IMPORTANT! As of April 2011, I am no longer maintaining this list. Please refer to the board's master list and reports from sites like tsastatus.net for the airports that you intend to use. This list should still have archival value as a list of nearby airports for major metro areas. Mods are welcome to reassign ownership of this post if somebody else is interested in maintaining it.
This is a community-built list of body scanner-free, alternative airports for major metropolitan areas. For a full list of airports with scanners, see the
FT list (some jargon) and the
tsa.gov list (may be incomplete).
The list is a work-in-progress. Feel free to build upon it by posting your comments on this thread. I'll update this master post weekly. This list incorporates comments up to post #59.
UNOFFICIAL GUIDE TO BODY SCANNER FREE ALTERNATIVES
1. General Disclaimers
- IMPORTANT! Using this list can not guarantee that you're 100% safe from an "enhanced" pat-down. If you alarm the metal detector, get pre-selected, or look funny at a TSA screener, you could still get one. The only way to be 100% safe from this nonsense is not to fly. All users are liable for their own actions taken as a result of reading this post. While I'm on your side, I can't guarantee accuracy; after all, this is a community effort. Don't sue FlyerTalk. Don't sue the Louse.
- Also Important! More and more airports continue to receive body scanners. Keep this in mind if booking flights 3+ months out. Expect busier airports to receive the scanners first.
- Major metro areas are listed alphabetically. If you live within range of multiple areas, check both entries.
- Definitely check the detailed NoS list on FlyerTalk because, at some airports, you can avoid a scanner simply by choosing the right checkpoint. This may entail flying certain carriers that fly out of said checkpoints.
- Don't forget to account for both your arrival and departure cities, unless you're flying one way!
- Drive times are from the airport listed for each metro area, or the underlined airport for multi-airport cities. Your drive time may be significantly shorter or longer.
- Most airports listed as "limited service" will fly commuter aircraft to an airline's hub. Just be aware if you're used to nonstops on big planes. Personally, I enjoy the relaxed feel of smaller stations.
2. Alphabetical List of Top ? Metro Areas
Atlanta area (ATL):
- Birmingham (
BHM), 2 hrs west
- Columbus, GA (CSG), 2 hrs, limited? DL, AA
- Augusta (
AGS), 2.5-3 hrs east; DL, US, limited AA
- Chattanooga, TN (
CHA), 2-2.5 hrs north; DL, US, limited AA
Boston area (BOS):
- Manchester (
MHT), 1-2 hrs NW. Bus available from South Station.
- Portland (
PWM), 2-3 hrs NE. Bus from South Station, Amtrak from North Station plus short taxi.
Charlotte area (CLT):
- Columbia, SC (
CAE), 2 hrs south
- Greensboro High Point (
GSO), 2 hrs SW
- Greenville, SC (
GSP), 1.5 hrs SW
- Asheville (
AVL), 2 hrs west; US, DL, CO, limited UA & AirTran
Chicago area (ORD, MDW):
- Madison, WI (
MSN), 2-2.5 hr NW; hub service for AA, DL, UA, Midwest, Frontier
- South Bend, IN (
SBN), 2-2.5 hrs east,
South Shore rail line at airport; limited DL, CO, UA hub service
- Kalamazoo, MI (
AZO), 3 hrs east; limited AA, DL, DirectAir only
- Bloomington-Normal (
BMI), 2.5 hrs SW; limited AA, DL, AirTran hub service
- Moline (
MLI), 3 hrs west; limited AirTran, Allegiant, AA, DL, UA
- Peoria (
PIA), 3 hrs SW; limited AA, DL, UA, Allegiant hub service
- Champaign (
CMI), 3 hrs south; limited AA only
- Rockford (
RFD), 90 mins west;
extremely limited service—no major carriers
- Amtrak national hub at Chicago Union Station
Cincinnati area (CVG):
- Louisville, KY (
SDF), 2 hrs SW
- Lexington, KY (
LEX), 1.5 hrs south; many airlines but fewer flights than SDF
Cleveland area (CLE):
- Akron/Canton (
CAK), 1 hr SE; decent AirTran, DL, UA, US, Frontier service
Dallas/Fort Worth area (DFW, DAL):
- Dallas Love Field (
DAL), 30 mins east, near downtown Dallas; Southwest hub; limited AA, CO, DL service to hubs.
- Tyler (
TYR), 2 hrs SE; limited AA, CO hub service
- Waco (
ACT); 2-2.5 hrs south; limited AA, CO hub service
- Longview (
GGG), 3 hrs east; limited AA to DFW only
- Abilene (
ABI), 3 hrs west; limited AA to DFW only
Detroit area (DTW):
- Flint (
FNT), 1.5 hrs north, limited DL, CO, AA, Frontier, AirTran
- Lansing (
LAN), 1.5-2 hrs NW, limited DL, UA, Sun Country service
Denver area (DEN):
- Colorado Springs (
COS), 2-2.5 hrs south / less from downtown;
Houston area (IAH, HOU):
- Bryan/College Station (
CLL)
- Beaumont / SE Texas (
BPT)
- Victoria (
VCT)
- Lake Charles (
LCH)
Jacksonville area (JAX):
- Brunswick, GA (
BQK), 1 hr north; very limited DL service to ATL
- Gainesville (
GNV), 1.5 hrs SW; DL service, also limited US & AA
Kansas City area (MCI):
- Springfield, MO (
SGF), 3+ hrs SE; AA, DL, UA, Allegiant
- Wichita, KS (
ICT), 3.5 hrs SW; many carriers with limited service
- Columbia, MO (
COU), 2.5-3 hrs east; very limited DL service
Las Vegas area (LAS):
- St George, UT (
SGU), 2 hrs NE; limited DL only
Los Angeles area (LAX):
- Burbank (
BUR), 1-1.5 hr north,
Metrolink/Amtrak station at airport
- Orange County (
SNA), 60-90 mins SE
- Long Beach (
LGB), 30-45 mins SE
Miami area (MIA):
- Fort Myers (
RSW), 2.5 hrs NW
- Key West (
EYW), 3+ hrs SW; limited AA, CO, Cape Air, DL, AirTran, US
Minneapolis & St. Paul (MSP)
- Rochester (
RST), 90 mins south; limited AA, DL service
- Chippewa Valley / Eau Claire (
EAU), <2 hrs east; very limited UA service only
New Orleans area (MSY):
- Baton Rouge (
BTR), 1.5 hrs NW; service on AA, CO, DL, US
- Lafayette (
LFT), 2 hrs west; service on AA, CO, DL
New York City area (LGA, JFK, EWR):
- Islip (ISP), 1-2 hrs east,
LIRR to Ronkonkoma +
connecting shuttle or taxi
- Westchester County (
HPN), 1 hr north;
public transit options
- Stewart-Newburgh (
SWF), 1.5+ hrs north;
public transportation options
- New Haven (
HVN), 2 hrs NE; limited US service only
- Amtrak (Metropark, Newark Airport, Newark, NY Penn Station, New Rochelle, Stamford, New Haven)
Orlando area (MCO):
- Daytona Beach (
DAB), 1-1.5 hr N; limited hub service on DL, US, Airgate
- Gainesville (
GNV), 2+ hr NW; DL service, limited AA & US
- Amtrak
Auto Train from Sanford (<1 hr north) to Lorton/DC daily, bring car on train
- Amtrak overnight service to Charlotte, Raleigh, Richmond, DC-NY; twice daily, inconsistent onboard service
Philadelphia area (PHL):
- Allentown (
ABE), 1-2 hrs north
- Atlantic City (
ACY), 1-1.5 hrs SE; Spirit hub, very limited AirTran, no others
- Amtrak (PHL)
Phoenix area (PHX):
- Tucson (
TUS), 1.5-2 hrs SE
Pittsburgh area (PIT):
[placeholder]
Portland area (PDX):
- Portland (PDX) itself --
WARNING, SCOPES ARRIVING IN 2011
- Portland (PDX) business terminal: Seaport Air to BFI, PDT, AST, ONP —
no TSA
Raleigh/Durham area (RDU):
- Greensboro High Point (
GSO) = 1.5 hours west
- Fayetteville (
FAY), 1.5 hours south; decent AA, DL, US service
- New Bern (
EWN), 2.5 hrs SE; limited DL, US service
Sacramento area (SMF):
- Reno/Tahoe (
RNO), 2.5 hrs NE, beware winter weather
St Louis area (STL):
- Springfield, IL (
SPI), 2 hrs NE; very limited AA, UA service
- Columbia, MO (
COU), 2 hrs west; very limited DL service
- Bloomington-Normal (
BMI), 3 hrs NE; limited AA, DL, AirTran hub service
- Springfield, MO (
SGF), 4 hrs SW—a bit far; AA, DL, UA, Allegiant
San Antonio area (SAT):
- Austin (
AUS), 1.5 hrs NE.
Warning: scanners likely in 2011
San Diego area (SAN):
- Carlsbad (
CLD), 45-75 mins north; very limited UA service
- Orange County (
SNA), 1.5-2 hrs north
San Francisco area (SFO, OAK):
- Santa Rosa (
STS), 1.5-2+ hrs north, Horizon Air only
- Monterey (
MRY), 2 hrs south; limited AA, UA, US, Allegient service
Seattle area (SEA):
- Bellingham (
BLI), 2-3 hrs north,
shuttle available; limited Allegiant, AS/Horizon service
- Wenatchee (
EAT), 3 hrs east, very limited Horizon service
- Yakima (
YKM), 3 hrs SE, very limited Horizon service
- Boeing Field (BFI), 10 min south of d/t Seattle, frequent service on
Seaport Air b/w PDX —
no TSA
- Amtrak from King St Station: multi to Portland; daily to MSP & Chicago (2 nights); daily to Oakland & LA (1 night, unreliable)
Tampa/St. Petersburg area (TPA):
- Fort Myers (
RSW), 2.5 hrs south
Washington DC area (DCA, IAD, BWI):
- Charlottesville (
CHO), 2.5-3.5 hrs south; limited DL, UA, US service
- Amtrak (Baltimore, BWI, New Carrollton, DC Union Station, Alexandria)
3. Overview of Medium/Long-Distance Train Service
Amtrak's web site has a great deal of detail on rail travel. Also visit the
Amtrak forum on FlyerTalk. A short summary follows.
There are four general types of Amtrak trains.
1.
Corridor trains serve short-distance markets with multiple departures daily. These routes are generally too short to compare with air travel but offer connections to the service below.
2. The
Northeast Corridor has frequent service along the route Richmond, VA - DC - Baltimore - Philadelphia - New York City - New Haven - Providence, RI - Boston. Hourly service is available DC-NY, every 1-3 hours on the edges.
Acela Express trains also serve DC-Boston and are Amtrak's premier business train. Less frequent service from the corridor is available to upstate NY (Albany, Rochester, Syracuse, Buffalo, Niagara Falls); Hartford & Springfield; much of Vermont; Charlottesville and Lynchburg, VA; and Newport News and Williamsburg, VA.
3.
Superliner long-distance trains can be an interesting alternative to flying. Many overnight trains offer hot meals in a dining car, sleepers with showers and lie-flat seats in private compartments, a panoramic lounge, and coach seats with ~4 feet of pitch. The following routes have "Superliner" double-decker equipment and operate once daily:
- Chicago - Omaha - Denver - Salt Lake City - Reno - Sacramento - Oakland (2 nights, scenic)
- Chicago - Kansas City - Albuquerque - Flagstaff - LA (2 nights)
- Chicago - Milwaukee - Minneapolis/St Paul - Glacier Park - Spokane - Seattle or Portland (2 nights, scenic)
- Seattle - Portland - Sacramento - Oakland - San Jose - San Luis Obispo - Santa Barbara - LA (1 night+, scenic)
- Chicago - St Louis - Little Rock - Dallas - Fort Worth - Austin - San Antonio (1 night+)
- Chicago - Memphis - New Orleans (1 night)
- Chicago - Toledo - Pittsburgh - DC (1 night)
- Lorton, VA (south of DC) - Sanford, FL (north of Orlando); "Auto Train", car required, 1 night
4.
Single-level long-distance trains offer similar amenities to the above, but feel a bit more confined overall and have no panoramic lounge. Single-level overnight service is available daily on these routes:
- Chicago - Toledo - Buffalo - Rochester - Syracuse - Albany - New York or Boston (1 night)
- New York - Philadelphia - Baltimore - DC - Richmond - Raleigh - Savannah - Jacksonville - Tampa - Orlando - West Palm Beach - Ft Lauderdale - Miami (1 night; actually 2 trains with slightly different routes)
- New York - Philadelphia - Baltimore - DC - Charlottesville - Charlotte - Atlanta - Birmingham - New Orleans (1 night)
Routes offering less-than-daily service are omitted.
Amtrak's downtown Chicago hub offers connections between most long-distance trains. A number of corridor routes originate at Chicago.
PDX not good alterate airport
