The Airport That Feeds the Oil Boom: The Fastest Growing Airports Are in North Dakota

Wall Street Journal ^ | 07/31/2014 | Scott McCartney

[SeekAndFind]

A double-wide mobile-home trailer that used to serve as an elementary-school classroom is now the airport terminal. A conference room is the Hertz rental counter. And there is no baggage carousel, just a small counter where baggage workers pile luggage.

Sloulin Field International Airport here wasn't built to be one of the fastest-growing airports in the world, but it is now. Traffic last year was 254% higher than just two years earlier. Airlines fly in with jets weighing twice as much as what the runway was built for. And when the parking lot is full, cars are left in ditches and on the sides of roads.

"It's hard to even call it an airport," said Kenneth Dransfield of White Springs, Fla. "And it's super expensive." He bought a ticket home to Florida seven months in advance and paid $1,200.

The Bakken oil bonanza has brought jobs and wealth to western North Dakota.

[Vigilanteman]

"We are constantly clearing paths," said Mr. Solsvig. "It's a zoo." To try to smooth the flow, he has posted signs urging passengers to arrive two hours before departure.

Ease crowding by having people spend more time in the airport?

Sort of reminds me of a 30 minute layover I had at Chicago Midway once. Food was awful and overpriced, but my Mrs. had to eat before a less than 90 minute flight to Pittsburgh. We grabbed a couple of lousy plastic wrapped sandwiches for $7.50 each because the lines for even third rate food like McDonald's were appallingly long.

She was hungry enough to eat her sandwich. I was not. The only good thing I can say about Midway is that the Calcutta atmosphere also meant that the gates were close enough together that we were on board the next flight within 20 minutes.

Decidedly not an airport where I'd want to spend two hours.

[jumpingcholla34]

I remember flying on Air Illinois when Midway was all but shut down and Air Illinois was the only scheduled airline using the place. We flew in a twin-engine turboprop up from Springfield, landed and no one appeared to bring an exit stairway out to our plane. After some chatter between cockpit and tower, some maintenance guys came strolling down the tarmac and unlocked the door to our gate from the outside. Then, they rolled out the stairs. Inside the terminal, there wasn't a snack counter or any other amenity in sight. It looked like an abandoned movie set of an airport.

Next time I flew Air Illinois, they used Meigs Field, now long gone thanks to Mayor Daley.

[Dexter Morgan]

Funny. I’m waiting in Williston, ND to fly out now. Flew in yesterday. They should rename this place “Testosterone”.