Buffalo Niagara International Airport

For an airport with a similar name, see Niagara Falls International Airport.

Buffalo Niagara International Airport
IATA: BUF – ICAO: KBUF – FAA LID: BUF BUF Location of the Buffalo Niagara International Airport
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner/Operator		Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority
Serves		Erie County
Location		4200 Genesee Street Town of Cheektowaga
Elevation AMSL		728 ft / 222 m
Coordinates		42°56′26″N 078°43′56″W
Website		www.buffaloairport.com
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
5/23	8,829	2,691	Asphalt
14/32	7,161	2,183	Asphalt
Statistics (2010)
Aircraft operations			136,574
Passengers			5,203,104
Sources: Federal Aviation Administration, Airports Council International

KBUF Airport Diagram

Buffalo Niagara International Airport (IATA: BUF, ICAO: KBUF, FAA LID: BUF) is an airport located in Cheektowaga,New York, United States. It is named after the Buffalo – Niagara Falls metropolitan area. The airport serves Buffalo, New York as well as Southern Ontario, Canada. It is the busiest airport in Upstate New York, and the third busiest in New York State by number of enplanements, after New York City's LaGuardia Airport and John F. Kennedy International Airport.

History

West terminal in 1974

The Buffalo Municipal Airport (as it was then known) opened in 1926 on former farmland, making it one of the oldest public airports in the country. The first passenger and airmail service began in 1927, with service to Cleveland. A WPA-built Art Deco terminal building featuring a v-shaped terminal with a large cylindrical tower began construction in 1938, and was completed in 1939. A new apron was added a few months later. Roadway and parkway improvements were made in the 1940s and 50s. The terminal's first expansion, to 11 gates, which tripled the terminal's square footage, and added a restaurant, was constructed in 1955 to keep up with increasing traffic and larger planes. In 1959, after being acquired by the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority (NFTA), the name was changed to the Greater Buffalo International Airport. An extensive 1961 renovation/expansion remodeled the main terminal building and built a new control tower, as well as adding another concourse for American Airlines. Despite all this, the terminal again became outgrown. To address this problem, a second terminal (called the "West Terminal") was constructed in 1971 as a temporary solution while it was optimistically hoped that an all-new airport would be constructed in the near future. The West Terminal was built to last ten years and had nine gates.

Despite the addition of the West Terminal, the original terminal, now called the "East Terminal", received one more final expansion in 1977 that significantly enlarged the building. New ticket lobbies were constructed for American Airlines and United Airlines, the original 1938 building was turned into a baggage claim area, and jetways were added to the building for the first time. In 1982, two gates were added to the north/east end of the West Terminal, used by Eastern Air Lines. The landside of the West Terminal was enlarged also, and the originally blue building was around that time repainted gray.

In the 1980s, an evaluation was performed on the terminals. At the conclusion of this evaluation in 1991, it was decided that it was no longer economically plausible to keep renovating and expanding the dated terminals, and that an all-new airport would have to be constructed. Construction of the new building designed by the Greater Buffalo International Airport (GBIA) Design Group, a joint venture composed of Kohn Pederson Fox Associates, Cannon Design, and William Nicholas Bodouva began in 1995 in between the two existing buildings. While the new building was being constructed, the existing terminals remained open.

The brand new airport (now renamed The Buffalo-Niagara International Airport) opened on November 3, 1997. It had 15 gates. The old terminals were demolished immediately in order to allow any necessary expansion. The new building received an expansion in 1999, increasing the number of gates to 25. In 2006, the main runway was repaved and extended 750 feet (230 m), its first major upgrade since 1980. The secondary runway was extended 1,000 feet (300 m) as well.

In 2004 and in 2010, Buffalo/Niagara Int'l Airport hosted Air Force One. AFO was the first 747 to land in Buffalo. Also, in 2008 the San Diego Chargers football team brought in a Northwest 747, which then went on to London; the team's next game was against the New Orleans Saints at Wembley Stadium as part of the NFL International Series. In May 2009 an Airbus A300-600ST Beluga #3 stopped in Buffalo for an overnight stop with space shuttle parts.

In 2008 some of the local residents made a short-lived attempt to rename the airport to "Buffalo Tim Russert International Airport" after a popular news commentator and a Buffalo native Tim Russert who had died that year.

Southwest Airlines, which recently merged and absorbed AirTran Airways into its system, remains the busiest airline at Buffalo Niagara International Airport, handling 32 percent of the outbound flights. Delta Airlines is second, with 21 percent of outbound flights. JetBlue ranks third with 17 percent, followed by United Airlines, recently merged with Continental, at 14 percent. US Airways, the once dominant carrier at BNIA is ranked fifth with 13 percent of all outbound flights. American Airlines trails behind in sixth with 3 percent.

A large Curtiss-Wright plant once existed on the Airport property. Built in 1942, the building was sold to Westinghouse in 1946 following the end of World War II. Westinghouse sold the facility to Buffalo developer Paul Snyder in 1985, who turned the building into the Buffalo Airport Center industrial park. The building was abandoned in 1991 and demolished in 1999 to make way for the expansion of the airport's second runway.

Services

Shops and restaurants

Currently, there are 10 restaurants in the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport plus vending machines. The Anchor Bar, Labatt Blue Zone, The Coffee Beanery, Lake Erie Grille, Landmark Bar and Carvery, Which Wich?, and Matties Texas Red Hots are spread throughout the terminal. In the food court near security are Freshens Energy Zone, Checkers, and Villa Italian Kitchen.

The only shop is Everything ASAP, though they have 2 locations, one near security and one near the far end of the terminal near gate 20.

In addition, there is visitor's information station near the exit from the terminal where arriving passengers can stop for Buffalo-related souvieners and tourist information before getting their bags.

Delaware North Co. and the NFTA recently signed a pact that extends through 2027 for the concessions in the main terminal. The contract guarantees the NFTA at least $57 million in revenue payments from Delaware North during the next 20 years. The payment is based on the sales generated from the sale of food and non alcoholic beverages. This pact also requires that certain shops will be open in the morning for passengers on early flights. Delaware North is also investing some 7.6 million dollars to update the current configuration of concessions. Among those being removed are Burger King and All-Stars Cafe that were located on the edge of the west wing. In their place, Delaware North is creating the "Blue Zone" in the airport's west, or by the US Airways gates. The Blue Zone will feature a full-service bar, prepackaged meals like salads and wraps and hot items such as fresh-carved sandwiches. It will be a similar operation to the Landmark Cafe in the airport's east wing. The Blue Zone is opened in the summer of 2009. The largest change however was the creation of a food court just past the security gates.

Near the court is a 1,800-square-foot (170 m²) Anchor Bar franchised operation with seating for 42 people at the bar and 34 at sit down tables. "Getting the Anchor Bar was a real coup for us", said Nick Beillo, Delaware North Travel Hospitality Services chief operating officer. The food court will be home to many locally known restaurants, as well as many fast food chains. William Vanecek, NFTA director of aviation, said the new food court will add about 12,000 square feet (1,100 m²) of additional retail and concession space to the airport. The terminal currently has 21,718 square feet (2,017.7 m²) of retail and concession space.

This is all part of the recent $45 million dollar construction project which includes the addition of more baggage conveyors and three new security gates.

Airline lounges

US Airways operates a US Airways Club near Gate 6.

Ancillary services

Buffalo Airport Fire Department is a career fire department for the airport. The BNIA CFR respond to all alarms of fire and EMS calls within the terminal complex and throughout the adjacent property. The BNIA CFR also respond off grounds occasionally for mutual aid requests. It was formerly Buffalo Fire Department Engine 7 (crash-fire-rescue unit) until 1981 and was transferred over to the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority.

The BNIA ARFF has six pieces of apparatus:

• 2005 Oshkosh Stryker Crash Tender (Dry Chemical, Water and Foam)
• 1992 Oshkosh T-3000 Crash Tender (Water and Foam)
• 2000 Oshkosh T-3000 Crash Tender (Water and Foam)
• Heavy Rescue Unit (EMS and Spills)
• Chief's Car
• Pumper/Tender (Water and Foam)

Service history

Buffalo Niagara Control Tower

When the Federal Government deregulated the airline industry in 1978, Buffalo was served by four airlines: three "trunk carriers" (American Airlines, United Airlines, and Eastern Air Lines) and one "local service carrier" (Allegheny Airlines). American and United used the East Terminal, and Allegheny and Eastern used the West Terminal.

During the "glory years" for mainline-sized jet service at U.S. medium-size airports in the 1970s and 1980s, Buffalo regularly hosted widebody (twin-aisle) passenger jets. American Airlines operated McDonnell Douglas DC-10s to Chicago O'Hare International Airport and other points. Eastern Air Lines operated Lockheed L-1011s and Airbus A300s to Atlanta Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport. Eastern's flights often did 'tag-on' hops to Toronto Pearson International Airport due to legal restrictions on flights between the United States and Canada at that time. Buffalo still hosts many mainline passenger jet aircraft, but scheduled flights are now typically limited to narrowbody (single-aisle) aircraft. Today Buffalo hosts widebody passenger flights which are charters for the Buffalo Bills or their visiting National Football League opponents.

Shortly after Deregulation, American and United began reducing service at medium-sized Northeastern markets such as Buffalo, in search of higher profits elsewhere. Many other airlines entered the Buffalo market, and the 1980s saw a riot of new airline service as the industry began to take its post-deregulation shape. Most of these new carriers did not survive the decade.

The most prominent new carrier at Buffalo was People Express Airlines, a low-fare carrier founded in 1981 with a hub at Newark International Airport in New Jersey, next to New York City. Buffalo, along with Norfolk, Virginia and Columbus, Ohio was one of the original three cities served by People from Newark. The airline grew rapidly into a major carrier, and at its peak ran over 10 flights per day from Buffalo to Newark. However, too-rapid growth including an ill-considered purchase of the original Frontier Airlines (1950-1986), as well as bad management, led to People's demise in 1987. They were bought and assimilated by Continental Airlines. Continental Connection Flight 3407 which crashed six miles short of Runway 23 on February 12, 2009, was operating the old People Express route from Newark.

Other carriers that served Buffalo in the 1980s include (but are not limited to):

• TWA (Trans World Airlines), which served Buffalo briefly around 1979-1981 during a short-lived experiment running a hub in Pittsburgh.
• Republic Airlines (1979-1986), a Minneapolis-based carrier which ran flights from Buffalo to its hub at Detroit starting in 1984 and which was bought by Northwest Airlines in 1987;
• Empire Airlines (1976-1985), a regional carrier based in Utica which built a hub at Syracuse Hancock International Airport after deregulation and ran regional jet and turboprop flights within the Northeast;
• Mall Airways, a small regional carrier based at Albany International Airport, operated flights from Buffalo to their Albany hub in the mid-1980s.
• Piedmont Airlines, a pre-deregulation local service carrier from North Carolina which built a hub at Baltimore-Washington International Airport after deregulation and ran flights to the Northeast, Southeast, and Florida, and was bought by USAir in 1987 and merged into them in 1989.

In 1986-1987, most of the US airline industry consolidated through a series of buyouts and mergers. By the end of 1989 most domestic air service in the US was provided six surviving "legacy carriers." At the end of the 1980s, airline service in Buffalo was provided mostly by these six airlines and their regional affiliates: American, United, Continental, USAir, Northwest, and Delta Air Lines. During the 1990s, with People Express safely vanquished, these carriers kept fares high and enplanements stagnant at Buffalo. The section below discusses the emergence of low-fare service, and the airport's resulting service renaissance, beginning around 2000.

Gate information

Airlines that serve the following gates:
(Left side of terminal once you enter thru security)
Gate 1 - International/Charter
Gates 2-6 - US Airways

(right side of terminal once you enter security)
Gates 7-8 - Jetblue
Gate 9 - NFTA owned
Gates 10,12,14,24 - United Airlines
Gates 11 - American Airlines
Gate 15,16,18 - Southwest Airlines/ Airtran Airways
Gates 20,22 - NFTA owned
Gates 19,21,23,25 - Delta Airlines
Gate 26 - NFTA owned

Low fare service

Upstate New York (specifically the Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse and Albany airports) used to be ranked high among the most expensive airports to fly out of in the country. "For way too long, Upstate air travelers have been at the mercy of the major carriers", said Senator Charles Schumer. Schumer is credited for jump starting the upstate New York economy with low fare airlines. He is also credited with bringing JetBlue Airways to New York and helping JetBlue obtain slots at JFK. Thanks to Schumer's efforts, JetBlue Airways started service to Buffalo, Syracuse and Rochester, Southwest Airlines has come to Buffalo and Albany and AirTran Airways started service to Buffalo and Rochester. Due to this "Southwest Effect", Buffalo Niagara International Airport exceeded the 5,000,000 passenger mark for 2006. Previous estimates by the NFTA had projected 3.8 million passengers for 2006 and that it would be until 2020 before the 5 million plateau would be reached. Buffalo is the largest airport by passenger traffic in upstate New York.

Canadian travelers

The proximity of Buffalo Niagara International Airport to the 8.4 million residents of Ontario's Golden Horseshoe region makes it a very popular airport for Canadians traveling to U.S. destinations. In fact, about one of every three passengers utilizing the airport is from Canada. Airfares from Canadian airports to the U.S. are generally higher due to multiple issues, including fewer competing airlines in Canada; higher taxes, customs and immigration surcharges imposed on international flights; higher operating costs; a higher than historic value of the Canadian dollar; and airport improvement fees imposed on travelers at Canadian airports. There are many shuttles between the airport and cities throughout Southern Ontario, as well as to Toronto Pearson International Airport in Toronto.

Airlines and destinations

Buffalo Niagara International Airport is the largest, and one of the fastest growing airports in New York State. On average there are 110 flights per day, and BNIA has nonstop flights to and from 21 cities across the continental US.

Airlines	Destinations
AirTran Airways operated by Southwest Airlines	Atlanta, Fort Lauderdale, Orlando, Tampa Seasonal: Fort Myers, West Palm Beach(All end November, 2nd, 2013)
American Eagle	Chicago O'Hare
Delta Air Lines	Atlanta
Delta Connection operated by Chautauqua Airlines	Detroit, New York-LaGuardia
Delta Connection operated by Compass Airlines	New York-LaGuardia Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul,
Delta Connection operated by Pinnacle Airlines	Detroit, New York-JFK Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul
Delta Connection operated by Shuttle America	New York-LaGuardia
JetBlue Airways	Boston, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, New York-JFK, Orlando
Southwest Airlines	Baltimore, Chicago-Midway, Las Vegas, Orlando, Phoenix, Tampa Seasonal: Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, West Palm Beach (Both begin November 3rd, 2013)
United Airlines	Chicago O'Hare
United Express operated by Chautauqua Airlines	Cleveland
United Express operated by CommutAir	Cleveland, Newark
United Express operated by ExpressJet Airlines	Chicago-O'Hare, Washington-Dulles Seasonal: Newark
United Express operated by Mesa Airlines	Washington-Dulles
United Express operated by Shuttle America	Chicago-O'Hare, Newark, Washington-Dulles
US Airways	Charlotte, Philadelphia
US Airways Express operated by Air Wisconsin	Boston, Charlotte, Philadelphia, Washington-National
US Airways Express operated by Mesa Airlines	Charlotte
US Airways Express operated by Piedmont Airlines	Philadelphia, Washington-National
US Airways Express operated by PSA Airlines	Philadelphia
US Airways Express operated by Republic Airlines	Philadelphia, Washington-National

Top Destinations

Top ten busiest domestic routes out of BUF
(March 2011 - April 2012)

Rank	City	Passengers	Carriers
1	New York-JFK, NY	346,000	Delta, JetBlue
2	Atlanta, GA	315,000	AirTran, Delta
3	Orlando, FL	223,000	AirTran, JetBlue, Southwest
4	Baltimore, MD	213,000	Southwest
5	Chicago-O’Hare, IL	211,000	American, United
6	Charlotte, NC	144,000	US Airways
7	Chicago-Midway, IL	140,000	Southwest
8	Boston, MA	128,000	JetBlue, US Airways
9	Detroit, MI	109,000	Delta
10	Philadelphia, PA	103,000	US Airways

Cargo airlines

• Ameriflight International
• Air Now (Based in Buffalo)
• DHL
• FedEx Express
• Southwest Cargo
• UPS Airlines
• Worldwide Flight Services

Other

Prior Aviation provides private charter flights and other services including fueling and ground handling to many of the scheduled airlines that operate from the Buffalo-Niagara International Airport. It also provides aircraft maintenance service from its FAA approved repair station to airlines, corporate and general aviation customers. It is located on the north side of the airport.

Total Aeronautical Operating Revenue:

2009	$26.2 Million
2008	$22.3 Million
2007	$21.6 Million
2006	$21.4 Million
2005	$17.9 Million

Annual Aircraft Operations: 2009-132.6 Thousand 2008-138.5 Thousand 2007-137.6 Thousand 2006-132.8 Thousand 2005-136.9 Thousand

Airspace

The airspace above Buffalo can be busy at times due to the arriving and departing flights to/from Toronto Pearson International Airport. Most of these flights are coming from, or going to destinations in the south. However, the altitude for these aircraft is still well above 10,000 feet and therefore does not affect aircraft traffic using BUF.

Ground transportation

Car

The airport is served by the Kensington Expressway (NY Route 33), which ends at the airport. Route 33 intersects with the New York State Thruway, Interstate I-90, about 1 mile from the airport and then continues directly into downtown Buffalo with a total drive time of approximately 10–15 minutes.

Bus

Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority provides service on routes 24B (Genesee), 27 (Erie County Home), 47 (Youngs Road), 68 (George Urban Express) and 204 (Airport-Downtown Express). NFTA Metro Paratransit offers services to the airport for people with mobility issues, but pre-booking is required.

Greyhound Bus Lines and buses from Canada also provide transportation to and from the airport.

Car Hire and Taxi

Alamo, Avis, Budget, Enterprise, Hertz, and National all have rental facilities on airport property, while Thrifty and Dollar provide shuttle service to their facility across the street.

Various limos, taxis, and shuttle buses have access to and from the airport.

Accidents and incidents

A list of incidents involving flights near or en route to Buffalo Niagara International Airport:

• September 11, 1942 - Curtiss P-40 Warhawk crashes into the Curtiss-Wright Plant 2 building on the corner of Genesee Street and Sugg Road (Holtz Road) in Cheektowaga, New York. The plane entered the roof of the building landing near the tool crib, trapping several employees. 14 deaths and 33 injuries were reported along with many acts of heroism among fellow employees. The plane was reported to have been at 15,000 feet when fire started to consume the cockpit. The pilot tried in vain to save the plane but was forced to parachute to safety, landing near Walden Avenue and Union Road. The plane plunged to earth, landing back near the airport. It's said that the impact was so great that the engine was planted into the cement floor of the factory. A marker can be found in the Long Term Parking lot of Buffalo Niagara International Airport.

• January 21, 1954 - American Airlines Flight 767, Convair 240 crashed during takeoff, 200 yards south of 2478 George Urban Boulevard, Depew, New York. Several injuries were reported but no deaths as the plane failed to gain altitude after the left engine failed. No fire was reported but the presence of fuel made the muddy, shallow swamp a fire hazard. The plane remained mostly intact, coming to rest against a small clump of large trees. The flight was en route to Detroit, Michigan after starting the day in Albany, New York.

• 1972 - A private plane crashed into a home on Diane Drive in Cheektowaga, New York near Buffalo Niagara International Airport. The crash killed three on board and three on the ground.

• June 12, 1972 - American Airlines Flight 96, a McDonnell Douglas DC-10-10 en route from Detroit to Buffalo suffered an explosive decompression and was forced to return to Detroit.

• December 1, 1974 - Northwest Airlines Flight 6231, a Boeing 727 chartered to pick up the Baltimore Colts in Buffalo crashed near Thiells, New York. The flight departed John F. Kennedy International Airport with only the cockpit crew on board. The pitot tube heat was not turned on and the pitot tube iced over during climb out making the airspeed readings unreliable. The plane stalled passing 23,000' and the crew was unable to regain control. All 3 crewmembers on board were killed.

• February 12, 2009 - Colgan Air Flight 3407, a Bombardier Dash 8 Q400 operating under contract with Continental Connection crashed into a home on Long Street in Clarence Center, New York. The flight from Newark Liberty International Airport was scheduled to arrive at Buffalo International Airport and was only approximately 6 miles away from the airport when it crashed. All 49 passengers and crew members on board the aircraft perished in the incident, along with one individual who resided in the home the aircraft crashed into. Two others who were in the home at the time of the accident escaped alive. Minutes before the accident, the crew had reported “significant ice buildup” on the wings and the windshield and an NTSB official said that the aircraft had experienced "“severe pitch-and-roll excursions" 40 seconds prior to the crash. This was the first fatal accident of an airliner on US soil in almost 3 years after the crash of Comair Flight 191.

• May 18, 2012 - Piedmont Airlines pilot Brett Dieter was arrested at Buffalo Niagara International Airport after a loaded Smith and Wesson .357 magnum revolver was found in his baggage prior to his scheduled flight between Buffalo and LaGuardia Airport.

See also

• New York World War II Army Airfields

Other New York State airports that target Canadian travellers as alternatives to their local airport(s):

• Plattsburgh International Airport - alternative to airport in Montreal (Dorval)
• Ogdensburg International Airport - alternative to airport in Ottawa (Ottawa-Macdonald)

References

 This article incorporates public domain material from websites or documents of the Air Force Historical Research Agency.

External links

• Buffalo Niagara International Airport, official site
• New York State DOT Airport Diagram PDF
• FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective May 2, 2013
• FAA Terminal Procedures for BUF, effective May 2, 2013
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KBUF
  • ASN accident history for BUF
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KBUF
  • FAA current BUF delay information