Gerald R. Ford International Airport
Encyclopedia
Gerald R. Ford International Airport is a commercial airport located approximately 13 mi (20.9 km) southeast of Grand Rapids, Michigan
in Cascade Township
. Originally called Kent County Airport and later Kent County International Airport; in December 1999 the airport was renamed for former resident Gerald R. Ford, the 38th President of the United States
. GRR is the largest regional commercial service airport serving the West Michigan region and offers nonstop service to major connecting airports such as Atlanta, Detroit Metro
, Chicago O'Hare
, Houston-Bush
, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Memphis
, Denver
, Dallas-Fort Worth, Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI), Washington/DC Reagan International Airport, and Las Vegas
. It offers no direct service to international destinations other than Toronto Pearson Airport
. The airport served as a focus city
for Allegiant Air
until October 31, 2011.
at Comstock Park State Fairgrounds on September 10, 1911. The airport was operated by the Kent County Board of Supervisors.
The first regularly scheduled air service in the United States was between Grand Rapids and Detroit (actually Dearborn's Ford Airport
) on a Ford-Stout monoplane named Miss Grand Rapids, which commenced July 26, 1926. The airport expanded across 44th Street in 1948, and for a time, movable gates were used to keep traffic off the runway while it was in use. Another expansion was completed in 1952, however all signs pointed to the need for a completely new facility.
In 1959, construction began on the current facility in Cascade Township
, several miles east of the original location. The new airport opened November 23, 1963, and officially dedicated June 6, 1964. The first scheduled flight was a United Airlines
Boeing
737-200 on April 28, 1968 which arrived from Chicago O'Hare. The aircraft, registration number N9022U, was named The Jet Mainliner City of Grand Rapids.
On January 27, 1977, Kent County Airport was renamed Kent County International Airport with the opening of a U.S. Customs Bureau Office in the main terminal building.
In 1997, the new 8500 feet (2,590.8 m) runway 17/35 was added to allow the airport to continue operations during the $32 million reconstruction of runway 8R/26L, completed in 2001. A passenger terminal renovation project was completed in 2000, at a cost of approximately $50 million.
In 2004, the airport served more than 2 million passengers for the first time in a single year. In 2010, the airport broke the previous record set in 2004 with almost 2.2 million passengers served, as increase of over 23% from 2009.
facilities, the airport also has one passenger terminal, consisting of a two-level main terminal and two concourses, labeled A (with six gates) and B (with six gates).
The main terminal contains the ticketing lobbies, three baggage claim carousels, a gift shop, food court, KidsPort play room, game room, five conference rooms, and two public business centers. Short term and long term parking are located in front of the terminal. WiFi service is available at no cost to airport patrons throughout the terminal facility.
When new baggage screening regulations were introduced by the Transportation Security Administration
in 2002, the airport was one of the first in the nation to conduct trials on the new screening machines. Due to their size, the baggage processing areas were unable to accommodate the machines andInstead, they were placed in the passenger lobby.
on the east, M-6
on the south, M-37
on the west, and M-11
on the north.
Metro Cab and Metro Cars provides taxi and luxury sedan service and several car rental agencies operate rental counters in the airport.
The Rapid
runs the Grand Rapids Air Porter between the airport and the downtown hotels from April through October. Route 17, Woodland/Airport, travels between the airport and Woodland Mall
seven days a week. Routes 5 (weekdays only) and 6 (daily service) provide service to Central Station from Woodland. From Woodland, Route 44 provides weekday only service to Rivertown Crossings Mall.
locations. There is an observation deck located on the mezzanine level of the passenger terminal building, which gives a relatively unobstructed view of the ramp area and runway 8R and 26L.
There is a viewing area, situated on Kraft Avenue north of 52nd Street. The viewing area includes picnic tables litter barrels and a portable toilet. At the viewing area, radio station 1650 AM rebroadcasts transmissions by air traffic controllers, pilots, and GFIA airfield operations staff.
Grand Rapids, Michigan
Grand Rapids is a city in the U.S. state of Michigan. The city is located on the Grand River about 40 miles east of Lake Michigan. As of the 2010 census, the city population was 188,040. In 2010, the Grand Rapids metropolitan area had a population of 774,160 and a combined statistical area, Grand...
in Cascade Township
Cascade Township, Michigan
Cascade Charter Township is a charter township of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 15,107 at the 2000 census.The township is situated in the southeastern section of Kent County, approximately 10 miles southeast of Grand Rapids. A defining feature of the township is the...
. Originally called Kent County Airport and later Kent County International Airport; in December 1999 the airport was renamed for former resident Gerald R. Ford, the 38th President of the United States
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
. GRR is the largest regional commercial service airport serving the West Michigan region and offers nonstop service to major connecting airports such as Atlanta, Detroit Metro
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport
Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport , usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport locally, or simply DTW, is a major international airport covering in Romulus, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It is Michigan's busiest airport....
, Chicago O'Hare
O'Hare International Airport
Chicago O'Hare International Airport , also known as O'Hare Airport, O'Hare Field, Chicago Airport, Chicago International Airport, or simply O'Hare, is a major airport located in the northwestern-most corner of Chicago, Illinois, United States, northwest of the Chicago Loop...
, Houston-Bush
George Bush Intercontinental Airport
George Bush Intercontinental Airport, is a Class B international airport in Houston, Texas, serving the Houston–Sugar Land–Baytown metropolitan area, the sixth-largest metropolitan area in the United States. Located north of Downtown Houston between Interstate 45 and U.S. Highway 59...
, Minneapolis-St. Paul, Memphis
Memphis International Airport
Memphis International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located three miles south of the central business district of Memphis, a city in Shelby County, Tennessee, United States....
, Denver
Denver International Airport
Denver International Airport , often referred to as DIA, is an airport in Denver, Colorado. By land size, at , it is the largest international airport in the United States, and the third largest international airport in the world after King Fahd International Airport and Montréal-Mirabel...
, Dallas-Fort Worth, Baltimore/Washington International Airport (BWI), Washington/DC Reagan International Airport, and Las Vegas
McCarran International Airport
McCarran International Airport is the principal commercial airport serving Las Vegas and Clark County, Nevada, United States. The airport is located five miles south of the central business district of Las Vegas, in the unincorporated area of Paradise in Clark County. It covers an area of and...
. It offers no direct service to international destinations other than Toronto Pearson Airport
Toronto Pearson International Airport
Toronto Pearson International Airport is an international airport serving Toronto, Ontario, Canada; its metropolitan area; and the Golden Horseshoe, an urban agglomeration that is home to 8.1 million people – approximately 25% of Canada's population...
. The airport served as a focus city
Focus city
In the airline industry, a focus city is a location that is not a hub, but from which the airline has non-stop flights to several destinations other than its hubs...
for Allegiant Air
Allegiant Air
Allegiant Air is an American low-cost airline owned by Allegiant Travel Co. that operates scheduled and charter flights. Allegiant Travel Company is a publicly traded company with 1,300 employees and one billion USD market capitalization...
until October 31, 2011.
History
Grand Rapids' first airport broke ground in November 1919, 4 mi (6.4 km) south of downtown. This was eight years after the area witnessed its first airplane landing which was a Wright biplaneBiplane
A biplane is a fixed-wing aircraft with two superimposed main wings. The Wright brothers' Wright Flyer used a biplane design, as did most aircraft in the early years of aviation. While a biplane wing structure has a structural advantage, it produces more drag than a similar monoplane wing...
at Comstock Park State Fairgrounds on September 10, 1911. The airport was operated by the Kent County Board of Supervisors.
The first regularly scheduled air service in the United States was between Grand Rapids and Detroit (actually Dearborn's Ford Airport
Ford Airport (Dearborn)
Ford Airport in Dearborn, Michigan was one of the first modern airports in the world. The airport operated from 1924 to 1947, and the site is now part of Ford Motor Company's Dearborn Proving Ground. The airport is about 360 acres in size....
) on a Ford-Stout monoplane named Miss Grand Rapids, which commenced July 26, 1926. The airport expanded across 44th Street in 1948, and for a time, movable gates were used to keep traffic off the runway while it was in use. Another expansion was completed in 1952, however all signs pointed to the need for a completely new facility.
In 1959, construction began on the current facility in Cascade Township
Cascade Township, Michigan
Cascade Charter Township is a charter township of Kent County in the U.S. state of Michigan. The population was 15,107 at the 2000 census.The township is situated in the southeastern section of Kent County, approximately 10 miles southeast of Grand Rapids. A defining feature of the township is the...
, several miles east of the original location. The new airport opened November 23, 1963, and officially dedicated June 6, 1964. The first scheduled flight was a United Airlines
United Airlines
United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees United Air Lines, Inc., is the world's largest airline with 86,852 employees (which includes the entire holding company United Continental...
Boeing
Boeing
The Boeing Company is an American multinational aerospace and defense corporation, founded in 1916 by William E. Boeing in Seattle, Washington. Boeing has expanded over the years, merging with McDonnell Douglas in 1997. Boeing Corporate headquarters has been in Chicago, Illinois since 2001...
737-200 on April 28, 1968 which arrived from Chicago O'Hare. The aircraft, registration number N9022U, was named The Jet Mainliner City of Grand Rapids.
On January 27, 1977, Kent County Airport was renamed Kent County International Airport with the opening of a U.S. Customs Bureau Office in the main terminal building.
In 1997, the new 8500 feet (2,590.8 m) runway 17/35 was added to allow the airport to continue operations during the $32 million reconstruction of runway 8R/26L, completed in 2001. A passenger terminal renovation project was completed in 2000, at a cost of approximately $50 million.
In 2004, the airport served more than 2 million passengers for the first time in a single year. In 2010, the airport broke the previous record set in 2004 with almost 2.2 million passengers served, as increase of over 23% from 2009.
Facilities
Gerald R. Ford International Airport has two parallel east-west runways and one north-south runway. Along with cargo and general aviationGeneral aviation
General aviation is one of the two categories of civil aviation. It refers to all flights other than military and scheduled airline and regular cargo flights, both private and commercial. General aviation flights range from gliders and powered parachutes to large, non-scheduled cargo jet flights...
facilities, the airport also has one passenger terminal, consisting of a two-level main terminal and two concourses, labeled A (with six gates) and B (with six gates).
The main terminal contains the ticketing lobbies, three baggage claim carousels, a gift shop, food court, KidsPort play room, game room, five conference rooms, and two public business centers. Short term and long term parking are located in front of the terminal. WiFi service is available at no cost to airport patrons throughout the terminal facility.
When new baggage screening regulations were introduced by the Transportation Security Administration
Transportation Security Administration
The Transportation Security Administration is an agency of the U.S. Department of Homeland Security that exercises authority over the safety and security of the traveling public in the United States....
in 2002, the airport was one of the first in the nation to conduct trials on the new screening machines. Due to their size, the baggage processing areas were unable to accommodate the machines andInstead, they were placed in the passenger lobby.
Airlines and destinations
Top Destinations
| Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Chicago-O’Hare, IL | 190,000 | American, United |
| 2 | Detroit, MI Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport Detroit Metropolitan Wayne County Airport , usually called Detroit Metro Airport, Metro Airport locally, or simply DTW, is a major international airport covering in Romulus, Michigan, a suburb of Detroit. It is Michigan's busiest airport.... |
181,000 | Delta |
| 3 | Minneapolis, MN Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport Minneapolis-Saint Paul International Airport is the largest and busiest airport in the five-state upper Midwest region of Minnesota, Iowa, South Dakota, North Dakota, and Wisconsin.-Overview:... |
123,000 | Delta |
| 4 | Atlanta, GA Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport , known locally as Atlanta Airport, Hartsfield Airport, and Hartsfield–Jackson, is located seven miles south of the central business district of Atlanta, Georgia, United States... |
87,000 | Delta |
| 5 | Denver, CO Denver International Airport Denver International Airport , often referred to as DIA, is an airport in Denver, Colorado. By land size, at , it is the largest international airport in the United States, and the third largest international airport in the world after King Fahd International Airport and Montréal-Mirabel... |
70,000 | Frontier, United |
| 6 | Baltimore, MD Baltimore-Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport is an international airport serving the Baltimore-Washington Metropolitan Area in the United States. It is commonly called BWI, BWI Airport or BWI Marshall, BWI being an initialism for "Baltimore/Washington International" and the... |
65,000 | AirTran |
| 7 | Orlando, FL Orlando International Airport Orlando International Airport is a major international airport located southeast of the central business district of Orlando. It is the second busiest airport in Florida, after Miami International Airport... |
53,000 | AirTran, Delta |
| 8 | Cleveland, OH Cleveland Hopkins International Airport Cleveland Hopkins International Airport is a public airport located nine miles southwest of the central business district of Cleveland, a city in Cuyahoga County, Ohio, United States. The airport lies just within the city limits of Cleveland... |
41,000 | Continental |
| 9 | Cincinnati, OH Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport , sometimes called the Greater Cincinnati Airport is located in Hebron, unincorporated Boone County, Kentucky, United States and serves the Greater Cincinnati metropolitan area. Despite being located in Boone County, the airport operations are... |
39,000 | Delta |
| 10 | Milwaukee, WI General Mitchell International Airport General Mitchell International Airport is a county-owned public airport located five miles south of the central business district of Milwaukee, a city in Milwaukee County, Wisconsin, United States.... |
37,000 | Frontier |
Cargo carriers
Ground transportation
The airport is located at the intersection of 44th Street and Patterson Avenue. It abuts I-96Interstate 96
Interstate 96 is an intrastate Interstate Highway that is entirely within the US state of Michigan. Its western terminus is at an interchange with US Highway 31 and Business US Highway 31 , on the western boundary of Norton Shores southeast of Muskegon. Its eastern terminus is at I-75 near the...
on the east, M-6
M-6 (Michigan highway)
M-6, or the Paul B. Henry Freeway, is a freeway and state trunkline highway in the United States that serves portions of southern Kent and eastern Ottawa counties south of Grand Rapids, Michigan. Although the freeway is named for Paul B. Henry, local residents and the press continue to use the...
on the south, M-37
M-37 (Michigan highway)
M-37 is a north–south state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan. The southern terminus is near the border between Kalamazoo and Calhoun counties at exit 92 of Interstate 94 southwest of Battle Creek. The northern terminus is at the Mission Point Light on Old Mission Point in Grand...
on the west, and M-11
M-11 (Michigan highway)
M-11 is a state trunkline highway in the US state of Michigan in the Grand Rapids metropolitan area. The highway runs through the western and southern sides of the metro area, starting over the border in Ottawa County at an interchange with Interstate 96...
on the north.
Metro Cab and Metro Cars provides taxi and luxury sedan service and several car rental agencies operate rental counters in the airport.
The Rapid
Interurban Transit Partnership
The Interurban Transit Partnership operates a public transport system called The Rapid, which provides bus service to the Grand Rapids, Michigan metropolitan area and beyond...
runs the Grand Rapids Air Porter between the airport and the downtown hotels from April through October. Route 17, Woodland/Airport, travels between the airport and Woodland Mall
Woodland Mall
Woodland Mall is an enclosed super-regional shopping mall located just outside the city of Grand Rapids, Michigan, United States. It comprises over 100 tenants in of retail space, with four anchor stores and a movie theater...
seven days a week. Routes 5 (weekdays only) and 6 (daily service) provide service to Central Station from Woodland. From Woodland, Route 44 provides weekday only service to Rivertown Crossings Mall.
Aircraft spotting
The airport has two aircraft spotterAircraft spotting
Aircraft spotting or plane spotting is the observation and logging of the registration numbers of aircraft: gliders, powered aircraft, balloons, airships, helicopters, and microlights....
locations. There is an observation deck located on the mezzanine level of the passenger terminal building, which gives a relatively unobstructed view of the ramp area and runway 8R and 26L.
There is a viewing area, situated on Kraft Avenue north of 52nd Street. The viewing area includes picnic tables litter barrels and a portable toilet. At the viewing area, radio station 1650 AM rebroadcasts transmissions by air traffic controllers, pilots, and GFIA airfield operations staff.