Passenger Facilities:
Gates: 12
Power outlets: HSV, like many airport terminals does not seem to have access to power outlets at first glance. There aren’t any dedicated charging stations located in the passenger hold areas. However at every gate at there are four power outlets on the walls that are within reach of the seating area. Given the fact that the airport is much larger than the passenger volumes it handles and the demographic flying out of the airport, it’s unlikely that there will be any fights over power outlets.
WIFI: WIFI is provided free, the SSID is the IATA airport identifier ‘HSV’. Reception is good throughout the terminal and because of the limited number of passengers traveling through at any given time, the bandwidth is more than ample. Also, unlike many larger airports that provide free WIFI (DEN), I did not get disconnect during my session.
VIP Lounges: there aren’t any airline associated VIP lounges. Though the Blue Marble does have a smoking area/lounge that over-looks the taxi way.
Restaurant: McAlister’s Deli. McAlister’s is reasonably priced (for an airport) and provides good menu selection. It also has a seating area that over-looks one of the Airtran gates and gives a good view of one of the active runways.
Plane Spotting: HSV is a good airport for plane spotting, there’s a good view from any gate, though the hold area of gates 9 and 10 gives a good 180 degree view of the taxiway and active runway(s). It may not be as busy as an ATL or ORD, but it does provide for some pretty good spotting. When I visited I saw an Anotonov AN-8 which is a rare aircraft over in Russia let alone here in the U.S.
Overall impression;
HSV is a modern, quiet airport that is a great place to spend a few hours on a layover or a diversion. If you enjoy plane spotting (like myself) it is a pleasant surprise. The airport has an open feel and there’s more than ample hold-area seating. The gates are designed to handle aircraft ranging in size from CRJ-200s to 737s and MD-80s. The hold seating areas were designed to easily accommodate the full load of those larger aircraft. Since most of the traffic are 50 seat regional jets this helps to contribute to the open, quiet and hassle free feel of HSV.
Airlines: Airtran, American Airlines, Delta, Us Airways, United
Service:
Airtran: Baltimore/Washington, Orlando
American: Chicago, Dallas-Ft. Worth
Delta: Atlanta, Detroit
US Airways: Charlotte, Washington D.C. (National)
United: Chicago, Denver, Houston, Washington (Dulles)
Terminal map:
Airport Website: http://www.hsvairport.org/hia/index.html
Interesting facts:
The airport is relatively new, it was opened in 1967, and despite its small size it has a Four Points hotel operated by Sheraton located above the ticketing area. In 2009 passengers departing from HSV paid the highest average airfare of any airport in the country. In 1989 it was the first airport in the U.S. to use an ASR-9 dual-channel airport surveillance radar system.
Statistical information:
Gates: 12
Concourses: 1
Elevation: 629ft
Runways: 2
Rwy 18R/36L:
12,600ft x 150ft asphalt
ALSF2: 2,400ft high intensity lighting
MALSR: 1,400ft medium intensity lighting
ILS equipped
Rwy 18L/36R:
10,006ft x 150ft asphalt
MALSR: 1,400ft medium intensity lighting
ILS equipped.
Average aircraft operations/day: 221