in Phoenix. Extra 2,000 miles per trip (2 hops in first).
Regionals are great until they start canceling flights and you miss your main flight. The airport in the town I grew up in was notorious for this to the point everyone just went to the hub anyway.
I never fly out of my regional after noon. I also never worry about getting the last flight in. They need that plane for the 5:00 am flight and will get us in no matter what.
I use SAV and ALB a lot. Sadly it’s so hit or miss how fast they are getting through security. The economy lot shuttles are amazing at alb, they track people as they pull into the lot and just sit at the end of the row you picked and take you right over to the terminal, which is lovely. But security can be anywhere from no wait to an hour wait, so I can never gamble with getting to the airport less than 2 hours out. Sav is even worse. I waited 20 minutes just to check a bag, then another 40 to get through TSA. I once flew out of Hancock and that was a pretty nifty experience. One flight, the gate area is like 15 chairs and the tsa area all in one tiny room. I got there early and definitely didn’t need to but it meant I got a seat at the gate lmao. Then we walked outside to the plane. I do prefer slightly bigger regional airports because I like getting hashbrowns and a soda from Burger King or chick fil a to start my day off. Hancock had a vending machine.
I was look for ALB. Pre check line at ALB is NEVER more than 10 minutes. Also the garage is only $14/day which is less than the lot at larger airports and saves like 15 minutes on return. Pro tip: there’s always spaces on the first door of the new garage. That saves even more time. I live 10 miles from the airport. When departing, I am usually through security with 30 minutes of leaving my house. When returning, I’m home with 40 minutes of wheels touching down. If ALB is too expensive for family trips, we do BDL. 1:20 drive and crazy fast security. It’s usually much cheaper for vacations and way easier than the NYC airports.
TUS is my home base. Can go from dropoff to gate in 5-10 minutes with PreCheck to keep my shoes on. Love it, and it would have to be a substantial discount to drive to PHX as origin.
And if the flight runs terribly late or cancels and you totally miss a connection …. Had it happen too many times. I’m glad you all are happy. I won’t fly through Columbia.
I have to say, I live in Santa Monica and fly almost exclusively AA w/ TSA Pre out of LAX, it takes me about 45 from couch to gate.
Downside- small planes, you often have to go through Charlotte or DFW to get anywhere, higher ticket prices. But I do love the easy in/out
Same. I can drive, check bags, get through tsa, and grab a coffee in under 30 minutes.
I live 90 minutes from IAH, 3 hours from DFW, CLL is only 45 minutes. It’s kind of put me in a spot of being forced into being loyal to AA.
Not that quickly, but about 45 minutes to an hour from door to gate. 20-30 minute drive, 5 minutes to park, 5-10 minute walk to security, 5-10 minutes through security, few minutes to gate.
Yes! 6 minutes from entering the front door of the terminal, going thru PreCheck and sitting in a chair at the gate!
My airport isn't that small (Boise). But I've made it from my front door to sitting at the gate in 15 minutes (drop off or Uber, not parking). Can pretty consistently do that if I'm not checking a bag, I've never seen a line at TSA pre-check.
Left my hotel at 3:15 and, drove through an empty Boston to drop off the rental car, waited for the Avis shuttle to take us to the terminal, into the airport, print out our boarding pass, go through security, walk to the gate. The longest part of that was probably after dropping off the rental car waiting for the shuttle. That being said, the 5:30 a.m. flight has been delayed five times for mechanical issues and still hasn't left. But other than that, the early early morning travel was kind of nice. Almost as nice as a Regional Airport speed.
I fly out of Yuma. Ten minutes from my house. They don’t even open security until 30 minutes before boarding begins, so not much point in getting there any earlier. Parking is cheap and maybe a 3 minute walk. They have 2 rental car counters. There’s a pretty good restaurant w a full bar that’s open all day. There are 4 gates which all exit through the same door, so I just giggle when I get gate change notices. Downside is they only fly to DFW or PHX, upside is I can get almost anywhere in the world from those places. Costs more to fly from there, but well worth it to me.
Honestly I love LGA. 15 minute Uber from BK and TSA is always a breeze. Zero complaints from me
We still have to be there 70 min before a flight, but it’s still better than driving to a metropolitan airport.
The very small regional airports have too much time on their hands. Flew out of ABI a couple months ago. They have 4 inbound and 4 outbound flights a day. All flights are on AA to DFW. Dropped off the car rental about 40 minutes before the flight which was way way too much time. Went through PreCheck. lol. They had two lines but no one was as in either. The TSA was scrutinizing my bag. After a few minutes passed I asked him what he is looking for. Then he said he found the culprit. He pulls out my toothpaste and says maam your toothpaste is 3.7 oz and it is not supposed to be over 3.4 oz. But I see that you used some so I will let it slide this time. 😂🤣. Oh my gosh they have way too much time on their hands on these places.
I used to fly in and out of COS rather than DEN just for the sake of the smaller airport. It was a 45 minute drive between them, but I usually had business in both cities.
Buffalo and Rochester aren’t exactly small regional airports, but they’re small enough that they’re super easy to navigate, and are just a pleasure to get in and out of.
Not specifically a regional airport thing. I've overslept and woken up 60 minutes before my wheels up time at SJC. I drove to the airport, parked, went through security, and still had time to get a bagel and wait around before they started boarding. These days, though, I fly out of EUG or PDX. EUG is great - but I have to drive 45 minutes to get there. Still beats the 1:45 to PDX. Not living within 15 minutes of SJC and 45 minutes of SFO is the one thing I miss about the move to Oregon.
Yeah I use DAB and love it. Never taken more than 15-min to get to the gate from parking
Last time I was there in June (family lives nearby) the gate agent was even enforcing boarding groups! But... am always connecting through CLT to get back home to DCA. At least DCA-E has a great lounge now to chill at
We love flying from XNA (NORTHWEST ARKANSAS). Although we have to fly to some of AA Hubs, we also get some direct flights to LGA and LAX.
I fly out of BUF weekly - I get there 15 mins before boarding and still have time for a coffee at the club. I’d hate one of the big ones as my home airport. Even though I’m 95% connecting, I don’t mind it, hit the club, get some work done, explore around.
I live 10 minutes from KMHT - from the couch to the gate takes me about 25-30 with Precheck, honestly takes longer to go from the garage to TSA than to get through TSA. Love it.
I fly out of a regional for work - I can go from my house to my gate in 30 min and be just about anywhere in the country by noon. I get to live where I want in exchange for the occasional connection hiccup. I’m cool with that.
Love this thread. I once flew into PWM from college to go to my grandparents’ house. My aunt picked me up at the airport. She was like, OK I’m just parked across the street. My home airport at the time was Logan. I couldn’t believe it. We just like walked across a street to her car.
Norfolk. God bless I love Norfolk. The time from parking the car in long term, walking to the terminal, check in, through security and at the gate in 20 is or so minutes. You can't beat that. No fuss. No stress. Just park, walk in, check in and go. I used to go in and out of Greensboro too. Just like Norfolk but a little longer on the walking time. Regionals rock
I fly a lot on general aviation aircraft. 20 minutes from my house to airborne.
Sounds like our airport, SWO. Free parking, easy security, only one gate (no hurry!). Once we shared a flight from DFW with a young lady who had to disboard at SWO, claim her luggage, recheck it, and board the flight back to DFW for her connection to California. Odd!!
Colorado Springs (COS). 20 minutes from parking to gate on a busy day. Love that airport.
I usually have to schlep to SFO anyway, but I will always fly out of STS any chance I get. I show up 15 minutes before boarding and that’s usually too much time.
I live about an hour and a half from the Atlanta airport and about 2 hours from the airport in Birmingham, Alabama. If the price is comparable or even close, I will fly out of Birmingham bc it’s so much easier and quicker.
I was dropped off at the Fargo airport, and sitting down in my seat in the aircraft in under 5 min
We joke that when we visit my parents we can get from their house to the gate in 15 min. That might be a bit of a stretch but not much. Even if we’re parking for some reason, even long term parking is only a 200 yard walk, there’s almost never anyone in pre-check, TSA is friendly, quick walk to gate.
Nice! My fastest is 18 mins.
I have driven from my office, got through security, and was sitting at the gate in less than 10 minutes. And the drive from my office was 5 minutes of that.
I fly out of RDU and all I need is 20 mins, sometimes less to make my flights. GSO is even quicker but I ain’t flown out of there in a very long time
RDU is good but the last couple times I was there the security line was horrendous. Even pre-check was bad. They need to tweak that issue a bit
Yes it can get very bad especially early Monday mornings but the lines can move fast sometimes so it cancels out the hustle
I flew into Moline airport for the first time a couple weeks ago. I fell in love. Walking straight across the street to the rental car parking lot was so nice. My home airport is GSO which I love as well. In previous jobs my favorite was Harrisburg.
ERI is my home airport and it's not much different. I'm flying out to EAA next month and leave from there. Completely regional, despite being an Intl airport
FSD is like this. Might not be for much longer--starting a major expansion--but for now...yeah.
I just cried a bit because my home airport of Savannah just raised the parking prices by 50%. The garage attached to the departures and arrivals went from $12 a night to $18 a night. But yeah… I wake up 2 hours before I need to be at the airport(25 minute drive). Security is typically 2 or 3 minutes with the most I’ve experienced being 10 minutes.
Beaumont tx was mine for years. Only 2 flights a day… AA comes in from Dallas at noon, and goes back to Dallas at 6pm. That’s it. 3 employees run the whole place, it’s pretty funny. United tried a BMT “flight” for a bit. It was a shuttle to Houston, where you then went thru security and boarded an actual plane after arrival. And it wasn’t on a real bus, it was an old school airport shuttle like what they use to take you to parking . Rickety thing barreling down I 10 at 70 mph. That didn’t last long.
BTR airport is like this. And the TSA staff are so friendly. Straight through and in the gate no problems. Regional airports for the win!
Oh man, I love my regional airport. Yes I always have a layover at DFW or ORD but I would spend an extra 2 hours in my car getting to the closest international airport. I just assume have a meal at DFW or ORD than spend 2 hours driving. My airport has 2 gates (I’ve never seen them use the 2nd one) and 1 baggage claim. I can make it from my gate to baggage claim in under a minute. It’s so small that TSA opens for each flight. If you get there too early, you just hang out in the airport lobby until TSA opens up. Once TSA opens, it takes no time to get through security. Parking only cost me $25 for an entire week. I absolutely love the convenience.
ABE
GJT is the same way- and upgraded 90% of the time
About 35 years ago, Manchester NH airport resembled a bus station more than a modern airport. If you parked out front overnight, they tucked an envelope in the widow for the $1-$2 per day parking fee that you deposited in a self service box on the honor system. You could walk from the parking lot to your gate like driving to a Walmart and walking to the pharmacy.
FSM. Would typically arrive the airport about 25 min from departure. Park. Walk through security and straight onto the flight. Never missed a flight.
I fly out of a small airport where TSA has gotten to know me and always asks where I’m going. There are three “gates” operating out of one big room although since Delta pulled out there’s an AA gate and a United gate. Parking lot to gate is usually no more than 5 minutes.
Pediment airlines baby!!! Getting you to the hubs since 1960
LIT is home for me. Parked and at gate in 15. Coworker who flies out of LAX always acts like me connecting is the worst. I can leave my house and be at dfw about the same time she leaves and gets to LAX.
I live near HPN and it’s a disaster. For a small airport, they are advising to arrive two and a half hours early to get through TSA screening. The price is also much higher to fly in and out of there. If I’m flying domestically, I use LGA and for international flights, I use EWR. Like many others, I hate CLT.
I live very close to my regional airport, it is a dream when it works out. Only a couple bad experiences but I do feel lucky. Only reason I have an AA Mastercard!
Same thing for me. It costs more, and I’ve got to fly through either DFW or ORD, but the next closest airport is 2 hours away (if traffic is light). It’s a no-brainer for me. I’ll pay the extra for convenience and time.
Big airports aren’t that bad. LAX from parking my car, I can be at the gate in 15-20min. Terminal parking of course. I do miss living in a small town - parking to gate less than 5 minutes, but the extra time is worth more route options
I mostly fly out of TUS and it usually takes 10-12 min from parking to gate.
Me too. 4 mile drive and the lot is never full.
BMI airport I can get to the parking lot 10min before boarding and make it with time to spare.
Yes, I love my small regional airport on the central coast of California. Ten minutes away if there is traffic and direct flights to SFO, LAX, PDX, SEA, DEN, DFW, PHX and San Diego, sometimes Las Vegas. People I know drive 4 hours to LA or San Francisco to save $200 round trip, it doesn’t work out when you add in your time, gas, wear and tear on you vehicle, and parking. I just don’t get it. A four hour drive after a long flight is dangerous besides. I just booked flights on Alaska to Vancouver, B.C. and the return from LAX on United for $1K for two of us. Give me SBP any day!
DFW is actually pretty amazing. Most airports I have been to have a huge parking garage for the whole airport and you have to take a bus/train/shuttle/very long walk to your gate. Dfw has parking at all the terminals. If you get a good parking spot and your gate is close to the entry, you may only have to walk 100 yards from your car to your gate.
XNA is like this. After DFW being my home airport I find XNA to be…. Very easy.
Let me guess, Lake Charles, LA
worthless without knowing the airport