wahooflyer

Most of us will either drive, take a taxi, or use public transportation to get to the airport. But it is possible to walk to some airports. Have you ever walked from off airport grounds to the airport terminal?

The airport closest to where I live, Charlottesville (CHO) is walkable, though there are no sidewalks or street lights on the roads nearby. CHO is very expensive to get to, as there's no public transportation, and cabs to and from town cost over $30, with a $15 minimum even if you're coming from somewhere less than a mile from the airport. Parking costs $6 a day; it used to be free a few years ago. So on longer trips out of CHO, if I can't bum a ride from someone, and my flights arrive and depart during daylight hours, I'll park for free half a mile away on Deerwood Drive and walk either on the grass or on the shoulder of Airport Road to get to the terminal.

I've also walked out of LAX, to the In-N-Out Burger, on a particularly warm winter day recently---just to enjoy the change in weather from cold Virginia. It's easy to walk out of LAX; from the baggage claim level of Terminal 1, just follow the sidewalks out toward Century and Sepulveda Boulevards. Few people walk in LA, so you may get a few weird looks, but it's a strangely pleasant experience to walk near LAX.

CHO and LAX are the only airports I've ever attempted walking to or from. I'd like to walk to DCA, as it's in an urban area (Crystal City) near many office and apartment towers, but I don't think there are any sidewalks leading to the airport---just vehicle access ramps.

Any other easily walkable airports in the world?

craz

LGA, i do it all the time as I park my car on a regular street, that way avoiding the $20 parking rates at the lots in the area outside of the airport. Then its a 10-15 min walk to the AA terminal. All I have to do is walk over the overpass ( over the Grand Central Pway) and yes there are sidewalks, i usually see airport workers doing the same, and down a pathway cross-over a street level airport road and Im in the term.
This is a residential area as well as a few hotels. Most other airports (older) dont have the homes so close,usually hotels and commercial only.

Orion

I like to walk to and from airports. At Abq I can easily walk to the Wyndham Hotel. I have walked to some of the closer Century Blvd. hotels from Lax. At Dca the Mount Vernon hiking/bicycle trail travels on the airport property and I have walked home on it. I see the occasional airline employee walking to Old Town Alexandria. You can intercept it at the north end of the terminal complex just past the U.S. Airways hangers or at the south end across from the entrance to the economy parking lot.

wahooflyer

Do the streets near LGA have any alternate-side parking restrictions?

I figured LGA was walkable, as I've seen that overpass you're referring to many times.

restlessinRNO

The RNO airport is right in the middle of town. I'm a 45 minute walk from the airport - many homes are closer. Parking at the airport is $10 a day, so on a nice summer day I've walked to the airport, if I only have carry-on.

PDX-RDM-AVL-TPA

DCA (Washington National) is walkable, there are sidewalks or paths connecting at both ends of the Airport. I've walked to/from both ends. In May 2004, I rode the Metro to the Airport with my wife to drop her off for an early Saturday morning flight back to TPA. For various reasons, I was on a later flight from DCA to TPA. So I rode metro with her, wearing running shoes and exercise clothes. After leaving her at security, I went out the north end of the Airport, and found my way to a little sidewalk that took me to the Mt. Vernon Trail, one of the many shared use paths in the area. I ran the trail back to one of the bridges, across the river to the Jefferson Memorial, Across the mall, paused at the new WWII memorial, and back to our bed and breakfast. Later I took the Metro to the Airport for my flight.

Then this past January, I had to be in Crystal City for a conference. I landed at DCA, and asked the guy at the information desk how to walk to CC. I was thinking that the north end would be the best bet, but he told me to go to the south end. It's not signed very well, but the thing to do is to go down to the original old terminal building, then follow the sidewalk along the south edge of the roadway, or slightly further north there is a pathway that leads under (?) one of the access roadways and this takes you off the airport and across a bridge into Crystal City. I walked to a Chipotle burrito restaurant, grabbed a burrito, then continued to my meeting at the Hilton, dragging my rollerboard carryon all the way. Later I found out that you can access Crystal City from the north end of the airport. The same path I found last May can be used to access an underpass that takes you toward the north end of CC. This is less direct (neither option is especially direct considering CC is literally right there).

There are a lot of small regional airports that are somewhat walkable and bikeable. I've never walked to it, but Madison, Wisconsin (MSN) would be fairly easy from some nearby neighborhoods - a colleague of mine routinely bikes there. Redmond, Oregon (RDM) and Asheville, NC (AVL) are both walkable or bikeable, but there are not great sidewalks, and not much that is near enough to walk from. Burlington, VT might be perhaps the best example that I can think of. There are residences literally right across the street from the airport entrance.

Portland, Oregon is quite bikeable if you access the airport from 82nd Avenue, but not so walkable though I think it is possible. I think it is possible to walk to LaGuardia Airport in New York, but not very convenient.

NM

I've only walked from Airport Hotels, like LHR's Hilton near Terminal 4, MEL's Hilton Hotel etc.

toryvict

I've walked to ANC and CPT. I was a student at the time, and didn't want to pay for a cab. So I took public transportation to as close to the airport as I can, and walked the remaining 1/2 hr or so. The walk to CPT was especially gruelling, as I had a 20kg backpack. But after 3 months in Africa, I felt I can handle anything!

I've also biked to YVR.

craz

wahooflyer,
Yes there is alternate-side parking. In as much as I usually fly out Sun morn and back Thurs night. I simply park where theres no parking on Fri. Never had a problem finding a spot sometimes real lucky and right in front of the Clarion Hotel, others up on 94th or a side street in front of someones house. And the $100 saved in parking fees amounts to a few grand Ive saved over the years.

magexpect

I have not done it in a long time except for CDG, but then I was forced to, because of a strike:5-6 miles from a stranded taxi to the terminal, together with about a thousand other passengers. Avery interesting experience.

Geneva and Zürich are easily accessible on foot but there is no reason to do it any more unless one resides very close by. Oslo, once as I had lost my wallet on the plane and had to get to my hotel somehow. It was a very pleasant walk in the evening, partly along the sea into town.

Nice airport quite often during the Cannes festival as the roads were hopelessly congested.

roundtheworld

Does Cycling count... a friend of mine had trouble after he showed off his personal sponsor during the awards ceremony at the Triathlon World Campionship in Nice. After that he decided to check out of the hotel and stay some place else. The next morning he was not let on the team bus, so he and I decided to cycle to the airport (20-25 miles) with our bags on the back.

We were there first, and I was already a SEN we were able to spend the time in the lounge while the others had to sit in the terminal..

Reindeerflame

About 10 years ago, I took Amtrak from Washington DC to West Palm Beach, spent a few hours in town (luggage in locker at train station), and then walked with my luggage into the airport. It wasn't very far, perhaps 1/2 mile, and I remember walking through a parking exit gate booth area into the airport.

I also flew from Springfield, IL to Chicago Meigs Field once and walked to the Midland Hotel.

stut

I used to walk to LCY when I got the train to the horrible little 'Silvertown and London City Airport' station (now just 'Silvertown', presumably because too many people were getting mugged on the way between the two). Not the nicest part of town.

CNS was walkable too, I seem to remember. Mind you, I was a skint backpacker then.

In Greenland, too, I think I walked to and from pretty much all the airports I used there. SFJ, JAV, JEG, JCH, UMD...

hoyateach

I used to live in an apt. building half a block from that Chipotle and worked a summer at the DCA Waldenbooks (summer of 2001, if any of you remember a bookseller with a dark beard and ready smile ) and I used to walk it all the time. About 20 minutes from the airport to the hotel district on Jeff Davis Hwy if you don't get lost, maybe 30-40 total depending on your hotel.

krug

San Diego is an easily walkable half hour journey from the center of the Gaslamp area - lots of sidewalks and plenty of marines and marinesses out jogging to keep one entertained!