Waterloo Regional Airport
| Waterloo Regional Airport (Livingston Betsworth Field) | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 |
|||
IATA: ALO – ICAO: KALO – FAA LID: ALO
 ALO
|
|||
| Summary | |||
| Airport type | Public | ||
| Operator | City of Waterloo | ||
| Serves | Waterloo, Iowa | ||
| Elevation AMSL | 873 ft / 266 m | ||
| Coordinates | 42°33′25″N 092°24′01″W / 42.55694°N 92.40028°W | ||
| Website | |||
| Runways | |||
| Direction | Length | Surface | |
| ft | m | ||
| 12/30 | 8,400 | 2,560 | Asphalt |
| 18/36 | 6,002 | 1,829 | Asphalt |
| 6/24 | 5,403 | 1,647 | Asphalt |
| Statistics (2006) | |||
| Aircraft operations | 46,833 | ||
| Based aircraft | 94 | ||
| Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1] | |||
Waterloo Regional Airport (Livingston Betsworth Field) (IATA: ALO, ICAO: KALO, FAA LID: ALO) is a city-owned public-use airport located four miles (6 km) northwest of the central business district of Waterloo, a city in Black Hawk County, Iowa, United States.[1] It is mostly used for general aviation and is also served by one commercial airline.
Contents |
[edit] Overview
The Waterloo Regional Airport (Livingston Betsworth Field) is a small regional airport with limited facilities featuring two gates and one jet bridge. Delta Air Lines (formerly Northwest) has been the airport's only carrier for several years and offers three regularly scheduled daily flights to Minneapolis-Saint Paul. Delta Connection operates two daily flights utilizing a Saab-Fairchild 340 turboprop and one flight per day on a Canadair Regional Jet. Delta has announced that it will operate a 50-seat jet plane instead of the Saab 34-seat plane it is currently using.[2]
Numerous carriers once operated at ALO during the 1980s and 1990s, including American Eagle, United Express, Transworld Express, Midway Connection, and Air Midwest (dba Eastern Express). Under its founding manager, Walter Betsworth, Waterloo Municipal Airport expanded from a WWII training airstrip to a flourishing regional airport. In the 1960s and 1970s, airlines such as Ozark and Braniff also served Waterloo, and there were many flights to Minneapolis, Chicago, Denver, and St. Louis. After Betsworth's death in 1979, the airport was named The Livingston Betsworth Field, honoring both Walter Betsworth and noted Iowa flying ace Jonathan Livingston. Competition from nearby airports, especially The Eastern Iowa airport in Cedar Rapids eventually forced most of the airlines to drop service from Waterloo Regional. Northwest Airlines remained the only mainline jet service from Waterloo using DC-9s, until its current carrier, Delta, began service to Minneapolis-Saint Paul.
In late 2011, Delta Airlines stated that they would discontinue service to the Waterloo Regional Airport. Delta immediately submitted an Essential Air Service proposal to continue flying the Waterloo with the aid of government subsidies. As part of the EAS process, the Department of Transportation opened up the airport to a bidding process with other carriers. American Airlines submitted a proposal to start service between Waterloo and Chicago's O'Hare International Airport utilizing their regional carrier, American Eagle. American sent representatives to Waterloo to present to the Chamber of Commerce and a straw poll of area businesses showed local companies favored service to Chicago over Minneapolis. American stated that they plan to only need the EAS subsidy for two years, at which time they believe that service will be self sustaining. The Waterloo city council sent a recommendation to the DOT that American be awarded the contract and the DOT responded on December 8th, awarding American Eagle the EAS contract. The Waterloo Regional airport will initially receive twice daily service. [3]
[edit] Incidents
Northwest Flight 335 landed without incident at the Waterloo Regional Airport on June 2, 2009, about an hour into its flight from Detroit to Los Angeles with 182 passengers and a flight crew of eight. No injuries were reported. The flight crew diverted the aircraft to Waterloo as a precaution after reporting a "smoky odor" in the cabin.
Northwest flew mechanics to Waterloo to inspect the Boeing 757 and arranged for an extra flight for the stranded passengers [1].
[edit] Facilities and aircraft
Waterloo Regional Airport covers an area of 2,583 acres (1,045 ha) which contains three asphalt paved runways: 12/30 measuring 8,400 x 150 ft (2,560 x 46 m), 18/36 measuring 6,002 x 150 ft (1,829 x 46 m) and 6/24 measuring 5,403 x 129 ft (1,647 x 39 m).[1]
For the 12-month period ending October 31, 2006, the airport had 46,833 aircraft operations, an average of 128 per day: 66% general aviation, 13% military, 11% scheduled commercial and 10% air taxi. At that time there were 94 aircraft based at this airport: 79% single-engine, 9% multi-engine, 3% jet and 10% military.[1]
[edit] Airlines and destinations
| Airlines | Destinations |
|---|---|
| American Eagle | Chicago-O'Hare [begins April 3, 2012] |
| Delta Connection operated by Pinnacle Airlines | Minneapolis/St. Paul [ends April 2, 2012] |
[edit] References
- ^ a b c d FAA Airport Master Record for ALO (Form 5010 PDF), effective 2007-12-20
- ^ Delta changes will bring upgrades to Waterloo air service, WCF Courier, July 17, 2011, Retrieved January 15, 2012
- ^ http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/dot-selects-american-airlines-over-delta-for-waterloo/article_05ffbbd6-21e6-11e1-9c36-0019bb2963f4.html
[edit] External links
- Waterloo Regional Airport, official site
- FAA Airport Diagram (PDF), effective 9 Feb 2012
- Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KALO
- ASN accident history for ALO
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KALO
- FAA current ALO delay information
  |
This article about an airport in Iowa is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 |
This article about a building or structure in Iowa is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
