Valley International Airport
Encyclopedia
Valley International Airport is an airport located in northeast Harlingen
, Texas
, United States
. The airport has three runways and is also known as Rio Grande Valley International Airport. It is the second busiest commercial airport in the Rio Grande Valley in terms of passengers.
significantly flooded the original Harlingen civilian airport in 1967.
Harlingen, Texas
Harlingen is a city in Cameron County in the heart of the Rio Grande Valley of south Texas, United States, about from the coast of the Gulf of Mexico. The city covers more than , and is the second largest city in Cameron County and the sixth largest in the Rio Grande Valley...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The airport has three runways and is also known as Rio Grande Valley International Airport. It is the second busiest commercial airport in the Rio Grande Valley in terms of passengers.
Airlines and destinations
Top Destinations
| Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Houston-Hobby, TXWilliam P. Hobby Airport William P. Hobby Airport is a public airport in Houston, Texas, located from Downtown Houston. The airport covers and has four runways. Hobby Airport is Houston's oldest commercial airport and was the city's primary air terminal until the opening of Houston Intercontinental Airport in 1969... |
152,000 | Southwest |
| 2 | Houston-Intercontinental, TX 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... |
65,000 | Continental |
| 3 | Dallas-Love, TX |
37,000 | - |
| 4 | San Antonio, TX San Antonio International Airport San Antonio International Airport is a commercial airport in San Antonio, Texas, USA. The airport has three runways and covers . Its elevation is above sea level. SAT is a Class C airport.- Overview :... |
33,000 | Southwest |
| 5 | Austin, TX Austin-Bergstrom International Airport Austin-Bergstrom International Airport is a mixed-use commercial airport located southeast of the central business district of Austin, Texas, United States. It covers and has two runways and three helipads.The airport began passenger service on May 23, 1999... |
28,000 | Southwest |
| 6 |  Minneapolis, MNMinneapolis-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:... |
15,000 | Sun Country |
| 7 |  Chicago-Midway, IL |
7,000 | - |
| 8 |  Las Vegas, NVMcCarran 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... |
2,000 | - |
| 9 | Laughlin, NV |
1,000 | - |
| 10 |  Kansas City, MOKansas City International Airport Kansas City International Airport , originally named Mid-Continent International Airport, is a public airport located 15 miles northwest of the central business district of Kansas City, in Platte County, Missouri, United States. In 2008, 10,469,892 passengers used the airport... |
1,000 | - |
Airport Design
- The airport features seven gates, though only three are operational year-round (two by Southwest and one by Continental); an additional gate is operated seasonally by Sun Country Airlines.
- The airport is divided into two halves after security, right and left. Continental and Southwest dominate the right half, leaving the left half nearly abandoned and empty of concessions, especially when Sun Country is not providing passenger service. Continental previously had gates on the left half, though after American's departure, Continental took over American's Gate 7.
History
After the airport's closure by the military, it was turned over to the local government and the facilities were converted to civilian use as Valley International Airport after Hurricane BeulahHurricane Beulah
Hurricane Beulah was the second tropical storm, second hurricane, and only major hurricane during the 1967 Atlantic hurricane season. It tracked through the Caribbean, struck the Yucatán peninsula of Mexico as a major hurricane, and moved west-northwest into the Gulf of Mexico, briefly gaining...
significantly flooded the original Harlingen civilian airport in 1967.
Services
- Valley International Airport is the home of Cameron CountyCameron County, TexasCameron County is the southernmost county located in the U.S. state of Texas. In 2010, its population was 406,220. Its county seat is Brownsville. Cameron was founded in 1848...
's first StarbucksStarbucksStarbucks Corporation is an international coffee and coffeehouse chain based in Seattle, Washington. Starbucks is the largest coffeehouse company in the world, with 17,009 stores in 55 countries, including over 11,000 in the United States, over 1,000 in Canada, over 700 in the United Kingdom, and...
(operated by HMSHost), located in the main terminal prior to the security check-point. - The airport was among the first in the area to offer free Wi-FiWi-FiWi-Fi or Wifi, is a mechanism for wirelessly connecting electronic devices. A device enabled with Wi-Fi, such as a personal computer, video game console, smartphone, or digital audio player, can connect to the Internet via a wireless network access point. An access point has a range of about 20...
service. - Quizno's is located on the concourse, along with The Paradies Shops, PSAir Pub, and Tropics Cafe.
- A parking lot shuttle and a shuttle to South Padre Island are available.
Cargo
- ABX AirABX AirABX Air, Inc., formerly Airborne Express, is a cargo airline headquartered at Wilmington Air Park in unincorporated Clinton County, Ohio, United States, near the City of Wilmington. ABX Air operates scheduled, ad hoc charter and ACMI freight services. It also provides flight support services and...
(Dallas/Fort Worth) - FedExFedExFedEx Corporation , originally known as FDX Corporation, is a logistics services company, based in the United States with headquarters in Memphis, Tennessee...
- Continental Airlines Cargo
- DHLDHLDHL Express is a division of the German logistics company Deutsche Post providing international express mail services. DHL is a world market leader in sea and air mail....
- Southwest Airlines Cargo
- UPSUnited Parcel ServiceUnited Parcel Service, Inc. , typically referred to by the acronym UPS, is a package delivery company. Headquartered in Sandy Springs, Georgia, United States, UPS delivers more than 15 million packages a day to 6.1 million customers in more than 220 countries and territories around the...
Area Airports
- Brownsville/South Padre Island International AirportBrownsville/South Padre Island International Airport-Cargo:The airport is the largest air cargo handling airport in the Rio Grande Valley.Pan American Airways and World-Wide Consolidated Logistics, Inc. will open cargo service to Latin America in 2011. A TSA Certified Cargo Screening Facility is being established by World-Wide Consolidated...
(BRO) - Brownsville, Texas (20 miles) - McAllen-Miller International AirportMcAllen-Miller International AirportMcAllen-Miller International Airport is an airport in McAllen, Texas, United States, located south of the central business district. The airport has 2 runways and one terminal with 5 gates. According to the updated 20-year Master Plan for MFE, runway 13/31 will be extended to 10,000 ft. In...
(MFE) - McAllen, Texas (40 miles)