| Piedmont Triad International Airport | |||
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| IATA: GSO – ICAO: KGSO – FAA LID: GSO
GSO
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| Summary | |||
| Operator | Piedmont Triad Airport Authority | ||
| Serves | Greensboro, High Point, and Winston-Salem, North Carolina | ||
| Location | Friendship Township, Guilford County, near Greensboro, North Carolina | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 926 ft / 282.2 m | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 5L/23R | 9,000 | 2,743 | Asphalt |
| 5R/23L | 10,001 | 3,048 | Asphalt |
| 14/32 | 6,300 | 1,945 | Asphalt |
| Statistics (2009, 2010) | |||
| Passenger movements (2010) | 1,680,953 | ||
| Enplanements (2009) | 863,745 | ||
Piedmont Triad International Airport (IATA: GSO, ICAO: KGSO, FAA LID: GSO) (commonly referred to as "PTIA" or just "PTI") is an airport just west of Greensboro, serving Greensboro, High Point and Winston-Salem as well as the entire Piedmont Triad Region in North Carolina. The airport has 3 runways; the third opened January 27, 2010 for traffic.[1] The airport is located just off Bryan Boulevard. Piedmont Triad International airport is the third busiest airport in North Carolina. An average of 280 takeoffs and landings occur at PTI airport per day. Republic Airlines, operating as US Airways Express also maintains a pilot and flight attendant base at the airport.
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An antecedent of PTI Airport, one of the first commercial airports in the South, Maynard Field was dedicated on December 6, 1919, in an area just west of Greensboro near the community of Oak Ridge. With its two intersecting runways measuring 1,890 feet (580 m) and 1,249 feet (381 m), hangar space, and even an early day equivalent of a Fixed Base Operator that made sure the torches were lit at dusk, Maynard Field was named to honor a young North Carolinian pilot named Lt. Belvin Maynard. By 1922 it had competition to the west with Miller Field in Winston-Salem, and Charles Field, a single airstrip that was used mainly for barnstorming, and to drill take-offs and landings for the Charles family.
Piedmont Triad International Airport had its start in 1927, when the Tri-City Airport Commission selected 112 acres (45 ha) of land near the community of Friendship for an airport, and filed a petition to become a stop along the congressionally authorized airmail route from New York to New Orleans. Racing pilot Captain Roscoe Turner referred to the current location of Piedmont Triad International Airport as "the best landing field in the south." Friendship, near Greensboro, was selected over neighboring Winston-Salem, which subsequently denied contributing funds for airport construction and nullified the Tri-City Airport Authority collaborative effort.[2]
Greensboro and Guilford County jointly purchased the Friendship property from Paul C. and Helen G. Lindley, and christened it Lindley Field in May 1927 with 12,000 people in attendance. No runways, no lights, no hangar, and no passenger station existed at the time. Charles Lindbergh stopped at Lindley Field with the "Spirit of St. Louis" on his cross-country tour celebrating the advances of aviation on October 14, 1927. Regular mail service was established in 1928.[3]
Pitcairn Aviation, Incorporated was given the contract to fly the authorized airmail route; recognized as the second official airmail route in the United States, and Pitcairn Aviation made the first delivery of airmail in North Carolina on May 1, 1928. Sid Malloy, the pilot of the aircraft, landed with two incoming bags of mail and took three bags of mail that was to be sent to Atlanta. After a brief closure during the Great Depression, the airport reopened on May 17, 1937 with two all-weather runways. In time, Pitcairn Aviation built a hangar; Greensboro built a passenger station; the United States government established a weather bureau; and the Department of Commerce set up a radio tower. Passenger service was inaugurated by Dixie Flying Service on November 6, 1930, with a route to Washington, D.C.. Pitcairn Aviation took over the route under its new name Eastern Air Transport, which later became Eastern Air Lines.[2]
In July 1942, responsibility for the airport was given to the Greensboro-High Point Airport Authority, with appointed representatives from Greensboro, High Point, and the Sedgefield community. Shortly thereafter, the Army Air Corps requisitioned the airport and its facilities for war use, and airmail and passenger service was discontinued. The Corps improved the facility by lengthening the runways and constructing a new passenger terminal. Civilian service resumed at the close of the war, though growth was moderated due to the success of nearby Smith Reynolds Airport in Winston-Salem.
Greensboro-High Point Regional Airport opened its new passenger terminal in 1958, replacing the temporary facility that had served the airport since World War II. The new terminal was a modern glass paneled structure with a single enclosed pier, along which aircraft parked. At the time of the terminal's opening, Greensboro was served by Eastern, Piedmont, and Capital (which merged with United in 1961.)
By 1975, airport officials began to plan for construction of a new terminal. Piedmont Airlines, which for years had served both GSO and Smith Reynolds Airport in nearby Winston-Salem, announced its intention to consolidate its operations at Greensboro Regional Airport. It became apparent that a larger facility would be needed. In the months that followed, Piedmont Airlines instead opened a hub in Charlotte.
The airport was renamed Greensboro-High Point Airport. The name was later changed to Greensboro - High Point - Winston-Salem Regional Airport.
Work on the new (and current) facility began in 1978. The new airport terminal and concourse complex was completed in 1982 and the facility was renamed Piedmont Triad International in 1987.
In the mid-1990s, Continental Airlines developed a hub operation at the airport (its fifth largest), largely to support its new Continental Lite low-fare product. By 1995, then incoming CEO Gordon Bethune cancelled the Continental Lite program, and closed the airline's Greensboro hub.
Also in the mid-1990s, start-up carrier Eastwind Airlines began serving PTI. The airline served a number of cities, including Trenton (NJ) and Orlando. Eastwind's headquarters was moved to Greensboro shortly before that company's collapse in 1999.
Delta Connection carrier Comair built a maintenance hangar at PTI to perform work on their CRJ's in 2005, bringing nearly 60 mechanics to Greensboro.
Independence Air began service into Greensboro when the airline started up with service to Washington Dulles International Airport. It operated out of the North Concourse before folding in 2006. Allegiant Air began service to Orlando Sanford International Airport, Saint Petersburg-Clearwater International Airport in late May 2007.
Skybus Airlines began service to Port Columbus International Airport as well in May 2007. Skybus announced that Greensboro would become its second base. Service launched in January 2008, but ended on April 4, 2008, following the shut-down of Skybus.
Completed in 1982, the terminal building of Piedmont Triad International Airport currently has 30 passenger gates: 16 on the south concourse, and 14 on the north concourse. Since the latest expansion, which added another 40,000 square feet (3,700 m2) to the terminal (at a cost of $5 million), both concourses have the same size, despite the different gate numbers.
US Airways operates a US Airways Club across from Gate 45.[4]
| Airlines | Destinations | Concourse |
|---|---|---|
| Allegiant Air | Orlando-Sanford, St. Petersburg/Clearwater | North |
| American Eagle | Dallas/Fort Worth, Miami | South |
| Delta Air Lines | Atlanta | North |
| Delta Connection operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines | Atlanta | North |
| Delta Connection operated by Chautauqua Airlines | New York-JFK [begins June 7], New York-LaGuardia [begins March 25] | North |
| Delta Connection operated by Comair | Atlanta, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Detroit | North |
| Delta Connection operated by Pinnacle Airlines | Atlanta, Detroit | North |
| United Express operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines | Chicago-O'Hare, Houston-Intercontinental, Newark, Washington-Dulles | North |
| United Express operated by Colgan Air | Newark | North |
| United Express operated by ExpressJet Airlines | Chicago-O'Hare, Houston-Intercontinental, Newark, Washington-Dulles | North |
| United Express operated by GoJet Airlines | Chicago-O'Hare | North |
| United Express operated by Trans States Airlines | Chicago-O'Hare, Washington-Dulles | North |
| US Airways Express operated by Air Wisconsin | Charlotte, Philadelphia, Washington-National | South |
| US Airways Express operated by Chautauqua Airlines | Charlotte, New York-LaGuardia, Philadelphia, Washington-National | South |
| US Airways Express operated by Piedmont Airlines | Charlotte | South |
| US Airways Express operated by PSA Airlines | Charlotte | South |
| US Airways Express operated by Republic Airlines | Charlotte, Philadelphia | South |
| US Airways Express operated by Trans States Airlines | New York-LaGuardia | South |
| Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Atlanta, GA | 200,000 | Delta |
| 2 | Charlotte, NC | 192,000 | US Airways |
| 3 | Philadelphia, PA | 73,000 | US Airways |
| 4 | New York-LaGuardia, NY | 65,000 | US Airways |
| 5 | Chicago O’Hare, IL | 62,000 | United |
| 6 | Newark, NJ | 43,000 | United |
| 7 | Detroit, MI | 42,000 | Delta |
| 8 | Dallas-Fort Worth, TX | 41,000 | American |
| 9 | Washington-Dulles, DC | 33,000 | United |
| 10 | Washington-Reagan, DC | 28,000 | US Airways |
The Cargo Terminals have expanded in the last 13 years.
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| ABX Air | Baltimore, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, San Juan |
| Air Cargo Carriers | Myrtle Beach |
| FedEx Express | Aguadilla, Indianapolis, Memphis |
| FedEx Feeder operated by Mountain Air Cargo | New Bern, Wilmington (NC) |
| SkyLease Cargo | |
| Tradewinds Airlines | |
| UPS Airlines | Louisville, Roanoke |
The following fixed base operators are based at the Piedmont Triad International Airport:
FedEx Express opened the hub building at Piedmont Triad International Airport in June 2009. Greensboro was chosen for its new Mid-Atlantic hub in 1998 over competing proposals from airports in Charlotte, Raleigh-Durham, Columbia, Greenville-Spartanburg and Kinston, North Carolina.
A third runway was built to accommodate the hub operation,[1] parallel to one of the existing ones. The 9,000-foot (2,700 m) Runway 5L-23R opened January 27, 2010 after six years and $150 million in spending, giving the airport the ability to have takeoffs and landings at the same time on two different runways.[6]
In December 2008, FedEx Express said that it would open the hub on time in June 2009, but it will operate at nowhere near capacity. FedEx had planned for up to 1,500 workers for the hub but will open it with only its already existing 160 employees.[7]
The hub building opened on June 2, 2009, but only opened with the same amount of employees and flights as the old sorting facility. FedEx gave no timeline as to when the hub will be operating at hub level.[8]
The Honda Aircraft Company established a research and development facility at the airport in 2000. The HA-420 HondaJet very light jet was designed and flight tested at PTIA. In February 2007, the company announced plans to locate its corporate headquarters and manufacturing facility at the airport as well.[9] Production is projected to begin in 2010.
The airport has plans to build a viewing area so the public can watch planes take off and land. It may be constructed along Bryan Boulevard, Burgess Road or Old Oak Ridge Road. PTI is in line for a new control tower that will cost roughly $25 million dollars and take eight years to complete. The 88-foot control tower has become a problem with the opening of the new 9,000-foot runway in 2009. The FAA predicts the tower will be designed beginning in 2014 and completed by 2019.[10]
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