ATOBTTR

US States left to go: Arkansas, North Dakota, Wisconsin, and Vermont, and if you don't count connecting in airports, Minnesota. But I'll be moving to Ohio from Texas soon and I've told my wife our route WILL go through Arkansas so I can cross off that state.

I've never left the airport but given the number of times I've connected in MSP, I've spent more total time on the ground in Minnesota than some other states you could say I've visited, including overnight visits. Utah/SLC was the same way but I finally drove through Utah when moving from Seattle down to Texas, leaving Minnesota as the only state I have by "cheating" in counting it because I've connected there but never left the airport. That said, my wife and I also have a goal to get to all 30 baseball parks for an MLB game so hopefully I can get to Milwaukee and Minneapolis sometime soon and truly cross off both states. Or sometime I just need to forgo the SkyClub on a long layover and take the light-rail down to Mall of America on an MSP layover and officially check-off Minnesota.

I have the goal of the alphabet thing with airport codes. I have Q, U, W, X, and Z left to go. N was difficult to get in the US but I've flown out of a couple US Navy bases and then finally got another N with NRT. Q and X will likely prove the most difficult to cross off - possibly U as well.

jrl767

XNA (Northwest Arkansas Regional) would be a 2-for-1

ATOBTTR

I forgot about XNA - maybe I need to buy some stock in Wal-Mart so I can fly in for the annual shareholders meeting.

jrl767

another 2fer would be XWA (Williston ND); WRG of course is in Alaska, but that doesn’t help your state quest

off the top of my head, I can’t think of any U.S. airports whose IATA code starts with Q, U, or Z that have scheduled service; you could get Q and Z in Mexico (QRO, ZIH) and U in the Caribbean (UVF)

IATA alpha list

ATOBTTR

XNA wouldn't either since I'll be getting that one by driving through in just over a month. But XNA would help for getting the "X" in the Airport-code by alphabet list.

Too bad someone decided the code Al Udeid had to be IUD instead of UID. Then I would have had "U" covered. I already had "I" covered when I went through Al Udeid. Same thing with Wright-Patt. If only it was "WPX" or WRI or something instead of FFO, since I've actually flown in/out of WPAFB on a C-17 (WRI actually belongs to McGuire AFB, which sits near Wrightstown, NJ).

For "U" it looks like one option within the US is Quincy, IL (UIN) which receives Cape Air EAS service to STL & ORD.

The Mexico ones are good to know for Q & Z - I figured my best shot of Z was probably Zurich, which even if I wasn't going to Zurich specifically. On my trips to Europe where I hop around, I look for options that get me new airlines and airports and I might consider Swissair via ZRH for an intra-Europe hop to get a new airline and airport.

jrl767

I've already got UIN (1976 on an Ozark FH-227B, ORD-BRL-UIN-STL) ; also UCA (Utica NY) a couple times on Mohawk/Allegheny (1972-76; it closed in 2007 and commercial operations relocated to the former Griffiss AFB)

ZRH and/or ZAG could easily fit into a European trip; Mrs767 still hasn't been to AR, so I guess XNA is still in the mix ... but I can't think of any reason to go to QRO save for logging a "Q" airport

DenverBrian

My nephew has most of us beat: He undertook a mission around age 16 to visit all 4,000 + COUNTIES in the US. Or parishes, or similar units depending on the state.

He's now 25 and still has a few dozen to go.

KT550

Just 48 visited for me which isn't too bad considering I don't live in the U.S.
I definitely haven't stayed overnight in all of them or flown to/from an airport there.

North Dakota and South Dakota to complete.

I did transit through Bismarck, ND back in 1984 on a Northwest 727 but as I didn't leave the airport, it doesn't count.
So, I need to visit ND first to ensure that SD is completely new.
I had hoped to finish them off last year but other events got in the way.

mecabq

A little farther away, but Koh Samui (USM) would be a good choice. One of the coolest small airports in the world too.

Q is a tough one. That's the only starting letter I haven't hit.

ATOBTTR

Koh Samui is definitely a place I'd like to visit too. We were looking at plane tickets there at one point a few years ago but ended up going somewhere else for several reasons. But a Koh Samui trip is still on the radar for getting to at some point.

Redheadpeter

So does it count if I slept overnight, ate dinner and breakfast - but never left the train?

kate lied

Coming from Ireland, I've been to MA, NY, NJ, PA, DE,MD, VA, NC, SC, GA, FL, TX, IL and DC.

TIGA31328

I have been to all 50 states and the DOC. I counted a state as one that I stood on the soil, so walked around on the land of that state. That’s not in an airport, but where you could touch the dirt and grass.

DoggyDaddy

I consider "feet on the ground" or "wheels on the ground" as visiting a state. I have been to about 45 of the States, including multiple visits to AK and HI in my 77 years. Will probably not get to the rest.

DD

AA Novice

All but Alaska. Had a trip planned last June but things happened.