Waterloo Regional Airport

For the airport in Ontario, Canada, see Region of Waterloo International Airport.
Waterloo Regional Airport (Livingston Betsworth Field)

IATA: ALO – ICAO: KALO – FAA LID: ALO

ALO
Location of Waterloo Regional Airport

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 / 42.55694; -92.40028
Website www.FlyALO.com
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
FAA airport diagram

Waterloo Regional Airport (IATA: ALO, ICAO: KALO, FAA LID: ALO), also known as Livingston Betsworth Field, 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.

Overview

The airport has two gates and one jet bridge. Delta Air Lines (formerly Northwest) was the airport's only carrier for several years with flights to Minneapolis-Saint Paul. In late 2011, Delta Air Lines said they would end service to Waterloo and immediately submitted an Essential Air Service proposal to continue flying to Waterloo with 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 on 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 said they plan to only need the EAS subsidy for two years, when 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 on December 8 DOT awarded American Eagle the contract. The airport will initially get flights twice daily.[2]

Airline flights to Waterloo started in 1946-47 on Mid-Continent; successor Braniff left in 1967. Ozark arrived in 1955 and started DC9 flights in 1966 (runway 12/30 was extended from 5400 to 6500 feet around that time). The April 1970 Ozark timetable shows a nonstop to Washington Dulles, continuing to LGA-- must have been short lived. Successor TWA's DC-9s disappeared in late 1987-early 1988. Several big-airline prop affiliates flew to Waterloo in the 1980s and 1990s, including American Eagle, United Express, Trans World Express, Midway Connection, and Air Midwest ("Eastern Express"). In 1988 nonstop prop flights reached ORD, STL, MCI, MSP and several closer cities.

Under its founding manager, Walter Betsworth, Waterloo Municipal Airport expanded from a WWII training airstrip to a flourishing regional airport. After Betsworth's death in 1979 the airport was named The Livingston Betsworth Field, honoring Walter Betsworth and noted Iowa flying ace Jonathan Livingston. Competition from nearby airports, especially The Eastern Iowa airport in Cedar Rapids eventually forced most airlines to drop Waterloo. Northwest Airlines had the only mainline jets from Waterloo, DC-9s, until Delta, began service to Minneapolis-Saint Paul. In 2012 Waterloo Regional Airport is served by American Eagle, a regional affiliate of American Airlines, with 2 round trips daily to Chicago. [3]

Incidents

Northwest Flight 335, a Boeing 757, made a precautionary emergency landing 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 one was injured. The cause was smoke in the cabin.

American Airlines Flight 3047, an Embraer Regional Jet (ERJ) 145, from Sioux Falls, SD to Chicago O'Hare, made an emergency landing at the Waterloo Regional Airport on February 18, 2016 after reports of smoke in the cabin about 20 minutes into the flight. There were 26 passengers on the flight with three crew members. No one was injured.

Facilities and aircraft

Waterloo Regional Airport covers an area of 2,583 acres (1,045 ha) and three asphalt paved runways: 12/30 is 8,400 x 150 feet (2,560 x 46 m), 18/36 is 6,002 x 150 feet (1,829 x 46 m) and 6/24 is 5,403 x 129 feet (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 94 aircraft were based at this airport: 79% single-engine, 9% multi-engine, 3% jet and 10% military.[1]

Airlines and destinations

The following airline offers scheduled passenger service at this airport:

AirlinesDestinations
American Eagle Chicago-O'Hare

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 FAA Airport Master Record for ALO (Form 5010 PDF), effective 2007-12-20
  2. ↑ http://wcfcourier.com/news/local/dot-selects-american-airlines-over-delta-for-waterloo/article_05ffbbd6-21e6-11e1-9c36-0019bb2963f4.html
  3. ↑ Waterloo Cedar Falls Courier, April 8, 2012, http://wcfcourier.com/news/opinion/editorial/airport-on-the-right-track/article_67cbdc92-7ff5-11e1-a5a1-0019bb2963f4.html

Other sources

  • Essential Air Service documents (Docket DOT-OST-2011-0132) from the U.S. Department of Transportation:
    • Order 2011-12-2 (December 8, 2011): selected American Eagle Airlines, a regional affiliate of American Airlines, to provide 13 nonstop round trips per week to each community, Sioux City and Waterloo, from Chicago O’Hare International Airport (ORD). Rate effective for a two-year period beginning when it inaugurated EAS at both communities through the end of the 24th month thereafter. The carrier inaugurated service at both communities on April 3, 2012, thus making the expiration date April 30, 2014. American Eagle was selected to provide service at Sioux City with 50-seat aircraft and 44-seat aircraft at Waterloo, with annual subsidy rates of $1,512,799 and $1,541,824, respectively.
    • Order 2014-3-14 (March 28, 2014): selecting American Airlines to provide Essential Air Service (EAS) at Sioux City and Waterloo, Iowa, for annual subsidies of $611,334 and $945,546, respectively. EAS to be Provided to Waterloo, Iowa - Effective Period: May 1, 2014, through April 30, 2016. Service: Thirteen (13) nonstop round trips per week to Chicago (ORD). Aircraft Type: Regional Jets, 44-50 seats.

External links

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