What's the smallest commercial airport you've used?

[PrincessShmoo]

Never have I ever gotten to an airport before it opened

Never been to an airport that wasn't open 24/7

Our river cruise in 2019 we flew back to the US from Basel, Switzerland. We had the first flight out in the morning in order to make our connection in Amsterdam, we arrived at the airport before anything was open.

• The airport is open 24 hours. Terminal operations run from 4:00AM – 12:00AM.

 

[AlohaNow]

Flew from Arnold Palmer Airport to Islip Airport for a business trip, that was the smallest airports and the tiniest planes I've flown on and I will not be flying like that again! Somehow you feel more expendable/more likely to die when you are only sharing a plane with 24 other people. Like, when I board a plane to Orlando with 200-300 people on board (however many seats there are on a standard jet) it feels safer because God wouldn't strike down all these souls...

I realize it's not rational, but that's how I feel

Try a 6-seater Cessna! That’s what we would sometimes take from Kansas City to Hays, KS when the commercial flight connection times didn’t work out to our liking. I always enjoyed calling to arrange the charter flights with the pilot, it was like the TV show Wings. He would ask who was coming this time, that way he knew what drinks to put in the cooler. If we had a new employee flying he would need to know their snack/drink preferences. Customer service at its best! 🛩

 

[MrsCobraBubbles]

Try a 6-seater Cessna! That’s what we would sometimes take from Kansas City to Hays, KS when the commercial flight connection times didn’t work out to our liking. I always enjoyed calling to arrange the charter flights with the pilot, it was like the TV show Wings. He would ask who was coming this time, that way he knew what drinks to put in the cooler. If we had a new employee flying he would need to know their snack/drink preferences. Customer service at its best! 🛩

That sounds awful though? I have way too much anxiety to enjoy something like that!

Lol, the customer service was great on the little commuter flights I flew. Still never flying one again!

 

[bcla]

Our river cruise in 2019 we flew back to the US from Basel, Switzerland. We had the first flight out in the morning in order to make our connection in Amsterdam, we arrived at the airport before anything was open.

• The airport is open 24 hours. Terminal operations run from 4:00AM – 12:00AM.

I've been to airports where they might close security, but anyone already inside can stay. Some airports have flight operation curfews where it obviously gets quiet in the middle of the night even though the terminals stay open to some extent.

I guess I'm used to certain things always being open, including airports and casinos. But I've been to one casino that said they open at 7 AM. Strangely enough they didn't say when they closed.

 

[Gary M]

Many years ago my hometown of Muncie, IN had a commuter airline that flew between Muncie, Lafayette, IN and Chicago. I used it a couple of times, but it has been out of business for years.

 

[PrincessShmoo]

I've been to airports where they might close security, but anyone already inside can stay. Some airports have flight operation curfews where it obviously gets quiet in the middle of the night even though the terminals stay open to some extent.

I guess I'm used to certain things always being open, including airports and casinos. But I've been to one casino that said they open at 7 AM. Strangely enough they didn't say when they closed.

When we arrived at the airport, the doors were not open. They opened at 4:00 am into the main lobby. But none of the check in desks for any airlines opened for about another hour. Then, once we were able to check in and make it through security to the gate area, most of the little shops/food locations there were not open yet. Just a few.

 

[Allison Joy]

Charlottesville Albemarle Airport.

 

[bcla]

When we arrived at the airport, the doors were not open. They opened at 4:00 am into the main lobby. But none of the check in desks for any airlines opened for about another hour. Then, once we were able to check in and make it through security to the gate area, most of the little shops/food locations there were not open yet. Just a few.

I've arrived at a major airport at about 5 AM in the morning. We were flying Air New Zealand from Los Angeles to Auckland to Sydney. But they did have services open that early. We were able to get breakfast at a McDonald's.

The toughest thing with some medium sized international airports is limited customs operations. I'd hate to be on a delayed flight that arrives after normal customs hours.

 

[RangerPooh]

Pullman, Washington. Two gates, which really just meant two doors on ground level to walk out to the staircase to the plane. Iirc the entire operation was in one big room, with one area fenced off as past security. This was 20 years ago so may have changed.

I came here to say Pullman Regional! Two gates but only one is ever used. Walk on the tarmac. Baggage claim, what’s that? You place overhead items on a cart outside of the plane. My last flight out of Pullman was 2015 shortly before we moved, things hadn’t changed much.

I used to follow college sports more than I do now, and I heard about travel to Pullman, which was usually to Spokane and then a two hour bus ride to Pullman. I wondered why teams didn't just fly into Pullman and I was told if the weather was bad it would close the runways in winter.

I’ve flown a few 18 and 24+ seat planes with members of WSU basketball teams, just by coincidence when connecting from SEATAC. But ya, larger flights aren’t really a thing in Pullman, 50-75 seats max. Bad weather and low visibility would delay flights all the time.

I currently live in Pullman and just wanted to let you know that - No, it hasn't changed , although they have just redone the runway so the flights that used to get cancelled by low cloud cover can now land. They are in the process of planning a new terminal, so maybe soon it will be upgraded, but still small!

Lived in Pullman from 08-15 and flew out of there many times. I remember when the parking lot was expanded, that was big. Lol. Of course there was talk of expanding the airport and runway so that larger planes could take off and land allowing more guests for sporting events .

Lewiston is only a smidge bigger.

 

[DopeyDame]

Bozeman Montana airport was shockingly small. And the rental car return was literally just leaving the car in the dirt lot next to the airport. I'm still shocked it didn't end up getting stolen or something.
We got there around lunch time. It looked like there was a bar, but it wasn't open, so we ended up eating chips out of the vending machine for lunch. One security checkpoint with a super grouchy TSA person.

 

[MrJT]

It looks like Wichita Falls is the smallest airport I've flown in or out of.

 

[PrincesCJM]

Paducah KY. I was going out there to visit my cousin. The airline seemed to have two employees who did it all. This was pre-9/11

 

[bcla]

I’ve flown a few 18 and 24+ seat planes with members of WSU basketball teams, just by coincidence when connecting from SEATAC. But ya, larger flights aren’t really a thing in Pullman, 50-75 seats max. Bad weather and low visibility would delay flights all the time.

They might have charters flying in larger planes.

Other than watching WSU teams, once I was a company meeting at the then Berkeley Radisson using one of their meeting rooms. The WSU men's basketball team was there in the next meeting room. They seemed kind of quiet, although I'm not sure if it was because because they didn't do so well the night before.

That's got to be brutal being the size of a basketball player, and flying coach.

 

[NMBCFangirl]

Dangriga, Belize. Took a last minute hopper flight to Belize City from Dangriga when our road transport didn't reach us down in Hopkins in time. Luckily I have no fear of flying as I could have given the pilot a neckrub. Haha.

 

[hereyago]

Newport News, VA.
Both are too small for me to “evah” travel to those locales via air again.

I live not even 10 minutes from the airport and it is small.
But here is how it looked back in the day. And you had to walk out onto the tarmac and walk up the steps to the planes lol.

I actually don’t fly out of here because Southwest flys out of Norfolk.
but they use part of the old airport as part of a teaching airplane engineering class through the school system I believe.

 

[JimMIA]

Small commercial airports that I fly into: Jackson Hole

I don't remember Jackson Hole being especially tiny, but it has to be one of the prettiest places to fly into.

The first time DW and I flew in there, I saw that our downwind leg was northbound, so I told her not to look out the window. We were on the right side of the aircraft, so she really couldn't see much to the west anyway. We made the turn to final approach, I waited, and then I told her to look outside.

The Grand Tetons were RIGHT THERE! It felt like we could reach out and touch them -- amazing view. She was shocked and amazed, and that was the start of a two week exploration of Jackson, Grand Teton NP, and Yellowstone NP.

 

[Allison Joy]

I don't remember Jackson Hole being especially tiny, but it has to be one of the prettiest places to fly into.

The first time DW and I flew in there, I saw that our downwind leg was northbound, so I told her not to look out the window. We were on the right side of the aircraft, so she really couldn't see much to the west anyway. We made the turn to final approach, I waited, and then I told her to look outside.

The Grand Tetons were RIGHT THERE! It felt like we could reach out and touch them -- amazing view. She was shocked and amazed, and that was the start of a two week exploration of Jackson, Grand Teton NP, and Yellowstone NP.

Oh man. I love flying over the mountains!

I remember a few years ago, I was flying back home to St. Louis from Portland, OR. I was flying Southwest, where you can choose your seat. So I asked a flight attendant what side of the plane Mt. Hood would be on. She wasn't sure, so she asked the Captain (I think?) and she told me it would be on the right side of the plane. A fellow passenger behind me heard our conversation and said, "No, it won't. It will be on the left side. Here, sit behind us." So I did, and they pointed out every peak in the area as we took off, and pointed out where their home was. Turns out they were from St. Louis and they told me, "We basically moved here because of Mt. Hood." That's got to be my favorite flight story.

 

[JimMIA]

Oh man. I love flying over the mountains!

I remember a few years ago, I was flying back home to St. Louis from Portland, OR. I was flying Southwest, where you can choose your seat. So I asked a flight attendant what side of the plane Mt. Hood would be on. She wasn't sure, so she asked the Captain (I think?) and she told me it would be on the right side of the plane. A fellow passenger behind me heard our conversation and said, "No, it won't. It will be on the left side. Here, sit behind us." So I did, and they pointed out every peak in the area as we took off, and pointed out where their home was. Turns out they were from St. Louis and they told me, "We basically moved here because of Mt. Hood." That's got to be my favorite flight story.

Flying out of Seattle, on the right heading, in the right weather can be even more spectacular. You fly right past Mt. Rainier, and it's breathtaking.