Roanoke Regional Airport

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Roanoke Regional Airport
Woodrum Field
IATA: ROA - ICAO: KROA
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Roanoke Regional Airport Commission
Serves Roanoke, Virginia
Elevation AMSL 1,175 ft (358.1 m)
Coordinates 37°19′31.7″N, 79°58′31.5″W
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
6/24 6,800 2,073 Asphalt-Grooved
15/33 5,810 1,771 Asphalt-Grooved
Helipads
Number Size Surface
ft m
H1 60 18 Asphalt

Roanoke Regional Airport (IATA: ROA, ICAO: KROA), also known as Woodrum Field, is a public airport located in northern Roanoke, Virginia. It has two runways and over 60 scheduled flights each day. The airport is governed by a five-member Commission that includes representatives from both the City of Roanoke and Roanoke County.

Roanoke Regional Airport's terminal is rather simple. Landside facilities include check-in, car rental, baggage claim, and a taxi hire. The upper-level has a small cafe and newsstand. The upper-level Airside boasts 7 gates (Gates 1-6 and 5A), and a small cafe area. Due to the extremely simple layout of the terminal, during off-peak times, check-in to departure gate travel time rarely exceeds 7-9 minutes.

The airport has recently added of non-stop service to Orlando and Tampa with Allegiant Air. Service will reportedly be expanded to Boston when Allegiant Air opens its Northestern base there in May 2007. This is largely seen as the product of an effort by local leaders to bring new and improved service to the airport through both existing and new carriers. Earlier attempts to lobby AirTran Airways and the now defunct Independence Air to serve the airport were unsuccessful. However, in October 2006, AirTran listed Roanoke on its website in a poll of cities for which visitors could vote for AirTran to consider serving. Local media encouraged residents to vote for Roanoke.

There has been talk of a terminal expansion for some time now, though official plans have yet to be announced. However, with the gate space being used to 100% capacity at peak times, there is very little capacity available for new flights unless they arrive and depart at off-peak times (10AM-12PM),(7PM-10PM).

Local residents and businesses sometimes complain about the airport's limited number of non-stop flights, lack of service on full sized jets, and expensive fares. Airport officials estimate that around a third of airline tickets purchased by area residents are for travel from other airports. Some prefer to use the Piedmont Triad International Airport near Greensboro, North Carolina as an alternate and others farther away which have service from Southwest Airlines or international flights. However, aviation industry consultant Michael Boyd compared Roanoke's level of air service favorably to similarly sized cities.

The airport, in addition to being a commercial passenger outlet, also serves FedEx and UPS as an air-cargo regional collection point.

Contents

[edit] Airlines and destinations

[edit] Aircraft

  • Allegiant Air uses MD-81/83 jet aircraft seating 130-150 people.
  • Delta Connection carriers use Canadair regional jets, which seat up to 50 passengers.
  • Northwest Airlink carriers flying from Roanoke operate Canadair Regional Jets or Saab 340 turboprop aircraft.
  • United Express employs an all regional jet fleet at Roanoke Regional, Embraer 145 aircraft are standard for flights to Chicago and Washington-Dulles
  • US Airways Express contracts a number of regional carriers to fly into Roanoke. Their aircraft are as follows:
    • Air Wisconsin--Canadair Regional Jets (50 seat medium range regional jets)
    • Piedmont Airlines--DeHavilland Dash 8-100/300 (30-50 seat turboprop aircraft)
    • PSA Airlines--Canadair Regional Jets (50 seat regional jet aircraft)

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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