South Bend Regional Airport

South Bend Regional Airport
IATA: SBN – ICAO: KSBN – FAA LID: SBN SBN Location of the Airport in Indiana
Summary
Airport type		Public
Owner		St. Joseph County Airport Authority
Serves		South Bend, Indiana, USA
Elevation AMSL		799 ft / 244 m
Coordinates		41°42′30″N 086°19′02″W / 41.70833°N 86.31722°W / 41.70833; -86.31722
Website		www.SBNair.com
Runways
Direction	Length		Surface
	ft	m
9L/27R	4,300	1,311	Asphalt
9R/27L	8,414	2,565	Asphalt
18/36	7,100	2,164	Asphalt
Statistics (2009)
Aircraft operations			40,515
Based aircraft			46
Passenger volume			910,512
Source: Federal Aviation Administration[1]

FAA diagram of South Bend Regional Airport (SBN)

South Bend Regional Airport (IATA: SBN, ICAO: KSBN, FAA LID: SBN) is a public airport located three miles (5 km) northwest of the central business district of South Bend, a city in St. Joseph County, Indiana, United States. This airport is publicly owned by St. Joseph County Airport Authority.^[1] It is the state's second busiest airport in terms of commercial traffic after Indianapolis International Airport.

The airport has been known in the past as Bendix Field, St. Joseph County Airport and Michiana Regional Transportation Center. The airport was renamed South Bend Regional Airport to help identify the airport's location since many travelers were unaware of the meaning or location of Michiana (taken from MICHigan and IndIANA).

Administration

South Bend Regional Airport is one of only a few multi-modal transportation facilities in America that provides air, interstate bus and interstate rail service from one multi-modal terminal facility. The St. Joseph County Airport Authority claims the airport was the first truly multi-modal airport in the country.

The St. Joseph County Airport Authority is the administrative body over the airport and also provides police, fire and medical protection to the airport and its occupants. The members of the airport safety department are cross-trained as State-certified law enforcement officers, State-certified paramedics/EMTs and State-certified firefighters. The airport has been directed by John C. Schalliol for more than 25 years.

Facilities

Runway 18/36 re-opened in 3rd quarter 2007 at a new length of 7,100 feet (2,200 m). Also, runway connector N3 was reopened after over a decade of being closed.

The terminal has two concourses, A and C. Concourse A has 6 gates, 3 of which have ground-level boarding bridges. Concourse C has 5 gates, one of which as a ground-level boarding bridge. All boarding bridges are full-size and capable of accommodating most commercial aircraft today. Gate A-6 had a ground-level boarding bridge in the 1990s, but it has since been removed.

The airport's concourses have what are known as hold rooms. These vary slightly from some airports that have seating areas specific to a gate. Hold Room A serves all gate areas in Concourse A, and Hold Room C serves all gate areas in Concourse C.

South Bend Regional Airport has an in-terminal viewing area with live air traffic control transmissions from South Bend Air Traffic Control Tower/TRACON. The viewing area is located on the second level of the terminal's atrium.

Airport Expansion

In a press release issued in March 2008 the St. Joseph County Airport Authority announced plans for a 2 story, 45,000-square-foot (4,200 m²), 11.8-million dollar expansion of Concourse A that will include 5 new jet bridges (bringing to total number of gates post-expansion to 9), a Dining Room, a concession area/lounge, gift shops, children’s play area as well as a business center. The Dining Room and Lounge will feature deli meals, snacks and drinks similar to the existing airport services as well as beverages and snacks already screened to take along on outbound flights.^[2] The current Concourse C will be demolished and all passenger screening will be consolidated into one location at the existing Concourse A. Construction on the expansion will begin in late 2009 with completion by 2011. When the expansion is complete each gate will have a jetway except A1 as well have its own dedicated seating area. This will "make people feel better about where they are when they're here," John Schalliol, executive director of the airport, said. "We want to make your experience the best it can be."

Ground was broken on the 22,000-square-foot (2,000 m²) building about a year ago. The new concourse represents Phase One of a three-phase, $15.5 million expansion project at the airport.

Amenities in the soon-to-open building include:

• a restaurant featuring grab-and-go meals for travelers in a hurry and a sports bar for passengers who have more time to relax before their flight.
• a gift shop with Michiana-themed products.
• a business center with computer recharging stations.
• free Wi-Fi throughout the terminal.
• a playroom where children can burn off energy before their flights leave.
• a water fountain as a decorative feature.
• loading bridges installed at each gate which will enable passengers to board quickly and eliminate the existing elevators.

"I am just so pleased with the way it came out," Schalliol said while standing amid the construction. "It's just wonderful."

He is hopeful the expansion will convince more passengers to fly into and out of South Bend instead of Chicago and Fort Wayne. And although he notes new facilities do not usually attract new airlines, the local airfield will continue to court American Airlines, which closed its ticket counter about 2007, and AirTran, which is being acquired by Southwest Airlines.

Airport operations

Within the state of Indiana, the airport is second only to Indianapolis by means of passenger movements and air carrier service.^[3] In fact, according to the airport authority, South Bend is ranked in the top 25 percent of small-to-medium sized airports in terms of air service.^{[citation needed]} The airport falls to third place behind Indianapolis and Fort Wayne in cargo operations, and fifth in the state for overall take-offs and landings. Due to South Bend's proximity to Chicago, South Bend air traffic controllers work closely with Chicago Center and Chicago Approach Control to sequence aircraft into and out of Chicago's terminal airspace. These efforts make South Bend's Tower/TRACON the second busiest terminal air traffic facility in the state.

Air service

South Bend Regional Airport’s four air carriers provide non-stop flights to 10 cities: Atlanta, Chicago, Cincinnati, Cleveland, Detroit, Las Vegas, Phoenix-Mesa, Minneapolis, Orlando/Sanford, and Tampa Bay/St. Petersburg. South Bend Airport’s multi-modal terminal serves over one million air, rail and bus passengers each year. According to the 2007 Economic Impact Report from the Aviation Authority of Indiana, the South Bend Regional Airport's total annual economic impact on South Bend and surrounding communities was in excess of $433.7 million. SBN’s annual indirect and direct contribution to the Indiana economy is estimated at more than $5.2 billion.

Allegiant Air announced in March 2008 interest in providing direct international service between South Bend and Cancun, Mexico.^{[citation needed]} The airport authority told the public in a press release that now is the time to prepare for the service, not later, due to the amount of time it will take to get the customs facility operational, which could be a few years.^{[citation needed]}

This is not the first time an airline has expressed interest in bringing international flights to South Bend. In the early 2000s Air Canada's Air Georgian announced plans for international (trans-border) service between South Bend and Toronto.^{[citation needed]} That service never took off due to South Bend not being able to obtain a customs facility.

Airlines and destinations

Airlines & Destinations served from
South Bend Regional Airport
(As of 2011)

Airlines	Destinations	Concourse
Allegiant Air	Las Vegas, Orlando-Sanford, Phoenix/Mesa, St. Petersburg/Clearwater	A
Continental Connection operated by CommutAir	Cleveland	A
Delta Connection operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines	Atlanta	A
Delta Connection operated by Comair	Atlanta, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul	A
Delta Connection operated by Pinnacle Airlines	Atlanta, Detroit, Minneapolis/St. Paul	A
United Express operated by Atlantic Southeast Airlines	Chicago-O'Hare	A
United Express operated by Expressjet Airlines	Chicago-O'Hare	A
United Express operated by Mesa Airlines	Chicago-O'Hare	A
United Express operated by Shuttle America	Chicago-O'Hare	A
United Express operated by SkyWest Airlines	Chicago-O'Hare	A
United Express operated by Trans States Airlines	Chicago-O'Hare	A

Top Destinations

Top ten busiest domestic routes out of SBN
(July 2010 - June 2011) ^[4]

Rank	City	Passengers	Carriers
1	Chicago-O’Hare, IL	77,000	United
2	Detroit, MI	73,000	Delta
3	Atlanta, GA	34,000	Delta
4	Cincinnati, OH	24,000	Delta
5	Minneapolis, MN	21,000	Delta
6	Orlando-Sanford, FL	20,000	Allegiant
7	St. Petersburg, FL	19,000	Allegiant
8	Las Vegas, NV	15,000	Allegiant
9	Phoenix-Mesa, AZ	14,000	Allegiant
10	Cleveland, OH	13,000	Continental

Cargo airlines

Airlines	Destinations
FedEx Express	Fort Wayne, Memphis
FedEx Feeder operated by Mountain Air Cargo	Indianapolis
UPS Airlines	Fort Wayne

Incidents

• On April 6, 2011, a pilot flying from Chicago Executive Airport attempted to land a rented Cirrus SR22, but was hit by a gust of wind on approach. The plane landed on the left wing, cart-wheeled, and came to a stop 250 feet (76 m) from the runway. He was hospitalized in critical condition, with no one else onboard. The accident remained under investigation as of May 2011. Airport officials said no wind advisory was issued that day.^[5]

See also

	United States Air Force portal
	Military of the United States portal
	World War II portal

• South Bend Airport (NICTD) South Shore rail Line station
• Indiana World War II Army Airfields

References

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

1. ^ ^{a b} FAA Airport Master Record for SBN (Form 5010 PDF), effective 2008-09-25.
2. ^ [1]
3. ^ Bureau of Transportation Statistics
4. ^ http://www.transtats.bts.gov/airports.asp?pn=1&Airport=SBN&Airport_Name=South%20Bend,%20IN:%20Michiana%20Regional&carrier=FACTS
5. ^ [2]

External links

• South Bend Regional Airport, official site
  • Airlines
  • Live webcam
• Airline On-Time Reports compiled by the Federal Bureau of Transportation Statistics
• FAA Airport Diagram for South Bend Regional (SBN) (PDF), effective 20 October 2011
• FAA Terminal Procedures for South Bend Regional (SBN), effective 20 October 2011
• Resources for this airport:
  • AirNav airport information for KSBN
  • ASN accident history for SBN
  • FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
  • NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
  • SkyVector aeronautical chart for KSBN
  • FAA current SBN delay information