Gerald R. Ford International Airport
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| Gerald R. Ford International Airport | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| IATA: GRR – ICAO: KGRR – FAA: GRR | |||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Owner | Kent County Department of Aeronautics | ||
| Serves | Grand Rapids, Michigan | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 794 ft / 242 m | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 8R/26L | 10,000 | 3,048 | Concrete |
| 8L/26R | 5,000 | 1,524 | Concrete |
| 17/35 | 8,501 | 2,591 | Concrete |
| Statistics (2006) | |||
| Total Passengers | 2,015,846 | ||
| Aircraft movements | 112,608 | ||
| Sources: airport web site[1] and FAA[2] | |||
Gerald R. Ford International Airport (IATA: GRR, ICAO: KGRR, FAA LID: GRR) is a commercial airport located a few miles southeast of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Originally called Kent County Airport and later renamed Kent County International Airport, the airport was renamed for former United States President Gerald R. Ford in December 1999. GRR is the largest regional commercial service airport serving the west Michigan community, which connects to major preferred airports such as Detroit Metro and Chicago O'Hare.
Contents |
[edit] History
Aviation first came to Kent County on September 10th of 1911, when a Wright Biplane landed at the Comstock Park State Fairgrounds.
The first regularly scheduled air service in the United States was between Grand Rapids and Detroit on a Ford-Stout monoplane named Miss Grand Rapids, which commenced July 26, 1926, from Grand Rapids' first airport which broke ground four miles (6 km) south of downtown in November of 1919.
In 1948, the airport was expanded across 44th Street, and for a time, movable gates were used to keep traffic off of the runway while it was in use.
In 1959, construction began on a new facility in Cascade Township, several miles east of the original location. The new airport was opened on November 23, 1963, and officially dedicated on June 6, 1964.
The first scheduled Boeing 737-200 flight was flown for United Airlines on April 28, 1968 from Chicago O'Hare to Grand Rapids. The aircraft, registration number N9022U, was named The Jet Mainliner City of Grand Rapids.
On January 27, 1977, Kent County Airport was renamed Kent County International Airport with the opening of a U.S. Customs Bureau Office in the main terminal building.
In 1997, the new 8,500-foot (2,600 m) runway 17/35 was added to allow the airport to continue operations during the $32 million reconstruction of runway 8R/26L, completed in 2001. Also, the passenger terminal's renovation project was completed in 2000, at a cost of approximately $50 million.
In 2004, the airport served more than 2 million passengers for the first time in a single year.
[edit] Statistics
| Year | Total Passengers | Total Aircraft Movements |
|---|---|---|
| 2003 | 1,976,833 | 110,128 |
| 2004 | 2,150,125 | 116,455 |
| 2005 | 2,090,505 | 112,314 |
| 2006 | 2,015,846 | 112,608 |
| 2007 | 1,990,896 | 101,378 |
[edit] Facilities
Gerald R. Ford International Airport has two parallel east-west runways and one north-south runway. Along with cargo and general aviation facilities, the airport also has one passenger terminal, consisting of a two-level main terminal and two concourses, labelled A (with seven gates) and B (with six gates).
The main terminal contains the ticketing lobbies, three baggage claim carousels, a gift shop, a food court, a KidsPort play room, a game room, five conference rooms, and two public business centers. Short term and long term parking are located in front of the terminal. The main terminal has 13 gates. WiFi service is available at no cost to airport patrons throughout the terminal facility.
When new baggage screening regulations were introduced by the Transportation Security Administration, the airport was one of the first in the nation to conduct trials on the new screening machines. Due to their size, there was no room to locate the machines "behind the scenes." Instead, they were placed in the middle of the lobby.
[edit] Airlines and destinations
[edit] Concourse A
- Air Canada Gate A1
- Air Canada operated by Air Georgian (Toronto-Pearson) [begins July 14]
- Continental Airlines Gate A3
- Continental Connection operated by CommutAir (Cleveland)
- Continental Express operated by ExpressJet Airlines (Cleveland, Houston-Intercontinental, Newark)
- Midwest Airlines Gate A4
- Midwest Connect operated by SkyWest (Milwaukee)
- Northwest Airlines Gates A2, A5-A7 (Detroit, Memphis [seasonal], Minneapolis/St. Paul, Orlando [seasonal])
- Northwest Airlink operated by Mesaba Airlines (Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul)
- Northwest Airlink operated by Pinnacle Airlines (Detroit, Memphis [seasonal], Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-LaGuardia, Washington-Reagan)
[edit] Concourse B
- American Airlines Gate B3
- American Eagle (Chicago-O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth)
- Delta Air Lines Gate B4
- Delta Connection operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines (Atlanta)
- Delta Connection operated by Comair (Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky)
- United Airlines Gates B1, B2 (Chicago-O'Hare, Denver [seasonal])
- United Express operated by GoJet Airlines (Chicago-O'Hare)
- United Express operated by Shuttle America (Chicago-O'Hare)
- United Express operated by SkyWest (Chicago-O'Hare, Denver)
[edit] Cargo carriers
[edit] Ground transportation
The airport is located at the intersection of 44th Street and Patterson Avenue. It is has I-96 on the east side, M-6 on the south side, M-37 on the west side, and M-11 on the north side of the airport.
Metro Cab provides taxi and luxury sedan service at the passenger terminal building curb front.
Alamo/National, Avis, Enterprise, and Hertz Rental Cars are available at ticket counters located in the far east end of the terminal lobby. Budget Rental Cars are available via shuttle from the commercial lane located across from the terminal curb front.
The Rapid runs the Grand Rapids Air Porter from the airport to downtown hotels from April through October.
[1], Route 17 Woodland/Airport travels between the airport and Woodland Mall seven days a week. Routes 5 (weekdays only) and 6 (7-day service) provide service to Central Station from Woodland. From Woodland, Route 44 provides weekday only service to Rivertown Crossings Mall.
[edit] Aircraft spotting
The airport has two aircraft spotter locations. There is an observation deck located on the mezzanine level of the passenger terminal building, which gives a relatively unobstructed view of the ramp area and runway 8R and 26L.
There is also a viewing area, situated on Kraft Avenue north of 52nd Street. The viewing area includes picnic tables litter barrels and a portable toilet. At the viewing area, radio station 1650 AM rebroadcasts transmissions by air traffic controllers, pilots, and GFIA airfield operations staff.
[edit] References
- ^ Gerald R. Ford International Airport, official site
- ^ FAA Airport Master Record for GRR (Form 5010 PDF), effective 2007-12-20
- ^ Gerald R. Ford International Airport
[edit] External links
- Michigan Bureau of Aeronautics
- FAA Airport Diagram(PDF), effective 5 June 2008
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KGRR
- ASN accident history for GRR
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KGRR
- FAA current GRR delay information
