Airport Guide Signs

[Scott5114]

I do not know a single airport that is referred to as "international" in ordinary speech.  The closest I can think of is Denver, which is colloquially "DIA".  Initials pronounced individually; no explicit indication of what it stands for, though it is easy to guess.

The Kansas City airport, as mentioned above, is colloquially "KCI", for Kansas City International. Interestingly enough, its airport code is MCI, for Mid-Continent International–apparently they were going to go with that name but changed it for whatever reason after the code was assigned! The "true" MCI is now the Wichita airport.

[UptownRoadGeek]

The major airport of a city should be called, say, Pittsburgh Airport, and the smaller ones can be Pittsburgh Executive Airport or whatnot, and there is no need to use the word "international" (and certainly not with the bumbling abbreviation seen on the green sign) which is not an effective way to differentiate the primary airport.  As I said - just because you have two flights a day to Tijuana...

I disagree with that one.  IMO "Airport" alone comes off as generic and using the term "[City Name] Airport" can be just as confusing if the city has more than one airport.  Anyone can easily mistake the city name for being a possessive noun or adjective vs being the official name of the airport.

I can also think of a lot pf places where Intl, Int'l, or International are used on guide signs and places where "international" is used in common speech.  The only thing is "international" seems to be used in speech in smaller cities/towns.  The well-known airports usually go by some sort of abbreviation or nickname.

[J N Winkler]

Denver (DIA) and Kansas City (KCI) are both examples of airports where the acronym in common use does not match the ICAO airport code (DEN and MCI respectively).

[hbelkins]

Locals around Casper jokingly refer to Casper Airport as "Casper International" since they employ one US Customs person (and the airport is proudly signed as Casper International), but that's the closest I can think of.

So what happens when he calls in sick?

[corco]

So what happens when he calls in sick?

Given how Wyoming operates they either

A) just say you can't fly in and if you try to they reroute you to Billings or Denver

or

B) let you in without inspection (I'd doubt this- apparently every time anybody flies out of the Laramie airport (I always drive to Denver, but you can fly to Denver) they put the gel on your hands to check for explosives)

[realjd]

Given how Wyoming operates they either

A) just say you can't fly in and if you try to they reroute you to Billings or Denver

or

B) let you in without inspection (I'd doubt this- apparently every time anybody flies out of the Laramie airport (I always drive to Denver, but you can fly to Denver) they put the gel on your hands to check for explosives)

When flying into the US from other countries, you have to file a flight plan with your ETA and pre-arrange customs services. If he's gone for whatever reason, they'll either have someone from another airport there to cover for him or they'll tell you to go clear customs at another airport when you try to file the flight plan.

[mightyace]

I've always thought it was kind of pretentious for smaller airports to have "international" in their title.

Witness Wilkes-Barre/Scranton International Airport (on the sign as W-B/Scr Intl Airport!):
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=avoca,+pa&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=50.424342,49.921875&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Avoca,+Luzerne,+Pennsylvania&ll=41.330871,-75.738115&spn=0.047114,0.048752&t=h&z=14&layer=c&cbll=41.330971,-75.738076&panoid=yt3psbee01uJzZpDFB-JVA&cbp=12,5.86,,0,3.73

Or what used to be known as Allentown-Bethlehem-Easton Airport (ABE) is now:
Lehigh Valley Interantional (on the sign as L. V. I. Airport)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=easton,+pa&sll=41.331,-75.738115&sspn=0.047371,0.048752&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Easton&ll=40.642761,-75.432966&spn=0.011967,0.012188&t=h&z=16&layer=c&cbll=40.642718,-75.43307&panoid=FZnlGYeuI-eNRfj1SLiWdw&cbp=12,75.36,,0,11.02

[PAHighways]

If I'm not mistaken, the sign used to just say "Airport".

It used to read "Pgh Intl Airport."

[SP Cook]

[The Kansas City airport, as mentioned above, is colloquially "KCI", for Kansas City International. Interestingly enough, its airport code is MCI, for Mid-Continent International–apparently they were going to go with that name but changed it for whatever reason after the code was assigned!

Similar to Piedmont North Carolina.  "Tirad" is local code for the tri-cities of Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and High Point, and the airport is located between the cores of all three (although annexed to Greensboro).  The name of the airport is "Piedmont Triad International Airport" (although there are no "international" flights at all, not even to Canada) and the locals call it "PTI".  The airlines, however, call it "Greensboro" and the code is GSO.   No airport, AFAIK, uses PTI.

[mightyace]

No airport, AFAIK, uses PTI.

However, another anagram of Pittsburgh's code is in use.  For reasons that I've never found out about, Williamsport's Airport in Montoursville, PA is IPT.

Before, US Airways scaled back, flying from Nashville to Williamsport, I'd go through Pittsburgh.  I often worried that some dyslexic baggage clerk would lose my luggage as I was flying between PIT and IPT!

[bulldog1979]

When K.I. Sawyer Air Force Base south of Marquette, MI closed in 1995, official from Marquette County were clamoring to move the county airport to the former base. The Air Force had purchased the county's airport on that location to build the base, both of which were named Kenneth I. Sawyer, Marquette County Road Commissioner. (The airport was run by the county road commission at the time.) The main argument was that Marquette County would gain jet service with the move, which is ironic considering that jets flew into the old airport off US 41/M-28.

When the county opened the terminal and moved passenger operations out to Sawyer, it was named "Sawyer International Airport", and the former "Marquette County Airport" was closed. The "International" was added because Marquette received a part-time customs agent that split duties between the airport and the iron ore docks in Marquette. (If an ore freighter's last port of call is in Canada before landing in Marquette, crew members must pass through customs to leave the ship, necessitating the customs agent.) There is no regularly scheduled passenger service to Canada, although there have been special flights scheduled.

The other oddity in the naming deals with the airport codes. The old airport in Negaunee Township had the IATA code MQT and the ICAO code KMQT. The air force base was SAW/KSAW, both as a base and for general aviation between closure and the transfer of passenger operations. After the transfer, it is MQT/KSAW, retaining the old ICAO code.

[Mr_Northside]

If I'm not mistaken, the sign used to just say "Airport".

It used to read "Pgh Intl Airport."

Northbound on I-79, you'll see just "Airport"...
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&source=s_q&hl=en&geocode=&q=Crafton,+PA&sll=37.0625,-95.677068&sspn=33.214763,79.013672&ie=UTF8&hq=&hnear=Crafton&layer=c&cbll=40.423796,-80.106034&panoid=znXc2R5eBBxiXZE9eEpMag&cbp=12,358.35,,0,5.35&ll=40.423625,-80.106039&spn=0.046784,0.109863&z=14

I imagine it all just depends on the space they plan on having on the sign they're gonna use.

[LeftyJR]

If I'm not mistaken, the sign used to just say "Airport".

It used to read "Pgh Intl Airport."

/
Jeff, why don't they use PIT instead of PGH as it is the official abbreviation for the airport

[J N Winkler]

For reasons that I've never found out about, Williamsport's Airport in Montoursville, PA is IPT.

Could it be because the logical abbreviation is in use elsewhere?  This is what happened with Burgos airport in Spain (IATA code is RGS since BUR is already taken by Burbank airport, BUG by Benguela in Angola, BUS by another airport in Russia, etc.).

[74/171FAN]

I think this might be the only instance where the airplane symbol(here for Richmond's airport even though it is still about 20 miles southeast of here) is actually right beside the shield, which to note wasn't there before the flyover from I-64 EB to I-295 west of Richmond was built. 

[CanesFan27]

[The Kansas City airport, as mentioned above, is colloquially "KCI", for Kansas City International. Interestingly enough, its airport code is MCI, for Mid-Continent International—apparently they were going to go with that name but changed it for whatever reason after the code was assigned!

Similar to Piedmont North Carolina.  "Tirad" is local code for the tri-cities of Winston-Salem, Greensboro, and High Point, and the airport is located between the cores of all three (although annexed to Greensboro).  The name of the airport is "Piedmont Triad International Airport" (although there are no "international" flights at all, not even to Canada) and the locals call it "PTI".  The airlines, however, call it "Greensboro" and the code is GSO.   No airport, AFAIK, uses PTI.

The International comes from the freight flights that are handled out of GSO.

Fixed quote - rmf67

[Kacie Jane]

Out here in Bellingham, our airport (one runway, two gates, but expanding) is occasionally referred to by its code (BLI) in local speech.  Ironically, despite our proximity, there's no regular passenger service to Canada.  Just Seattle and a handful of western tourist destinations (Las Vegas, Palm Springs, etc.).

On the subject of signage, WSDOT recently (within the past year or two) replaced most of the signage for the exit on I-5.  It's too recent for Google, but here's a pic courtesy of WSDOT's SRweb.  Somehow, I really don't think that's how the airport symbol was meant to be used.

[roadfro]

^ You're right...the airport symbol is not meant to be a substitute for the word "airport". Had the airport symbol come at the front of that line of text, it would have been much better.

Incidentally, there appears to be two airport symbols in use around the country. The first is an overhead shot of an airplane, which is the MUTCD symbol used on independent mount signs and some BGSs. The other, which is depicted in Kacie Jane's link, shows a side view of an airplane that I've seen on some BGSs. I'm curious as to where the second symbol came from.

[myosh_tino]

^ You're right...the airport symbol is not meant to be a substitute for the word "airport". Had the airport symbol come at the front of that line of text, it would have been much better.

Incidentally, there appears to be two airport symbols in use around the country. The first is an overhead shot of an airplane, which is the MUTCD symbol used on independent mount signs and some BGSs. The other, which is depicted in Kacie Jane's link, shows a side view of an airplane that I've seen on some BGSs. I'm curious as to where the second symbol came from.

Not sure where the second symbol comes from but I do know both are in use in California though from what I have seen most use the side-view airplane symbol on guide signs.  Both symbols are included in the Roadgeek font set (Roadgeek 2005 Icons) as shown by the following examples...

"Overhead Airplane" - Northbound I-880 at CA-82/The Alameda


"Side-view Airplane" - Northbound I-880 at Coleman Avenue

[agentsteel53]

that's kinda sad that the name of the city got third billing to the All-Important Advertising Word, and the name of some random dead* bureaucrat.

*bureaucrat may still be biologically alive at this time

[myosh_tino]

that's kinda sad that the name of the city got third billing to the All-Important Advertising Word, and the name of some random dead* bureaucrat.

*bureaucrat may still be biologically alive at this time

"All-Important Advertising Word"??? Huh?  

Regarding Norm Mineta, he helped shape the transportation system (freeways and public transit) here in the South Bay.  In fact, all of CA-85 is now the "Norm Mineta Highway" although it's still referred to as the Stevens Creek Fwy or the West Valley Fwy.  He may be a "bureaucrat" but in this area, he is still highly thought of.

[agentsteel53]

"All-Important Advertising Word"??? Huh?  

"international".  Didn't we just figure out that it's small, unimportant airports who really milk that word?  San Jose is very important; it should be able to get by with a simple moniker.

Regarding Norm Mineta, he helped shape the transportation system (freeways and public transit) here in the South Bay.  In fact, all of CA-85 is now the "Norm Mineta Highway" although it's still referred to as the Stevens Creek Fwy or the West Valley Fwy.  He may be a "bureaucrat" but in this area, he is still highly thought of.

so much so that he got the airport named after him while still alive.  Even Ronald Reagan had to die for the 118 freeway and the National Airport in Washington and whatever else is named after him these days.

I'm just not a fan of naming things after elected or appointed officials.  If I were heading to the south bay, I'd much rather fly into the Steve Wozniak Airport.

[WillWeaverRVA]

I think this might be the only instance where the airplane symbol(here for Richmond's airport even though it is still about 20 miles southeast of here) is actually right beside the shield, which to note wasn't there before the flyover from I-64 EB to I-295 west of Richmond was built. 

It should be noted that all signage on Airport Drive at Richmond International was recently replaced (about 2008) with brand new green signs supplied by Henrico County and/or VDOT. And it's NOT in Clearview! (Henrico County does not use Clearview, and the county maintains all roads within the airport since they never left the county's secondary route system despite the airport expanding over them.)




(This sign is green, not black.)



I'm guessing the green signs were installed in advance of the airport connector road project. The original signs were blue (similar to the overhead signs at the parking garages).

[myosh_tino]

I'm just not a fan of naming things after elected or appointed officials.  If I were heading to the south bay, I'd much rather fly into the Steve Wozniak Airport.

Hmmm... the Steve Wozniak Intl Airport?  I like that!  

Main mode of transportation within the airport would be by Segway and Prius' park for free in the airport parking garages.

[agentsteel53]

Hmmm... the Steve Wozniak Intl Airport?  I like that!  

Main mode of transportation within the airport would be by Segway and Prius' park for free in the airport parking garages.

heh I was thinking more the Apple and Apple II... free parking for any car built by hand, or for which the complete schematics are present in the glove compartment or easily found online.

seriously, Steve W did as much for Silicon Valley as any other entrepreneur I can think of, which is, in the grand scheme of things, a whole lot more than laying out By-Pass 101, with its terrible weaving merges in Santa Clara!