Taking off Travel blog

Today we’re looking at Buffalo Niagara International Airport (BUF), a follow-up to previous coverage of New York airports, including JFK, LaGuardia (LGA) and Albany (ALB) airports.  Buffalo Airport serves Southern Ontario in Canada as well as the New York metropolitan area.

History

The airport started life as the Buffalo Municipal Airport in 1926, so it’s one of the country’s oldest public airports. It started passenger service in 1927 with flights to Cleveland.  The airport had successive expansions in 1955 and 1961 and its name was changed to Greater Buffalo International Airport in 1959. Expansions continued to address the growing air traffic, but it soon became clear that a new airport would be needed to keep pace with modern requirements. This was built between the existing terminals and opened in November 1997 as the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport. The old terminals were then demolished.

The airport now has 25 gates and handled more than 5 million passengers in 2010. According to the airport it’s the fifth least expensive place to fly in the US, with a price per mile of about half of the most expensive place. It serves several major air carriers including AirTran, American Airlines, Continental, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, United and US Airways.

Services and Amenities

BUF Airport has a range of useful passenger services and amenities. In addition to food outlets and shops, the airport has a cell phone lot, laptop workstations near gates 3,14, and 20, and charging stations for cell phones and MP3 players at gates 4,14, and 20 and in the baggage claim. There are also special services for disabled travelers. Check out the terminal map and list of accommodation for more nearby amenities.

BUF Airport Parking

In addition to the onsite airport parking, we also offer Buffalo airport parking reservations. These include Thrifty Airport Parking, Airport Valet Parking and airport parking from The Parking Spot. Book on the web for discounted airport parking rates which are locked in when you reserve.

Things to Do Near Buffalo Airport

If you’re visiting the area, you’ll find plenty to do near Buffalo-Niagara International Airport.  You could make things easy by hopping on a plane and visiting Niagara Falls, but if you want to stay in the US, here are some suggestions:

• Go on a sailing adventure on the Spirit of Buffalo. Best done in summer, a sail on a 73 foot schooner is one of the areas most popular things to do.
• Visit Frank Lloyd Wright’s Martin House.
• Check out the beautiful Victorian homes, lovely walks and eclectic nightlife in Allentown.
• Find out more about Theodore Roosevelt at Wilcox Mansion.
• See the Heritage Farm (and the animals) at Buffalo Zoo.

Image: Craig Damlo

Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport (ATL) lies south of Atlanta’s central business district. For the last 7 years it has had more passenger traffic and more takeoffs and landings than any other airport in the world, making it the world’s busiest. It handles around 90 million passengers each year.

History of ATL Airport

ATL Airport’s history goes back to 1925, when an airfield was developed on an abandoned car racetrack, renamed Candler Field. The first commercial flight to this field took place a year later. In 1929, the airport was renamed Atlanta Municipal Airport and it got its first control tower in March 1939.

World War II saw the airfield double in size as it was used as a government air base. By 1957 it was the country’s busiest airport. In 1961, the country’s largest terminal was opened there, but capacity was soon exceeded. In 1971, the airport was renamed the William B Hartsfield Atlanta Airport and then to William B Hartsfield Atlanta International Airport , with the launch of services to Mexico and Jamaica.

In 1980, a 2.5m square foot passenger terminal, the world’s largest, was opened. Other major infrastructure improvements followed. The airport gained its current name in 2003 to commemorate Atlanta Mayor Maynard H. Jackson.

The airport serves Delta Airlines (which has the world’s largest airline hub there), AirTran Airways, Atlantic Southeast Airlines, ExpressJet and many more.

ATL Airport Terminals and Services

Read more »

Chicago O’Hare (ORD) Airport Photos

Chicago O’Hare (ORD) Airport is one of our most popular off airport parking locations. So popular, in fact, that we’ve just added another parking lot, Blue Sky Parking, to our more than 150 locations nationwide. We don’t often think of airports as beautiful, but these photos from ORD airport show that they can be.

First up, Caged Sky by Clearly Ambiguous – doesn’t the blue seem to reverberate when you look at it?

Next, the Web of Color by San Diego Shooter – we often pass these areas and don’t even notice. I know I did.

Read more »

JFK Airport is one of our most popular airport parking locations, so it’s a great place to kick off an occasional series of airport photos. First, here’s an aerial photo from the USGS via Wikimedia Commons:

Next, a surprisingly modern looking view (taken in 1967) by gbaku: Read more »

Airlines Oppose Philadelphia Airport Extension

From time to time I do a travel news roundup. This week, it’s an airport edition, including some news on airport parking. First up is the news that US Airways has opposed the planned expansion of Philadelphia International Airport, which will include a runway running alongside the Delaware. According to the airline the expansion will not address the key issues of delay reduction and traffic congestion, nor will it attract the international nonstop air service desired by many of those in the business and hospitality industry.

The airlines (other opponents of the scheme include Southwest Airlines, Delta and UPS) and the city differ widely in their estimates of the value and the cost of the scheme. The city says it will cost $6.4bn and bring up to 100,000 jobs; the airlines put the tab at closer to $10.5bn and say the jobs figures have no base in reality. Another key issue is the timing of the construction of the new runway. The city wants to push ahead with it, while the airlines would like to tie their financial commitment to benchmarks including economic improvement or resolving airspace issues.

The two sides remain at loggerheads. Read the full story here and check out our Philadelphia airport parking rates.

New JetBlue Routes and Watertown Expansion

In other news, JetBlue has started a nonstop daily service to San Juan, Puerto Rico from Bradley International Airport, MA. An additional service to West Palm Beach will also start this week. Meanwhile, the expansion of Watertown International Airport’s terminal is nearly complete, with a new passenger waiting area, upgraded baggage claim and plans to install an on-site car rental franchise.

SmartPark Gets iPhone App

Finally, if you’re planning to park at our SmartPark JFK airport parking location, your job is even easier with the facility’s airport parking reservation iPhone app. You can even get parking rewards with the app, so download it today.