Smallest airport you've used (commercially)

[micropolitan guy]

Hey, we have a thread on the worst airport, and how bad Atlanta sucks. Lots of horror stories.

But what's the smallest commercial airport you've flown into/from?

Recently I left/returned to an airport that has two commercial flights a day, to the same location, so that's my leader. Small waiting room, vending machine and a coffee-expresso cart for drinks. But the parking was free and about 30 yards from the "terminal," the luggage was unloaded within five minutes, and it saved me an hour both ways to the local mega-port.

I've flown into some pretty small airports (Pullman, Lewiston, Yakima, Moses Lake, Laramie, Grand Forks, Governor's Harbor, Bahamas, to name a few) but never one that tiny.

And the smaller the airport, the more thorough the pre-flight security screening, or so it seems. Maybe they don't have enough else to do.

 

[Birdscribe]

Westchester County gets the nod here. Not too bad an airport, although I strongly advise against taking a flight out of there on a Monday morning; it's an absolute circus.

I'm going to fly out of Palmdale, CA one of these days soon, which when I do, will take the crown.

 

[Angola!]

I flew out of the Wenatchee, Washington, airport and it was pretty small.

 

[sportschick]

Parkersburg, W.Va. I think there were four or five flights a day at the time.

 

[Editude]

Carlsbad north of San Diego is quite small. 36-passenger prop planes, breeze through security, one runway. And on some flights its prices are moderately competitive.

 

[OTD]

Ft. Leonard Wood, Mo. We weren't allowed off the plane--it barely slowed down long enough for one soldier to get on the Ozark prop-jet and off we went to St. Louis.

 

[doctor x]

Panama City, Fla., 20 years ago. Unmemorable.

 

[slappy4428]

Chattanooga

 

[EStreetJoe]

Bluegrass Airport (Lexington)

 

[MileHigh]

Cortez, CO. Three flights in and out a day. 20-seaters only to Denver. One ticket counter. Load your luggage underneath. Propellers and such. Great views of the Rockies though.

 

[joe]

Owensboro, Ky. You know you're on a small plane when they rearrange you so the plane's weight is balanced.

 

[Armchair_QB]

Placencia, Belize

Tin shack and an asphalt strip. You pay for seats on the planes so it's a commercial airport.

Domestically? Killeen, Texas. Scratch that. Key West.

 

[Inky_Wretch]

Waco, Tex., to visit a friend attending Baylor.

The flight from Dallas to Waco was in a plane so small there wasn't a door between the cabin and cockpit. Not even a curtain. I was sitting in the front row and could watch the pilot and co-pilot the whole time. It was a 45-minute flight, once we leveled off the co-pilot actually pulled a smaller cooler out from behind his seat and offered drinks to the 10 or so of us on the flight.

 

[maberger]

johnstown PA, like a 24 seat prop plan that flew just above the tree line to and from pittsburgh.

the boarding passes all had "Gate 1" stamped on them, as if there were any other gate.

 

[JBHawkEye]

The one here in Burlington.

Three American Connection 16-seaters fly in and out (at least they used to, service won't be restored until next month). One gate, you get your luggage about five minutes after the plane lands.

Oh, and the fares were (and will be again, I'm sure) outrageous. It's cheaper for me to drive to Moline, Ill., and fly out of there.

 

[Killick]

Bluegrass Airport (Lexington)

... and you survived?
Mine: My hometown's piper pitstop, Mansfield (Ohio) Lahm Airport. Took some flying lessons in an old (read: archaic) Cessna there. Scary small, tho the Air National Guard flies off that tarmac as well.

 

[AgatePage]

jacksonville NC; springfield IL; hagerstown MD; salisbury MD. take your pick.

 

[JR]

Toronto Island Airport. Like a largish bus terminal.

Naples, Florida & Key West.

 

[EStreetJoe]

Bluegrass Airport (Lexington)

... and you survived?
Mine: My hometown's piper pitstop, Mansfield (Ohio) Lahm Airport. Took some flying lessons in an old (read: archaic) Cessna there. Scary small, tho the Air National Guard flies off that tarmac as well.

Surprisingly yes. Had to fly in and out of there many times back in the late 90s/early 00s when I was in a bad relationship with someone there.

 

[markvid]

Bradford, PA.
Pilots had to do a hard bank in there to land, as it was on a hill.
Hated it.