Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport

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Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport
IATA: BRO - ICAO: KBRO - FAA: BRO
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator City of Brownsville
Serves Brownsville, Texas
Elevation AMSL 22 ft (6.7 m)
Coordinates 25°54′25″N, 97°25′33″W
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
13L/31R 3,000 914 Asphalt
13R/31L 7,400 2,256 Asphalt
17/35 6,000 1,829 Asphalt

Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport (IATA: BRO, ICAO: KBRO, FAA LID: BRO) is a public airport located four miles (6 km) east of the central business district (CBD) of Brownsville, in Cameron County, Texas. It also serves South Padre Island. The airport covers 1,700 acres and has three runways. It is mostly used for general aviation, but is also served by two commercial airlines, both doing business as Continental Express.

It is a convenient airport for flying into the Rio Grande Valley and Northern Mexico. Most cities in the Rio Grande Valley are accessible from BRO by automobile within 30-60 minutes.

Fares for flights leaving out of Brownsville are usually cheaper for most Continental destinations than that of nearby airports, mainly McAllen-Miller International Airport in McAllen and Valley International Airport in Harlingen, with last-minute full-fares to destinations such as Houston and Austin even beating that of low-cost rival Southwest Airlines (Harlingen).[citation needed]

The National Weather Service forecast office for the Rio Grande Valley is located within the airport.

Contents

[edit] History

  • On March 9, 1929, Charles Lindbergh landed in BRO after a five hour, 38 minute historic flight from Mexico City to the United States. This established the first leg of Airmail Service to Mexico
    • In honor, an event in which Amelia Earhart attends is held, a crowd of over 20,000 greeting Lindbergh upon his arrival. This event has been described as an international event of great significance.
  • Pan-American Airways started service on the airport on June 4th, 1929, the beginning of a 30 year relationship between BRO and PanAm.
  • In the 1940s, the first American jet engine flight was tested in Brownsville
  • In the 1960s, the 16th weather radar system in the nation was installed at BRO
  • In 1983, the airport was officially renamed the Brownsville-South Padre Island International Airport

[edit] Airlines and destinations

An ExpressJet ERJ 145 moves beside the tower at Brownsville International Airport.
An ExpressJet ERJ 145 moves beside the tower at Brownsville International Airport.

[edit] Former Airlines/Routes

Additionally, Continental Airlines previously operated mainline service before transitioning solely to Continental Express.

[edit] Facilities

[edit] Terminal

The Brownsville-South Padre Island International Airport features a full-service passenger terminal with four gates (1, 1A, 2 & 2A).

  • Prior to security check-point
    • Locally-owned restaurant
    • Coffee, smoothie and muffin stand adjacent to restaurant
    • Complimentary WiFi Internet Access (provided by the City of Brownsville)
    • Television monitors throughout the terminal broadcast the latest news, provided usually by either CNN or New York CBS affiliate WCBS-TV
    • Information booth for tourists
  • After security check-point
    • Complimentary WiFi Internet Access
    • Television monitors broadcasting the latest news
    • Four gates
      • Gates 1 & 2 (Jetway Gates)
      • Gates 1A & 2A (Exit-Door Gates) (Currently unused)
Logo

[edit] Transportation

An ExpressJet Airlines ERJ 145 arriving at a Brownsville jetway.
An ExpressJet Airlines ERJ 145 arriving at a Brownsville jetway.

Several transportation options are available for arriving passengers.

[edit] Amenities

  • Complimentary Wi-Fi Internet Access throughout the passenger terminal
  • Free parking with no posted maximum stay limit
  • Television monitors displaying the latest news
  • Home/Hotel delivery of late/lost luggage (through Continental)
  • Very fast turnaround time for passenger aircraft (as low as 10-15 minutes)

[edit] Website

Screenshot of FlyBrownsville.com.
Screenshot of FlyBrownsville.com.

The Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport is the first airport in Texas to offer flight status notification via text-messaging through its website. When the system was launched, it was one of only three airports in the nation, between Michigan and Alabama, to offer such a service.

In addition to flight status text-messaging notification, the site also features current fares to popular routes, including Houston, Atlanta, Toronto, Minneapolis/St. Paul & Querétaro.

[edit] Trivia

  • The Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport has two gates with a jetway (gate 1 and 2) and two exit-door gates beside each jetway gate (gate 1A and 2A), yet all gates are referred to as "Gate 1," both for boarding reasons and in eTickets. Additionally, Gates 1A and 2A are currently not in use.
A typical gate (Gate 2) at Brownsville International Airport.
A typical gate (Gate 2) at Brownsville International Airport.
  • Most mornings, the televisions around the airport are tuned in to CBS to catch The Early Show. The CBS affiliate broadcasted, however, is not local KGBT-TV, but rather New York affiliate WCBS-TV
  • There is no lavatory or vending machines available past the security check-point
  • Prior to the September 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks, Continental Airlines operated daily Boeing 737-300/500 service from Brownsville to Houston-Intercontinental
  • The Brownsville/South Padre Island International Airport's runways are capable of handling large aircraft such as the Boeing 747. Air Force One is one such aircraft which has visited BRO on several instances.
  • When in service, Airbus A380 aircraft may be capable of landing in Brownsville runways.
  • The airport is the largest air cargo handling airport in the Rio Grande Valley metro at 1,815 acres.
  • Due to the fast turnaround time at Brownsville and lack of multiple airlines, many people who aren't checking bags can arrive at the airport 20-25 minutes before their flight takes off and still have plenty of time to board their flight.
  • Most nights, three Continental ERJ 145 aircraft stay overnight at BRO. However, there are only two jetways available, which usually leads to only two of the aircraft being parked next to a jetway and the other aircraft being towed right beside the Continental baggage storage facility. This aircraft is then either towed to a jetway the next morning when a jetway becomes free, or passengers board the aircraft with the help of airstairs, as Continental's ERJs do not have built-in stairs.

[edit] References

[edit] External links

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