Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport

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Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport
Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport Logo.svg
Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport FL 31 Dec 1998.jpg
USGS 1998 orthophoto
  • IATA: SRQ
  • ICAO: KSRQ
  • FAA LID: SRQ
Summary
Airport typePublic
OwnerSarasota Manatee Airport Authority
ServesSarasota metropolitan area
Location
  • Sarasota, Florida
  • Manatee / Sarasota counties
Opened1942
Elevation AMSL30 ft / 9 m
Coordinates27°23′44″N 082°33′16″W / 27.39556°N 82.55444°W / 27.39556; -82.55444Coordinates: 27°23′44″N 082°33′16″W / 27.39556°N 82.55444°W / 27.39556; -82.55444
Websitesrq-airport.com
Maps
FAA diagram
FAA diagram
SRQ is located in Florida
SRQ
SRQ
Location of airport in Florida / United States
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
14/32 9,500 2,896 Asphalt
4/22 5,009 1,527 Asphalt
Statistics (2020)
Passengers1,236,986[1]
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[2]

Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport (IATA: SRQ[3], ICAO: KSRQ, FAA LID: SRQ) is located within three jurisdictions: Sarasota County, the city limits of Sarasota, and Manatee County.[4] Owned by the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority, it is 3 miles (4.8 km) north of downtown Sarasota[2] and 6 miles (9.7 km) south of Bradenton.[5]

The National Plan of Integrated Airport Systems for 2017–2021 called it a "small hub" airport since it enplanes 0.05 percent to 0.25 percent of total U.S. passenger enplanements.[6]

History[]

Origins[]

Before the Sarasota-Bradenton Airport was built, both Sarasota and Bradenton had their own airfields: Bradenton's Bradenton Airport and Sarasota's . Bradenton Airport was established somewhere between 1935 and 1937; while Lowe Airfield was established on January 12, 1930. Bradenton Airport was abandoned at an unknown point during World War 2, while Lowe Field closed in 1961.[7][8]

The airport was considered a replacement to Lowe Field's poor conditions and low capacity. Construction on the Sarasota-Bradenton Airport started in 1939 and opened the following year with CCC and WPA assistance at a cost of $1 million. In May 1941, the Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority was created.[9][10]

Name origins[]

In the 1940s, SRQ was known by its two-character designation, RS. By 1948, growth in aviation demand prompted IATA to coordinate the assignment of three-character codes. The airport initially received the designation "SSO", a short-lived code subject to misinterpretation as the international distress signal, SOS. SRQ was chosen, with "Q" serving as filler text.[11] The airport's IATA airport code, "SRQ", is used as a general nickname for the city of Sarasota and Sarasota area, as exemplified by media outlets like SRQ Magazine,[12] WSRQ radio,[13] and numerous local businesses in the area that include SRQ in their names.

World War II[]

In 1942 with the United States entering World War 2 the airport was leased to the Army Air Corps and became known as the Sarasota Army Airfield. The Army Air Corps later added 250 acres making the airport 870 acres. The 97th Bombardment Group was the first group, being transferred from MacDill Air Force Base in Tampa for training with B-17 Flying Fortresses staying from March to May. The 97th as well did construction and maintenance, including the construction of barracks and runway repair.

After the 97th left, the 92nd Operations Group arrived for training and did construction work also. In June the base was designated as a sub base changing its focus from bombers to fighters because the runways could not withstand the bomber's weight. The 69th Fighter Squadron transferred to the airfield from Drew Army Airfield to train with P-39 Airacobras. Sarasota had sub bases in: Bartow, St. Petersburg, Fort Myers, and Tampa. While; Immokalee, Lake Wales, Punta Gorda and Winter Haven served as auxiliary fields for the base. Training was conducted as well on the base, with 70 pilots graduating on average every 30 days.

On July 25, 1945 a Douglas TC-47B that left out of Sarasota to Lake Charles on a navigation training session crashed after going through a thunderstorm north of Tampa. All 13 crew members died onboard and crashed roughly 20 miles northeast of Tampa.[14]

Produce from a farm on Terra Ceia Island being loaded onto a plane, 1947.

After 3 years of use, the base officially closed and was transferred to civilian usage in 1947.[15] Despite its transfer, the airport and its facilities deteriorated until the Florida Legislature passed the 1955 Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority Act. This act gave the airport more legal power and guidelines to operate.[16][17]

Post–World War II expansion[]

National Airlines was SRQ's first airline, moving from Lowe's Field by 1947. Cancer research institute; Jackson Memorial Laboratories considered establishing a laboratory on airport property. The extent of the plan is not known.[18]

By April 1957, OAG showed six NA departures a day. Construction started on a terminal building designed by Paul Rudolph and locally known architect, on August 18, 1958 and opening on May 2 the next year.[19] with: a control tower, ticketing area, offices, gift shop, coffee shop, and a balcony for passengers to watch their planes arrive. In its opening year of 1959, the airport had roughly 22,000 annual passengers. Eastern arrived in January 1961, along with an air mail service as well.[20] The airport's first jet flights were Eastern 727s in winter 1964–65 (though the longest runway was 5006 ft for a few years after that). By the 1960s the airport along with Eastern and National Airlines, welcomed two commuter airlines: Executive in 1964 and Florida Air in 1968. Executive established Sarasota as a maintenance base and later their headquarters from 1968 to 1971 and flew flights to Tampa and Fort Myers.[9]

1970s[]

By 1970, the airport had five commercial airlines: Eastern, National, Executive, Florida, and for a brief period, Mackey. Despite its continued growth through the 1970s, many airlines services were intermittent. Mackey and Florida both left in early 1970. Florida returned four years later and simultaneously established Sarasota as its headquarters. When Executive Airlines went bankrupt in 1971, it was replaced by Shawnee Airlines for a year and later returned in 1977. A commuter airline named had flights to several destinations from mid-1974 to mid-1975. The latter part of the decade introduced North Central Airlines in 1978, and Delta the following year.[21]

1976 presidential election[]

President Gerald R. Ford signing a proclamation presented by the Boy Scouts of America at the airport during his visit to the area.

During the 1976 presidential election, several candidates would visit and/or fly into the airport. On February 23, 1976 Gerald R. Ford and his family flew into the airport on Air Force One while visiting Sarasota on a trip across Florida. He briefly took questions from the press before leaving to go presumably to a hotel. The following day he went to a church service and a barbecue. He gave a brief press conference before flying out of the airport to Tampa.[22] Next month on March 2, Jimmy Carter would hold a press conference at the airport before speaking to the public at adjacent New College.[23] Likely that same day, Henry "Scoop" Jackson another presidential candidate running on the Democratic ticket would host a campaign rally at the airport.[24] George Wallace, also visited the airport two days later on March 4.[25][26]

1980s & 1990s[]

In the late 1970s and early 1980s, there was a controversial proposal to move the airport by both Sarasota County and Manatee County due to airport overcrowding. An opinion poll was held in 1970 with 66% of voters voting against a new airport.[27] The proposal suggested making the facility into a general aviation airport and constructing a replacement east of future Interstate 75 within Lakewood Ranch.[28][29] However, the airport authority struck down the idea in 1985.[30] In 1989, the facilities were expanded instead.[31]

The airport was designated port of entry status in 1992.[32]

September 11 attacks[]

Air Force One was at the airport on September 11, 2001. George W. Bush was at the Emma E. Booker Elementary School in Sarasota when Andrew Card first informed him of the September 11, 2001 attacks at 9:05 AM. Bush returned to the airport. The 747 taxied out at 9:54 AM and took off from runway 14 at 9:55 AM flying first to Barksdale Air Force Base in Louisiana.[33]

2003 – present[]

An Allegiant Air A320 at SRQ.

In 2003 AirTran Airways began service at SRQ to Hartsfield–Jackson Atlanta International Airport, and Baltimore–Washington International Airport, and by 2011 the airline served six U.S. cities nonstop from SRQ.

In January 2012, AirTran Airways announced that it would drop SRQ on August 12, 2012 as part of its merger with Southwest.[34]

2020s and late 2010s[]

Construction on a new aircraft control tower would start in November 2015 and was finished in 2017.[35] Allegiant Air would announce on January 9, 2018 that it would be creating 3 new nonstop flights from SRQ. The three flights would have gone to Cincinnati, Pittsburgh and Indianapolis. The Cincinnati flight was scheduled to start on April 13, 2018 while the other two were scheduled to start on April 11.[36] However the day after it was announced, Allegiant Air would say they were cancelling their newly planned flights.[37] Although Allegiant stated they were cancelling the service to the 3 cities, it was reported that service did begin to all 3 cities on April 11.[38] Despite Allegiant Air saying they would cancel their new expansion plans earlier that year, they would once again announce they were adding 9 new routes from the airport on November 13, 2018. Two of the flights would start on February 22, 2019 going to Asheville and Baltimore. While the other seven would begin operation at spaced out dates in April. Harrisburg and Syracuse service began on April 3. While flights to Cleveland, Columbus and Richmond started on April 4. Service to Grand Rapids and Nashville started on April 5.[39] American Airlines would say during 2018 that they were adding new flights to Sarasota in December to Chicago,[40] Dallas[41] and Philadelphia.[42] On December 19, 2019, a pickup truck crashed into the baggage claim causing $250,000 in damage.[43]

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted in air traffic significantly declining similarly to other airports in the United States.[44] Despite a decline in the number of passengers several new flights were added/announced.[45] Elite Airways would expand operations at the airport in 2021 when they started nonstop flights to White Plains, Martha's Vineyard, Nantucket and Portland, Maine on July 2.[46]

Facilities[]

The airport covers 1,102 acres (446 ha) at an elevation of 30 feet (9.1 m). It has two asphalt runways: 14/32 is 9,500 by 150 feet (2,896 x 46 m) and 4/22 is 5,009 by 150 feet (1,527 x 46 m).[2]

In the year ending November 30, 2017 the airport had 101,311 aircraft operations, average 278 per day: 80% general aviation, 11% airline, 8% air taxi, and 2% military. 272 aircraft were then based at this airport: 69% single-engine, 18% jet, 7% multi-engine, 6% helicopter, and <1% ultra-light.[2]

Terminals[]

The airport contains two terminals with a total of 17 gates. Both Terminal B & D opened on October 29, 1989.

Terminal B is the main terminal at the airport and contains 13 gates.

Terminal D is the airport's commuter terminal and contains 4 gates. It is directly attached to the main airport building with its entrance just to the east end of the ticketing area. It has not been in active use since the mid-2000s. Prior to that time, it served primarily turboprop and small regional jet flights for carriers such as Air Sunshine, American Eagle, and Gulfstream International Airlines.

Airlines and destinations[]

Passenger[]

AirlinesDestinationsRefs
Air Canada Rouge Seasonal: Toronto–Pearson [47]
Allegiant Air Allentown, Asheville, Baltimore, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus–Rickenbacker, Grand Rapids, Harrisburg, Indianapolis, Knoxville, Nashville, Pittsburgh, Richmond, Syracuse, Washington–Dulles (begins December 18, 2021)[48]
Seasonal: Belleville/St. Louis, Boston, Cedar Rapids/Iowa City (begins November 19, 2021),[49] Charlotte–Concord, Chicago/Rockford, Des Moines, Flint, Fort Wayne, Louisville, Peoria, South Bend, Tulsa (begins December 15, 2021)[50]
[51]
American Airlines Dallas/Fort Worth
Seasonal: Charlotte, Chicago–O'Hare
[52]
American Eagle Charlotte, Chicago–O'Hare, Washington–National
Seasonal: Dallas/Fort Worth, Philadelphia
[52]
Delta Air Lines Atlanta
Seasonal: Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul
[53]
Delta Connection Seasonal: New York–LaGuardia [53]
Elite Airways Portland (ME),[A] White Plains
Frontier Airlines Chicago–O'Hare, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Philadelphia
Seasonal: Trenton
[54]
JetBlue Newark, New York–JFK
Seasonal: Boston, New York–LaGuardia (begins October 31, 2021)[55]
[56]
Southwest Airlines Atlanta, Baltimore, Chicago–Midway, Houston–Hobby, Nashville, New York–LaGuardia (begins November 7, 2021),[57] St. Louis, Washington–National (begins November 7, 2021)[58]
Seasonal: Austin (begins November 20, 2021),[59] Cincinnati, Cleveland, Columbus–Glenn, Dallas–Love, Denver, Grand Rapids, Indianapolis, Kansas City, Milwaukee, Pittsburgh
[60]
Sun Country Airlines Seasonal: Minneapolis/St. Paul [61]
United Airlines Chicago–O'Hare, Newark [62]
United Express Chicago–O'Hare, Houston–Intercontinental, Newark, Washington–Dulles
Seasonal: Denver
[62]

A The Elite Airways flight is between Sarasota and Portland (ME), but makes a stopover in White Plains. The same plane and flight number are used for the complete duration of the flight in both directions

Destinations map[]

hideDestinations map
Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport is located in the United States
Sarasota/Bradenton
Sarasota/Bradenton
AVL
AVL
ABE
ABE
ATL
ATL
BOS
BOS
CLT
CLT
CVG
CVG
MDW
MDW
CLE
CLE
LCK
LCK
DFW
DFW
GRR
GRR
MDT
MDT
HOU
HOU
IAH
IAH
IND
IND
MSP
MSP
BNA
BNA
JFK/LGA
JFK/LGA
Sarasota–Bradenton International Airport
EWR
EWR
PHL
PHL
RIC
RIC
SYR
SYR
TTN
TTN
DCA
DCA
IAD
IAD
BLV
BLV
RFD
RFD
DEN
DEN
DSM
DSM
DTW
DTW
FWA
FWA
TYS
TYS
SDF
SDF
YYZ
YYZ
CMH
CMH
TUL
TUL
DAL
DAL
MCI
MCI
MKE
MKE
Destinations from Sarasota-Bradenton International Airport
Year-round destination
Seasonal destination
Future destination
Destination being terminated

Statistics[]

Airline market share[]

Airline Market Share (June 2020 - May 2021)[63]
Rank Carrier Passengers Market

Share

1 Allegiant 403,000 23.58%
2 Delta 362,000 21.18%
3 Southwest 195,000 11.41%
4 American 173,000 10.11%
5 Republic 114,000 6.68%
Others 463,000 27.04%

Top domestic destinations[]

Busiest domestic routes from SRQ (June 2020 - May 2021)[63]
Rank City Passengers Carriers
1 Atlanta, Georgia 162,000 Delta, Southwest
2 Charlotte, North Carolina 107,000 American
3 Chicago–O'Hare, Illinois 60,000 American, Frontier, United
4 Baltimore, Maryland 44,000 Allegiant, Southwest
5 Dallas/Fort Worth, Texas 38,000 American
6 Cincinnati, Ohio 35,000 Allegiant, Frontier
7 Newark, New Jersey 31,000 JetBlue, United
8 Boston, Massachusetts 28,000 Allegiant, JetBlue
9 Nashville, Tennessee 25,000 Allegiant, Southwest
10 Minneapolis-St. Paul, Minnesota 25,000 Delta, Sun Country

References[]

  1. ^ "December 2020 Monthly Report" (PDF). SRQ Airport. Retrieved March 27, 2020.
  2. ^ Jump up to: a b c d FAA Airport Form 5010 for SRQ PDF. Federal Aviation Administration. Effective November 15, 2012.
  3. ^ "IATA Airport code Search (SRQ: Sarasota / Bradenton)". International Air Transport Association. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
  4. ^ "Financial Statements with Management's Discussion and Analysis including Supplementary and Compliance Reports and Schedules For the years ended September 30, 2017 and September 30, 2016" (PDF). SRQ Airport. Sarasota Manatee Airport Authority. January 18, 2018. p. 24. Retrieved July 15, 2019.
  5. ^ "Distance and heading from Bradenton (27°29'N 82°35'W) to KSRQ (27°23'44"N 82°33'16"W)". Great Circle Mapper. Retrieved December 31, 2012.
  6. ^ "2017–2021 NPIAS Report, Appendix B" (PDF). Federal Aviation Administration. Federal Aviation Administration. Retrieved August 13, 2018.
  7. ^ "Municipal Airport/Lowe Field | Sarasota History Alive!". Sarasota History Alive. Retrieved August 8, 2018.
  8. ^ "Florida, Southern Tampa area". Abandoned & Little-Known Airfields. Retrieved July 23, 2018.
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  10. ^ "New Deal Map". The Living New Deal. Retrieved April 13, 2019.
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  12. ^ "SRQ: Living Local in Sarasota and Bradenton Florida". SRQ Magazine.
  13. ^ "WSRQ Sarasota 98.9 FM 106.9 FM 1220 AM". Sarasota Talk Radio. Retrieved December 21, 2018.
  14. ^ Ranter, Harro. "ASN Aircraft accident Douglas TC-47B (DC-3) 44-76612 Tampa, FL". aviation-safety.net. Retrieved November 11, 2019.
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  16. ^ "History | SRQ Airport". srq-airport.com. Retrieved February 10, 2019.
  17. ^ "House Bill No. 271". Florida Department of State: State Library and Archives of Florida. June 26, 2003. Retrieved February 2, 2019.
  18. ^ "AIRPORT AWAITS LABORATORIES' REPLY TO OFFER". Sarasota Herald-Tribune. November 11, 1947. Retrieved February 12, 2020 – via Google News Archive Search.
  19. ^ Sarasota Herald-Tribune, Modern Air Terminal To Open Today (May 2, 1959). "Sarasota Herald-Tribune - Google News Archive Search". news.google.com. Retrieved August 27, 2019.
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  33. ^ "USA TODAY Education - Sept. 11 Resources". usatoday30.usatoday.com. Archived from the original on February 24, 2011.
  34. ^ Jacobs, Karen (January 20, 2012). "Southwest says AirTran to exit six airports". Reuters.
  35. ^ "Construction Company Completes Airport Tower". Sarasota Magazine. December 5, 2017. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  36. ^ "Allegiant Announces New Nonstop Service to SRQ from 3 Cities". srq-airport.com. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  37. ^ "Airline Cancels Plans for Sarasota-Pittsburgh Flights". Sarasota Magazine. January 12, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  38. ^ "New Flights to Cincinnati, Indianapolis and Pittsburgh Begin". Sarasota Magazine. April 11, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  39. ^ "Allegiant Announced New Nonstop Service from SRQ to 9 Cities". srq-airport.com. November 13, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  40. ^ "New Nonstop Flights Between Sarasota and Chicago Start in December". Sarasota Magazine. July 5, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  41. ^ "New Nonstop Flights Between Sarasota and Dallas Start in December". Sarasota Magazine. June 13, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  42. ^ "New Sarasota-to-Philadelphia Flights Will Start in January". Sarasota Magazine. September 26, 2018. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  43. ^ Staff, ABC7. "Surveillance video shows driver of pickup truck smashing through wall and into baggage claim at Sarasota, Fla. Airport". WWSB (mysuncoast.com). Retrieved December 25, 2019.
  44. ^ "SRQ Passenger Traffic for August at 43 Percent of 2019 Level". Sarasota Magazine. September 14, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  45. ^ "Airlines Bring Back, Add Flights at SRQ Airport". Sarasota Magazine. June 22, 2020. Retrieved December 22, 2020.
  46. ^ "Elite Airways Announces New Destinations at SRQ". Sarasota Magazine. May 19, 2021. Retrieved August 9, 2021.
  47. ^ "Nonstop destinations". SRQ Airport. Retrieved January 17, 2020.
  48. ^ https://www.yourobserver.com/article/allegiant-adds-srq-service-to-washingtons-dulles-airport
  49. ^ https://srq-airport.com/allegiant-announces-new-nonstop-service-two-new-destinations-srq
  50. ^ https://srq-airport.com/allegiant-announces-new-nonstop-service-two-new-destinations-srq
  51. ^ "Allegiant Interactive Route Map". Archived from the original on July 17, 2017. Retrieved March 7, 2018.
  52. ^ Jump up to: a b "Flight schedules and notifications". Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  53. ^ Jump up to: a b "FLIGHT SCHEDULES". Archived from the original on June 21, 2015. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  54. ^ "Frontier". Archived from the original on September 12, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  55. ^ http://blueir.investproductions.com/investor-relations/press-releases/2021/07-20-2021-140049033
  56. ^ "JetBlue Airlines Timetable". Archived from the original on July 13, 2013. Retrieved January 29, 2017.
  57. ^ https://www.swamedia.com/releases/release-3fc1c7888c075cda36200a11ac0aeb97-book-today-southwest-airlines-extends-schedule-through-jan-5-2022-while-adding-more-domestic-destinations-than-ever-before-and-offering-new-nonstop-service-to-international-destinations-from-the-midwest
  58. ^ https://www.swamedia.com/releases/release-3fc1c7888c075cda36200a11ac0aeb97-book-today-southwest-airlines-extends-schedule-through-jan-5-2022-while-adding-more-domestic-destinations-than-ever-before-and-offering-new-nonstop-service-to-international-destinations-from-the-midwest
  59. ^ https://www.bradenton.com/news/business/tourism/article252030463.html
  60. ^ "Check Flight Schedules". Archived from the original on February 2, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  61. ^ "Route Map & Flight Schedule". Archived from the original on August 15, 2018. Retrieved August 14, 2018.
  62. ^ Jump up to: a b "Timetable". Archived from the original on January 28, 2017. Retrieved January 7, 2017.
  63. ^ Jump up to: a b "OST_R | BTS | Transtats". Bureau of Transportation Statistics. United States Department of Transportation. Retrieved March 31, 2019.

External links[]

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