Syracuse Hancock International Airport

For the United States Air Force
United States Air Force
The United States Air Force is the aerial warfare service branch of the United States Armed Forces and one of the American uniformed services. Initially part of the United States Army, the USAF was formed as a separate branch of the military on September 18, 1947 under the National Security Act of...

use of this facility, see Hancock Field Air National Guard Base
Hancock Field Air National Guard Base
Hancock Field Air National Guard Base is a United States Air Force base, co-located with Syracuse Hancock International Airport. It is located north-northeast of Syracuse, New York....

Syracuse Hancock International Airport is a joint civil-military public airport located 4 NM northeast of Syracuse

Syracuse, New York

Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States, the largest U.S. city with the name "Syracuse", and the fifth most populous city in the state. At the 2010 census, the city population was 145,170, and its metropolitan area had a population of 742,603...

, in Onondaga County, New York

Onondaga County, New York

Onondaga County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 467,026. The county seat is Syracuse.Onondaga County is part of the Syracuse, NY Metropolitan Statistical Area....

, off of Interstate 81

Interstate 81

Interstate 81 is an Interstate Highway in the eastern part of the United States. Its southern terminus is at Interstate 40 in Dandridge, Tennessee; its northern terminus is on Wellesley Island at the Canadian border, where the Thousand Islands Bridge connects it to Highway 401, the main freeway...

near Mattydale, New York

Mattydale, New York

Mattydale is a hamlet in Onondaga County, New York, United States. The population was 6,367 at the 2000 census.Mattydale is a community in the northeast of the Town of Salina and is a northern suburb of Syracuse....

. The main terminal complex is located at the eastern end of Colonel Eileen Collins Boulevard.

History

In 1927 Syracuse mayor Charles Hanna

Charles Hanna

Charles George Hanna was a politician from the United States. He was the forty-first mayor of Syracuse, New York and largely responsible for bringing air travel to the Syracuse Area. He acquired an airfield in Camillus, NY and renamed it Syracuse Municipal Airport in 1927...

felt that his city needed an airport. A location at Amboy in the town of Camillus, New York

Camillus, New York

Camillus, New York is located in Onondaga County. There are two parts to Camillus, New York:*Camillus, New York *Camillus, New York...

was purchased for $50,000, and by 1928, the "Syracuse City Airport at Amboy"

Syracuse Municipal Airport

Syracuse Municipal Airport was an airport located in Camillus, NY.-Origins:The first plane landed at the site of the airport in 1912 and was flown by Harry Atwood, establishing a long distance flight record from Chicago, Il to Camillus...

was handling airmail. At the end of World War II the United States Army Air Corps

United States Army Air Corps

The United States Army Air Corps was a forerunner of the United States Air Force. Renamed from the Air Service on 2 July 1926, it was part of the United States Army and the predecessor of the United States Army Air Forces , established in 1941...

leased their bomber base near Mattydale, New York

Mattydale, New York

to the city. On September 17, 1949, the Clarence E. Hancock

Clarence E. Hancock

-Biography:Born February 13, 1885 in Syracuse, New York, Hancock graduated from Wesleyan University in 1906 and New York Law School in 1908.Hancock represented New York in the House of Representatives as a Republican from 1927 to 1947. When Hancock represented the 35th district from 1927 to 1945,...

Airport opened to the public using a renovated machine shop as a terminal, and replaced the airport at Amboy. The airport at that time was equipped with three 5500 feet (1,676.4 m) long and 300 feet (91.4 m) wide concrete runways. American, Buffalo, Colonial and Robinson Airlines were the first airlines to operate at the airport, and American Airlines

American Airlines

American Airlines, Inc. is the world's fourth-largest airline in passenger miles transported and operating revenues. American Airlines is a subsidiary of the AMR Corporation and is headquartered in Fort Worth, Texas adjacent to its largest hub at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport...

still does to this day.

In 1962 a new terminal opened, at the site of the present-day terminals. The location allowed the airport to be directly connected to Interstate 81

Interstate 81

, which was built shortly afterwards. In 1970 the airport was awarded international airport status by the International Civil Aviation Organization

International Civil Aviation Organization

The International Civil Aviation Organization , pronounced , , is a specialized agency of the United Nations. It codifies the principles and techniques of international air navigation and fosters the planning and development of international air transport to ensure safe and orderly growth...

, and thus renamed Syracuse Hancock International Airport.

When the United States deregulated the airline industry in 1978, Syracuse was predominantly served by two "trunk carriers" (American Airlines

American Airlines

and Eastern Air Lines

Eastern Air Lines

Eastern Air Lines was a major United States airline that existed from 1926 to 1991. Before its dissolution it was headquartered at Miami International Airport in unincorporated Miami-Dade County, Florida.-History:...

) and one "local service carrier" (Allegheny Airlines

Allegheny Airlines

Allegheny Airlines was an airline operating out of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, United States, from 1952 to 1979. It was a forerunner of today’s US Airways. Its headquarters were located on the grounds of Washington National Airport in Arlington County, Virginia....

, which renamed itself USAir in 1979). American and Eastern used the airport's south concourse, and Allegheny used the north concourse. Shortly after deregulation American began cutting back on regional point-to-point flights at medium-sized airports in the Northeast such as Syracuse, as Chairman Robert Crandall built up the airline's hub at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is located between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas, and is the busiest airport in the U.S. state of Texas...

. Other airlines entered or grew service at Syracuse to meet demand as the industry grew following deregulation.

Airlines that served Syracuse after deregulation include (but are not limited to):

North Central Airlines
North Central Airlines
North Central Airlines was founded as Wisconsin Central Airlines in 1944 in Clintonville, Wisconsin. It was headquartered in Minneapolis, Minnesota.-Early history:...

, a Minnesota-based local service carrier which made Syracuse its only Upstate New York station, a stop on a route between Detroit and Boston. North Central quickly merged with Atlanta-based Southern Airways
Southern Airways
Southern Airways was a regional airline operating in the United States from its founding by Frank Hulse in 1949 until 1979 when it merged with North Central Airlines to become Republic Airlines, which on October 1, 1986, became part of Northwest Airlines, which in 2008 became a part of Delta Air...

and San Francisco-based Hughes Airwest
Hughes Airwest
Hughes Airwest was an airline that was backed by Howard Hughes. Hughes Airwest flew routes around the western United States and to certain points in Mexico and Canada. The airline was purchased by Republic Airlines on October 1, 1980...

to form Republic Airlines (1979-1986)
Republic Airlines (1979-1986)
Republic Airlines was an airline formed on July 1, 1979 by the merger of North Central Airlines, Southern Airways, and Hughes Airwest. Its headquarters were located on the grounds of Minneapolis-St...

. Republic was bought by Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines
Northwest Airlines, Inc. was a major United States airline founded in 1926 and absorbed into Delta Air Lines by a merger approved on October 29, 2008, making Delta the largest airline in the world...

in 1987. Northwest was bought by Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines
Delta Air Lines, Inc. is a major airline based in the United States and headquartered in Atlanta, Georgia. The airline operates an extensive domestic and international network serving all continents except Antarctica. Delta and its subsidiaries operate over 4,000 flights every day...

in 2008 and was merged into Delta in 2010. Republic entered other Upstate NY airports in 1984 with service to its Detroit hub.
TWA
Twa
The Twa are any of several hunting peoples of Africa who live interdependently with agricultural Bantu populations, and generally hold a socially subordinate position: They provide the farming population with game in exchange for agricultural products....

(Trans World Airlines) began service from Syracuse to a short-lived hub in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, in 1979. After the Pittsburgh experiment ended, TWA shifted Syracuse's service to its hub at Lambert St. Louis International Airport. Syracuse was the only Upstate NY airport to hang onto service initiated by TWA. They stayed at Syracuse until about 1990.
Empire Airlines (1976-1985)
Empire Airlines (1976-1985)
-Overview:Empire Airlines was a regional airline serving the Northeastern United States beginning in 1976. In 1985, the airline was purchased by Piedmont Airlines, which itself was later purchased by USAir and whose name now lives on in the US Airways Express network.Founded by Paul Quackenbush,...

, whose history at Syracuse is detailed below.
Syracuse was an early station for Peoplexpress Airlines
Peoplexpress Airlines
People Express Airlines, stylized as PEOPLExpress, also known as People Express Travel, was a U.S. no-frills airline that operated from 1981 to 1987, when it merged into Continental Airlines...

, a low-fare carrier founded in 1981 with a hub at Newark International Airport and which quickly grew into a major carrier. Due to some bad business decisions, People became unviable and was bought in 1986 by Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines
Continental Airlines was a major American airline now merged with United Airlines. On May 3, 2010, Continental Airlines, Inc. and UAL, Inc. announced a merger via a stock swap, and on October 1, 2010, the merger closed and UAL changed its name to United Continental Holdings, Inc...

whose Continental Connection
Continental Connection
Continental Connection is a brand name under which several commuter airline carriers and their holding companies operate services marketed exclusively by Continental Airlines...

and Continental Express
Continental Express
Continental Express is the operating brand name used by a number of independently owned regional airlines providing regional jet feeder service under agreement with Continental Airlines...

units serve Syracuse today.
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...

, which had long served Buffalo and Rochester, but which only entered Syracuse and Albany after deregulation, in 1982. United and its affiliates serve Syracuse today.

Throughout the 1970s and 1980s the airport went through several expansions to meet increasing demand. Empire Airlines

Empire Airlines (1976-1985)

-Overview:Empire Airlines was a regional airline serving the Northeastern United States beginning in 1976. In 1985, the airline was purchased by Piedmont Airlines, which itself was later purchased by USAir and whose name now lives on in the US Airways Express network.Founded by Paul Quackenbush,...

, which was founded in 1976, made Syracuse a hub

Airline hub

An airline hub is an airport that an airline uses as a transfer point to get passengers to their intended destination. It is part of a hub and spoke model, where travelers moving between airports not served by direct flights change planes en route to their destinations...

, and over two million passengers a year were using the airport. Piedmont Airlines

Piedmont Airlines (1948-1989)

Piedmont Airlines was a major airline in the United States which operated from 1948 until its operations were merged into USAir in 1989. Its headquarters were located at One Piedmont Plaza in Winston-Salem, North Carolina, a building which is now part of Wake Forest University.As of April 1989,...

absorbed Empire in 1986 and kept the Syracuse hub. Hub-carrier Piedmont operated most of the gates in Terminal A, operating 58 jet flights and 12 commuter flights a day in 1987. Terminal A was expanded that year, adding more gates, a Piedmont Presidential Club (a US Airways

US Airways

US Airways, Inc. is a major airline based in the U.S. city of Tempe, Arizona. The airline is an operating unit of US Airways Group and is the sixth largest airline by traffic and eighth largest by market value in the country....

Club until 2004), and a larger customs

Customs

Customs is an authority or agency in a country responsible for collecting and safeguarding customs duties and for controlling the flow of goods including animals, transports, personal effects and hazardous items in and out of a country...

area.

With USAir

US Airways

's purchase of Piedmont in 1989, things started going sour for Hancock International. USAir closed the Syracuse hub, and Syracuse therefore lost its advantage over other upstate airports. A final terminal expansion was completed in 1996, along with an overall overhaul and renovation, which created two separate terminal areas with individual, checkin, security, and baggage claim. USAir still maintained a large presence at the airport but reduced flights throughout the 1990s. After the September 11, 2001 attacks

September 11, 2001 attacks

The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...

, the now-renamed US Airways cut even more flights and did not renew its leases for many of its gates in Terminal A, upon which the airport essentially "boarded them up." US Airways is still the number one carrier at Hancock in terms of both departures and destinations served.

However, a new era began on May 7, 2001 when JetBlue inaugurated low-cost service to Hancock. In 2007, JetBlue also expanded its operation to include usage of gates 3 and 11. More discount carriers followed suit and began servicing Syracuse. Charter airline TransMeridian Airlines

TransMeridian Airlines

TransMeridian Airlines was an Atlanta, Georgia based charter operator, operating under U.S. Department of Transportation FAR Part 121. It ceased all operations on September 29, 2005, after negotiations with creditors to restructure its debt failed.-History:...

began its first scheduled routes ever when it started flying six weekly flights to Orlando Sanford International Airport

Orlando Sanford International Airport

Orlando-Sanford International Airport is a public commercial air service airport in Sanford, Florida, near Orlando. It was originally constructed as a military installation known as Naval Air Station Sanford that was in operation as a Master Jet Base for carrier-based attack and reconnaissance...

in 2003. It flew the route until its bankruptcy in 2005. JetBlue began flying non-stop to Orlando International Airport

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...

daily in July 2006. Independence Air

Independence Air

Independence Air was a low-cost airline, owned by FLYi, Inc., headquartered in the Loudoun Gateway Corporate Center in Dulles, unincorporated Loudoun County, Virginia, United States that operated from 1989 until 2006. Its route network focused on the East Coast of the United States, but it also...

began flying eight daily roundtrips to Washington Dulles International Airport

Washington Dulles International Airport

Washington Dulles International Airport is a public airport in Dulles, Virginia, 26 miles west of downtown Washington, D.C. The airport serves the Baltimore-Washington-Northern Virginia metropolitan area centered on the District of Columbia. It is named after John Foster Dulles, Secretary of...

in 2004, but Independence Air's parent company filed for bankruptcy protection in November 2005 and flew its last flight in January 2006. US Airways announced on May 10, 2004 that it would increase service to Hancock, lower fares, and add seats by converting flights from turboprop

Turboprop

A turboprop engine is a type of turbine engine which drives an aircraft propeller using a reduction gear.The gas turbine is designed specifically for this application, with almost all of its output being used to drive the propeller...

to regional jet

Regional jet

A Regional jet , is a class of short to medium-range turbofan powered airliners.-History:The term "Regional jet" describes a range of short to medium-haul turbofan powered aircraft, whose use throughout the world expanded after the advent of Airline Deregulation in the United States in...

.

In 2004, Syracuse Mayor Matthew Driscoll

Matthew Driscoll

For the basketball coach, see Matthew Driscoll .Matthew John "Matt" Driscoll is an American Democratic Party politician, who served as the 52nd Mayor of Syracuse, New York from July 10, 2001 until December 31, 2009....

created a Fly Syracuse television and internet campaign in an attempt to lower fares and increase passenger traffic at the airport. The airport has since experienced a period of growth thanks to the efforts of local business contributions toward the campaign.

C&S is providing professional design and construction inspection/observation services for the construction of the Syracuse Hancock International Airport terminal security and access improvement project, which is a 147000 square feet (13,656.7 m²) renovation design project with an estimated cost of $63 million. The most critical components of the project include: post check-in TSA baggage handling, improved passenger screening, and sustainability. This project is 100 percent funded by PFC's (Passenger Facility Charges) meaning that no tax dollars will be used to construct this project. For more information refer to www.syrairport.org.

Operations

The Syracuse region receives an average 114 inches (289.56 cm) of snow annually. On average, the airport is closed less than 24 hours annually due to snowfall. The airport has received the Balchen/Post Award for Excellence in the Performance of Snow and Ice Control a total of seven times, most recently in 2006.http://syrairport.org/about/hancockfield/Balchen.cfm Runway 10/28 has a Category II Instrument Landing System

Instrument Landing System

An instrument landing system is a ground-based instrument approach system that provides precision guidance to an aircraft approaching and landing on a runway, using a combination of radio signals and, in many cases, high-intensity lighting arrays to enable a safe landing during instrument...

(ILS).

Airlines and destinations

Flight Schools

Syracuse Hancock International is home to the third component of http://www.flycny.com/waypoint Waypoint Flight School - which was once the former ExecAir Flight Training Center.

Runways

In the 1950s, the primary east-west instrument runway (10-28) was extended from its original 5500 foot length by the mid-1950s to 6863 feet and a few years later to 8000 feet. In 1958, the instrument landing system to runway 28 was augmented with a 3000 foot high-intensity approach lighting system. With the use of the Century series fighter aircraft used by the Air Force, around 1960 the main east-west runway was extended again, this time to 9005 feet. The runway was strengthened in the early 1960s for the new heavier Boeing 707 aircraft. In the 1960s, runway centerline lighting was added to the main runway along with touchdown zone lighting on the runway 28 end. Around the time of building the new terminal building, runway 6-24 was shortened to 3261 feet to allow construction of the entrance road to the new terminal facilities and continued to be used as a general aviation runway into the 1970s, however it was abandoned after that. Runway 14-32 was lengthened in the 1960s by about 500 feet to 6000 feet. Another extension brought it to 6480 feet and sometime around 1980 was lengthened to its present length of 7500 feet. The crosswind runway was also renumbered from 14-32 to 15-33. An instrument landing system was added to runway 10 with medium intensity approach lighting with runway alignment indicator lights. Runway 15 was equipped with a medium intensity approach lighting system.

External links