ABQ Sunport
 

I plan on relocating to NM, possibly forever, after living on Long Island all my life. What's it like flying in and out of a small regional airport? I go to Europe about once a year, and accustomed to being 15 minutes from JFK. I am particularly interested in hooking up with Turkish Airlines to get me to Istanbul, etc. They have flights out of Denver and Houston, right?

The lower COL of living makes the r/t connecting airfare no big deal, but what's it like for the flyer trying to get to Istanbul and other points east from a regional airport?

ABQ is a bit more than a regional airport, so I don't think you'll have any major issues. IAH and DEN will probably end up being your international gateways, with ORD and LAX as backups depending on where you're headed.

Edit: Of the airports I mentioned above Turkish serves IAH, LAX, and ORD nonstop to IST, but not DEN according to FlightAware.

Thanks, Lost, I'm spoiled rotten being so close to a major hub. I read more than once that it's pretty easy flying west from ABQ, but east is a terrible hassle. JetBlue has a nonstop to JFK, but it's a redeye.

How bad is it really?

I'm trying to think of an airport I could compare it to but I don't fly much on the east coast. On the west coast I would say it'd be like a SMF or OAK or PDX (without the Intl service). Probably half the traffic is 737 type aircraft, the other half RJs. WN has a decent presence there.

I think you'll be pleasantly surprised as long as you're OK with connecting on longer trips (east coast or international).

Nearly all of JetBlue's transcons eastbound are red eyes. I believe that's how they started as an airline (hence the name)

According to Wikipedia (cause they're always right!) ABQ was the 57th busiest US airport in 2013, between JAX and ANC.

Here's the airport's Wikipedia page. It has a good overview: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albuque...tional_Sunport

It's a lovely airport, but security can be surprisingly crowded in the early mornings. It also has, in my experience (3 out of 3) the worst TSA staffers I've ever encountered.

It doesn't sound so bad, I guess. Part of being a successful traveler is learning how to adjust to new things, right?

I currently have access to LGA, too, JFK's tough ugly sister!

Must. Adjust.

ABQ sounds better by far than tiny Santa Fe airport that serves the state capital. It's cute, but...

Strange place, NM.

A couple of years ago I needed to get from Sandia Crest, NM up to Taos to rejoin my wife. My friends dropped me off at ABQ and I took a cheap shuttle van directly to the condo we'd rented, with a stop at Santa Fe.

It would've been fun to take the light rail line to Santa Fe, but the shuttle was a lot more practical. I had to remind myself that the driver obviously knew the road really well, and was just a interested as I was in not running off the winding road into the canyon we followed. I enjoyed watching bald eagles fly over that canyon.

On the east coast I'd say it's comparable to GSO or maybe RIC. No lounges at ABQ which is annoying but it's an easy flight to numerous gateways (IAH, DFW, PHX, LAX etc.) and a quick drive downtown.

The good news is that you're easy driving distance to some real beautiful areas...Taos, the Raton Area, Santa Fe etc. The desert is beautiful and for me at least who spent seven years in Phoenix, never gets old. I hope it's a great move for you ^

For a trip you do once a year it isnt that big of a deal living in ABQ. You just have other options to search for fares out of LAX, DEN, DFW, IAH, ORD, as well as JFK and others and you just travel on a sseparate ticket from ABQ.

As for the lower COL it depends on where. ABQ is a very cheap cost of living compared to NYC.

ABQ is on my short list of places to retire.

As of now---from ABQ you have direct nonstop service to most other cities in the western US. Its large enough you generally dont have to do 2 change planes to fly elsewhere in the country.

It is certainly on mine too:

• Wonderful food
• Nice climate with real seasons, but without (usually) the worst of any.
• Lower COL
• Easy proximity to either mountains or high desert wildnerss
• Easy proximity to Taos/Santa Fe.
• Good airline access.

The only thing I have noticed in the last 20 years is that the traffic has gotten really bad at certain times of the day. Otoh, "really bad" in Albuquerque is nothing like "really bad" in, say, the Bay Area.

TK does not serve Denver but flies into IAH, SFO, and LAX, all of which can be reached nonstop from ABQ. So you're essentially one stop from Istanbul, and indeed one stop from most of the rest of the world using other airlines via those cities, ORD, or DEN.

One of the pleasures of a smaller airport is rapid entry and exit. You may find that not having to deal with the snarls and delays around JFK more than compensate for the few extra hours of flying.

Very few people in the world live 15 minutes from a JFK or LHR, with nonstops flights to most of the globe... welcome to the way most of the rest of us do it. ;)

I too like ABQ by the way, and the whole area. I have a whole pantryful of Hatch chiles after my New Mexico indoctrination. Once you get into green chile stew, you never turn back.

ABQ has plenty of flights, though almost none after 10 pm. So if late night departures were part of your routine, that will be no more. Agree with the poster above that early am security lines can be quite long. And finally, there has been some turnover in airlines serving ABQ in the last few years. F9 left, but AS and B6 have started service for the first time. The latter does fly n/s to JFK (only 1x for now) if that would be useful to you.

And yes, far better than SAF, which has <10 commercial departures/day.

$3/day parking is nice too.

SAF is charming, though, if comparatively low-value -- a cool little Mission-style terminal building straight out of the 1930s. It looks as if it should have Ford Tri-Motors parked in front of it. Fun experience, but not much in the way of Plans B when cancellations or delays occur.

That's a break if you can leave your car in the lot for $3 a day. There's not much in the way of public transportation to the Sunport. I currently take the AirTrain/LIRR to save on whopper cab fees.

Do you know if the airport parking is secure? I heard there's lots of car theft in Albuquerque.

I'm back from ABQ, and have a couple of observations.

First, the public transportation to the airport is very good. There are two bus lines that go there frequently from the Alvarado transit center, and a ride costs a buck.

The Sunport is a very cute airport, uncrowded and easy to navigate. Aesthetically, it had a folksy western feel, and it was nicer than airports I'm accustomed to (JFK, LGA).

I had a moment of profound culture shock during my airport dropoff. When the driver stopped in front of the terminal, and it was just me and him there. A couple of empty cabs, no people, no traffic, nothing else. I asked where's the terminal? He said I was right in front of the main terminal.

Albuquerque's just so, SO different from NYC, LHR, IST, LAX and other cities I've flown to. I could not believe the solitude in front of the main terminal. This experience above all drove home the remoteness of Albuquerque.

Well, it's good that you made a trip to ABQ to see for yourself. New Mexico is, indeed, much different from what you're used to in New York. I lived in several major cities, including PHX for over 20 years. ABQ is a real pleasure to fly in and out.

Parking is available at several "off-airport" parking lots and they are secure. I park at the lot nearest the terminal, where AAA or any coupon pricing is $3 uncovered or $4 covered. I have never ever had to wait for the shuttle back to the lot, there is always a little bus waiting at the baggage claim curb.

Yes, there are security lines at times. I have Global Entry, even though I don't travel overseas but once a year. There is a GE interview station at the ABQ airport and ABQ's Pre-Check lane is never crowded.

Airfares are significantly better from ABQ than Santa Fe. Santa Fe's airport, as previously mentioned, is tiny and a throwback to early aviation days. I choose to drive to ABQ (1:45 from my house to the parking lot) rather than SAF (1:00 drive) for the more frequent schedules and better fares. Southwest, United, and American have good service to/from ABQ. Jet Blue flies non-stop to JFK, but it's a red-eye, the return flight has a better daylight schedule.

Flying from major airports is SUCH a hassle, I'm very glad to be able to use a low-key smaller terminal. You're right, when arriving at departures one can often be the only person on the sidewalk. To me that's fantastic. Living in New Mexico requires some attitude adjustments, life here is pretty laid back and slow. That suits me just fine.

This was my home airport for nearly 3 yrs & I couldn't agree more on the TSA there-one little smurfette in particular always seemed to be trying to start a fight.

Regardless, it's very easy in/out if you're living in the ABQ area & parking in the garage attached to the terminal is/was $10/day-hard to beat! Can't speak for most of the ground staff there, but the AA staff took VERY good care of me-I think I miss them the most, actually!!

In my experience, TSA staff have always been courteous and professional. This includes staff at the Sunport where I was given special security clearance for some reason. I flew to ABQ on AA using miles.

Where is the $3 a day parking lot? $10 doesn't sound so good. :confused:

Santa Fe looks like the coolest little airport ever, and I'd go there just to see it.

The $3/day is an off-site lot which requires a shuttle bus to/from the terminal.

$10/day in the garage attached to the terminal is a great deal compared to other airports that charge upwards of $25/day+ to park in their terminal garages.

I've lived in ABQ most of my life so I am very familiar with the Sunport. One of things I like most about it is how well located it is and how easy it is to get in and out of. I can get from my house to the gate in less than 30 minutes (with some help from pre-check).

Parking is $10/day in the structure immediately in front of the terminal and $7/day in the long term lot right next to it. That lot is nice because it's right next to baggage claim, but you don't have to drive through the airport to get to it. There are offsite lots that are even cheaper.

Obviously ABQ is not a hub, so generally the only flights available are to the major hubs of each particular carrier. WN is the exception and has the most destinations direct from ABQ, but ABQ definitely benefited from the Wright Amendment and now that it's gone WN has gotten rid of a few flights. UA also seems to have downsized its ABQ operations dramatically in the last year or so, we lost our non-stop to IAD and they're down to one a day to LAX and SFO. Of the legacies, AA probably has the best service with 8x/day to DFW it's pretty easy to get a good connection from there. They also serve ORD and LAX. US serves PHX, and AS serves SEA and both count for AA status/miles. DL has a few a day to SLC and ATL and seasonal service to MSP.

The airport itself is pretty distinctive with it's southwestern design, you definitely won't forget your out west when your here. There are no lounges, (which isn't too surprising since the only airline that ever really connects here is WN), but there is a very nice observation deck upstairs, between the two main concourses, which is free to access.

In general public transit to the airport isn't very good. You can get downtown pretty easily (if your flight happens to get in when the buses are running), but that's about it. To get there from my house is three buses and would take an hour vs 10-15 minutes driving.

While I do wish we had a few more direct flights, the time you save getting to the airport and getting airside vs somewhere like DEN almost makes up for needing to connect.

Also, while SAF is usually more expensive, I've seen some flights pop up where, due to the dark arts of airline revenue management, it is actually cheaper. It doesn't hurt to search both. It also makes me feel like we're finally a real city now that we can check *two* different airports in the area for the best flights.

Thanks for commenting. Which nearby hub would you consider the best? I'm figuring Chicago would be my go-to place as an international hub, and it's just 2 hours away.

Santa Fe looks cool, but I'd worry about delays and cancellations without alternative flights. When in ABQ, my flight to JFK via Dallas got canceled. We were rerouted to Chicago instead.

ABQ is a nice change of pace if you've traveled through LGA, the world's ugliest airport. It was done up beautifully and was great to pass through.

Probably DFW just due to the massive number of flights available and being a bit closer than ORD. ORD is actually more like 3 hours away, and all service is on RJs. DFW is only about 1:45 and is split between RJs and mainline service on S80s. Really it just comes down to the specific connection times/price.

I've never actually flown out of SAF, I've just started seeing come up when I search flights. They only got commercial service back there a few years ago. There are less flights, so it is riskier if one gets canceled. It's the same reason I try not to fly DL if I can avoid it. They only have 2-3 flights a day from ATL, so I worry about their ability to get me home if something goes wrong.

The $3/day parking that I use is called "Park & Shuttle," it's on Yale. Exit I-25 at Gibson East, drive east to Yale, turn right/south and look for the big orange arrow on the right/west side of the road. It's the last off-airport lot before the terminal.

Pricing is $3 uncovered or $4 covered parking with a coupon, military ID, or AAA card. $1 more without coupon or aforementioned ID. Using this lot is pleasant, the shuttle bus is always prompt and I've never had to wait either leaving or returning on a trip. Their website is http://www.parkandshuttle.com

Be aware that if you return to ABQ on an evening flight there is practically nothing still open inside the terminal, just the Hudson news shop. I landed at 9:35pm the other night and nothing was still open. I was glad I still had my stash of Clif bars after flying on Southwest from LGA-MDW-ABQ.

Just saw this thread, welcome to ABQ! I fly between ABQ and Europe, usually either GOT or CPH 2-3 times a year.

I find routing through DFW the most convenient. You land and depart without a second trip through security, which you will get in ORD. I also found returning through Phoenix a hassle, as customs was crowded and obnoxious, and security was very slow and disorganized.

As mentioned there are a few cheaper long term parking lots around the airport all with convenient shuttles day and night. Taxis from the airport can be hit or miss.

If you're only taking 1-2 international trips a year, the other 11 months of sunshine make the extra connection worth it!

You are so right, Hank (weren't you in Breaking Bad? ;) ). I already calculated that my property tax savings alone would pay for three economy trips to Europe or two first-class.

What's your experience flying east? I know there's a non-stop on Jet Blue to JFK, although it's a red-eye. Landing in NYC at night wouldn't be so horrible because I could hit the ground running, but how are the other eastbound flights?

Many airlines offer cheap fares leaving from Boston, D.C., etc.

I regularly fly east from ABQ
 

I take the Thursday night JetBlue ABQ-JFK redeye and it is almost always a full flight. I'm very happy to have it, but it's quite short for a redeye, perhaps 3.5 hours in the air, so not nearly enough time to catch a decent night's sleep. Departs ABQ at 11:41, arrives into JFK around 5:30 AM.

That said, it's the only non-stop back to NYC from ABQ, so I couldn't do without it.

Fully Concur. And I live 2.5 hr from ABQ in a VERY rural area. I like to tell folks the closest WalMart is 65 miles away.

Why does the ABQ Sunport call itself an "international" airport when it's anything but? I see it's serviced by a short list of airlines that fly domestically only.

It will be nice to get away from highly strung NY people, but I'm already slow enough about things.

Not mentioned earlier, but the Rio Grande Brew Pub and Grille airside at ABQ is pretty decent (for airports).

Not airport related, but in general, traffic isn't too bad in ABQ. The exception being Balloon Fiesta, in which case it can be a mess.

ABQ has a U S Customs Station that processes non-airline international flights.

Not too long ago, both F9 and AM had international flights from ABQ.

What's a non-airline international flight? What's F9? I assume AM is American Airlines (AA).

F9 is Frontier Airlines, AM is Aeromexico. A non-airline flight could be freight, chartered, or general aviation.

International airports are airports with customs and immigration services.

Thanks for decoding. I don't understand posts that are loaded with aviation code. Why is Frontier called F9?

I found another airport located at the West Mesa. Anyone know what this one is about? http://www.abqsunport.com/about-us/d...le-ii-airport/

The page you linked to says "Double Eagle II Airport (AEG) is an active general aviation facility...." General aviation is a broad category that covers every kind of fixed-wing flying that isn't scheduled. Maybe helicopters (i.e., non-fixed-wing) count, too. Student pilots, flight instructors, and owners of light planes tend to use mostly general-aviation airports.

I imagine Frontier ended up with F9 because all the more plausible two-letter codes beginning with F were already taken. The list I linked to does not include FT, though, which seems like it would fit.

FT is not currently in use, but it was used by Siem Reap Airways. The original Frontier airLines used FL, but when they returned after a long slumber, FL was taken by Air Tran (hq in FLorida) which now belongs to WN. :D Oops getting a bit OT.

Oh BTW, the link to FlyerTalk's very own glossary is at the bottom of the page. All the secret codes.

Airlines have two-letter codes assigned by the IATA. We use them here as shorthand. Many of the codes happen to match the airlines' names and thus seem like obvious abbreviations. For example, UA is United Airlines, AA is American Airlines, and BA is British Airways. On the not-obvious side F9 is Frontier, B6 is Jet Blue, and WN is Southwest, to name just a few.

Has anybody been thru ABQ lately?
Flying out 0700 Fri morning, wnated to know how the security process is going.

Thanks.

Came thru last Thurs @ around 6:50 am-very quick & efficient. Full PC open. No issues.