The Eastern Iowa Airport
Encyclopedia
The Eastern Iowa Airport is a commercial airport
in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
, in the United States
. The airport serves Cedar Rapids, Iowa City
, and other communities in eastern Iowa
. It is located along Wright Brothers
Boulevard on the southern edge of Cedar Rapids, about two miles (3.2 kilometers) west of Interstate 380
.
s. MD-80 jet service is provided by Allegiant Air
; American
, Delta
and United
use all regional jet
s to their hubs from the Eastern Iowa Airport. The airport is served by five airlines with non-stop flights to eleven destinations. The airport is mid-sized, with 13 gates; Six gates on the upper concourse (C) are equipped with jet bridge boarding and Gates B1-B7 are ground level boarding areas.
In the pre-security area, there is the Sam Adams
Brewhouse with a full-service menu or grab-n-go items including Pizza Hut
Express. There is also a gift shop
, and a locally-owned coffee shop, Blue Strawberry located with the Corridor Concierge, also referred to as the information center where visitors can ask questions about the airport or receive tourist-related information. A small exhibit on the airport's history is also near check-in.
Usually, the longest a passenger has to wait in the security line is five minutes. However, at busier times of the year like the holidays and spring break, as well as the early morning bank of flights outbound to the hubs between 5-8 AM, lines can be longer. Upstairs on the concourse, or past the security checkpoint, is the Millstream Brewhaus, which features beer made at the Millstream Brewery
in the Amana Colonies
. Cedar Landing News & Coffee is located on the concourse where gifts, coffee, and other items are sold.
For arriving passengers, this airport's small size provides a short walk to the baggage claim area. Also, there are several national rental car company counters, and a courtesy shuttle counter in this area.
On 25 August 2009, The Eastern Iowa Airport reduced its number of destinations to nine. Delta
ended all regularly scheduled service to Atlanta and Cincinnati
on 18 August 2009. Service is now routed through its Detroit
and Minneapolis
hubs; however, Delta
announced April 25, 2011 that service will return to Atlanta on August 16, 2011, and beginning next summer, 2012, Delta
will have 3 daily flights to Atlanta . Delta
will also serve Memphis
from June 9 through August 15, 2011. Meanwhile, the airport's St. Louis
service ended after 52 years when American
stopped flying between the two cities on 25 August 2009.http://gazette.serramedia.com/content/cedar-rapids-airport-losing-three-non-stop-destinations
, but it was inoperable during bad weather. This led to the need for a new airport.
The Cedar Rapids Municipal Airport was completed with military funding in 1944 but was not officially dedicated until April 27, 1947. The Cedar Rapids Parks Department operated the airport until a new Airport Commission was established in 1945; Donald Hines, who led the effort to build the airport, was the commission's director until he retired in 1973 (he died in 1975). Scheduled east-west passenger service from United Airlines
began in 1947, and north-south passenger service from Ozark Airlines began in 1957. By 1969, the airport handled 31 commercial flights per day and recorded 353,000 passengers a year.
The present terminal was dedicated in 1986 with a ceremony that U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elizabeth Dole
attended. The Cedar Rapids Airport was renamed The Eastern Iowa Airport in 1997 in order to reflect its status as a regional airport. In 2000 the airport enplaned and deplaned one million passengers for the first time in its history; it set a record in 2005 with 1,004,434 passengers. http://www.crairport.org/news/releases/1_23_06.shtml
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
in Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids, Iowa
Cedar Rapids is the second largest city in Iowa and is the county seat of Linn County. The city lies on both banks of the Cedar River, north of Iowa City and east of Des Moines, the state's capital and largest city...
, in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The airport serves Cedar Rapids, Iowa City
Iowa City, Iowa
Iowa City is a city in Johnson County, State of Iowa. As of the 2010 Census, the city had a total population of about 67,862, making it the sixth-largest city in the state. Iowa City is the county seat of Johnson County and home to the University of Iowa...
, and other communities in eastern Iowa
Iowa
Iowa is a state located in the Midwestern United States, an area often referred to as the "American Heartland". It derives its name from the Ioway people, one of the many American Indian tribes that occupied the state at the time of European exploration. Iowa was a part of the French colony of New...
. It is located along Wright Brothers
Wright brothers
The Wright brothers, Orville and Wilbur , were two Americans credited with inventing and building the world's first successful airplane and making the first controlled, powered and sustained heavier-than-air human flight, on December 17, 1903...
Boulevard on the southern edge of Cedar Rapids, about two miles (3.2 kilometers) west of Interstate 380
Interstate 380 (Iowa)
Interstate 380 is a auxiliary Interstate Highway located in eastern Iowa. The route extends from Interstate 80 near Coralville to Waterloo. I-380 connects the cities of Cedar Rapids and Waterloo, the second- and fifth-largest cities in the state, respectively, to the Interstate Highway System. ...
.
Passenger experience
This airport is served almost entirely by regional jetRegional 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...
s. MD-80 jet service is provided by 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...
; American
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...
, Delta
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...
and United
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...
use all 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...
s to their hubs from the Eastern Iowa Airport. The airport is served by five airlines with non-stop flights to eleven destinations. The airport is mid-sized, with 13 gates; Six gates on the upper concourse (C) are equipped with jet bridge boarding and Gates B1-B7 are ground level boarding areas.
In the pre-security area, there is the Sam Adams
Samuel Adams (beer)
Samuel Adams is an American brand of beer brewed by the Boston Beer Company and its associated contract brewers. The company was founded in 1984 by Jim Koch, Harry M. Rubin, and Lorenzo Lamadrid in Boston, Massachusetts, USA...
Brewhouse with a full-service menu or grab-n-go items including Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut
Pizza Hut is an American restaurant chain and international franchise that offers different styles of pizza along with side dishes including pasta, buffalo wings, breadsticks, and garlic bread....
Express. There is also a gift shop
Gift shop
A gift shop is a store primarily selling souvenirs relating to a particular topic or theme. The items sold often include coffee mugs, stuffed animals, t-shirts, postcards, handmade collections and other souvenirs....
, and a locally-owned coffee shop, Blue Strawberry located with the Corridor Concierge, also referred to as the information center where visitors can ask questions about the airport or receive tourist-related information. A small exhibit on the airport's history is also near check-in.
Usually, the longest a passenger has to wait in the security line is five minutes. However, at busier times of the year like the holidays and spring break, as well as the early morning bank of flights outbound to the hubs between 5-8 AM, lines can be longer. Upstairs on the concourse, or past the security checkpoint, is the Millstream Brewhaus, which features beer made at the Millstream Brewery
Millstream Brewing
Millstream Brewing is a small American brewery founded in 1985 by Carroll F. Zuber and brothers James Roemig and Dennis Roemig in Amana Colonies Iowa.-History:...
in the Amana Colonies
Amana Colonies
The Amana Colonies are a group of settlements of radical German Pietists in Iowa, USA, comprising seven villages. Calling themselves the Ebenezer Society or the Community of True Inspiration , they first settled in New York state near Buffalo in what is now the Town of West Seneca...
. Cedar Landing News & Coffee is located on the concourse where gifts, coffee, and other items are sold.
For arriving passengers, this airport's small size provides a short walk to the baggage claim area. Also, there are several national rental car company counters, and a courtesy shuttle counter in this area.
On 25 August 2009, The Eastern Iowa Airport reduced its number of destinations to nine. Delta
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...
ended all regularly scheduled service to Atlanta and Cincinnati
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...
on 18 August 2009. Service is now routed through its Detroit
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....
and Minneapolis
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:...
hubs; however, Delta
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...
announced April 25, 2011 that service will return to Atlanta on August 16, 2011, and beginning next summer, 2012, Delta
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...
will have 3 daily flights to Atlanta . Delta
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...
will also serve 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....
from June 9 through August 15, 2011. Meanwhile, the airport's St. Louis
Lambert-St. Louis International Airport
Lambert-St. Louis International Airport is a Class B international airport serving Greater St. Louis. It is located approximately northwest of downtown St. Louis in unincorporated St. Louis County between Berkeley and Bridgeton. It is the largest and busiest airport in the state with 250 daily...
service ended after 52 years when American
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...
stopped flying between the two cities on 25 August 2009.http://gazette.serramedia.com/content/cedar-rapids-airport-losing-three-non-stop-destinations
Runway reconstruction
On 3 June 2010, The Eastern Iowa Airport closed Runway 9/27 for reconstruction. The closure lasted until 23 September 2010 when the runway reopened. A temporary runway had been set up parallel to the closed runway. Beginning 3 July 2010 and lasting for 4 weeks, Runway 13/31 was also closed as they reconstructed the intersection with Runway 9/27. http://www.kcrg.com/news/local/95460539.htmlHistory
Cedar Rapids' first airport was Hunter Field, a private airport established by Dan Hunter in the 1920s. It was located along Bowling Street SW north of U.S. Highway 30. The airport was originally used for private charter service, pilot training, and airmailAirmail
Airmail is mail that is transported by aircraft. It typically arrives more quickly than surface mail, and usually costs more to send...
, but it was inoperable during bad weather. This led to the need for a new airport.
The Cedar Rapids Municipal Airport was completed with military funding in 1944 but was not officially dedicated until April 27, 1947. The Cedar Rapids Parks Department operated the airport until a new Airport Commission was established in 1945; Donald Hines, who led the effort to build the airport, was the commission's director until he retired in 1973 (he died in 1975). Scheduled east-west passenger service from 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...
began in 1947, and north-south passenger service from Ozark Airlines began in 1957. By 1969, the airport handled 31 commercial flights per day and recorded 353,000 passengers a year.
The present terminal was dedicated in 1986 with a ceremony that U.S. Secretary of Transportation Elizabeth Dole
Elizabeth Dole
Mary Elizabeth Alexander Hanford "Liddy" Dole is an American politician who served in both the Ronald Reagan and George H. W. Bush presidential administrations, as well as a United States Senator....
attended. The Cedar Rapids Airport was renamed The Eastern Iowa Airport in 1997 in order to reflect its status as a regional airport. In 2000 the airport enplaned and deplaned one million passengers for the first time in its history; it set a record in 2005 with 1,004,434 passengers. http://www.crairport.org/news/releases/1_23_06.shtml
Airlines and destinations
Eastern Iowa Airport consists of two passenger concourses: Concourse B with gates B1 - B7, and Concourse C with gates C1 - C6.Top destinations
| Rank | City | Passengers | Carriers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 |  Chicago, ILO'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... |
188,968 | American, United |
| 2 |  Dallas-Fort Worth, TX |
91,416 | American |
| 3 |  Denver, CODenver 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... |
71,552 | United |
| 4 |  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:... |
70,200 | Delta |
| 5 |  Detroit, MIDetroit 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.... |
59,800 | Delta |
| 6 | Houston, 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... |
33,800 | Continental |
| 7 |  Mesa, AZ |
24,000 | Allegiant |
| 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... |
20,400 | Allegiant |
| 9 |  Atlanta, GAHartsfield-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... |
18,200 | Delta |
| 10 |  Orlando, FL |
14,400 | Allegiant |
Cargo airlines
Airport management
- Tim Bradshaw : A.A.E., Airport Director
- Donald D. Swanson : Director of Finance & Administration
- Sara Mau : A.A.E., Director of Operations
- Pam Hinman : Director of Marketing & Communications
- Kathleen A. Bell : Deputy Director of Finance & Administration
Accidents and incidents
July 11, 1975. Grumman G-159 Gulfstream I took off from cedar rapids to Dallas-Addison Airport in Dallas, Texas. The aircraft encountered heavy rain on short final, and attempted a go around. The plane crashed on the runway on its second attempt to land. Probable cause was wind shear or sudden windshift. All Occupants survived.External links
- The Eastern Iowa Airport (official site)