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Big News For Little Rock National Airport


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All expansion at the airport might be put on hold. The levies that provide flood protection from the Arkansas River are not certified by FEMA.

Levees are less important on the Arkansas as the lock and dams of the McClellan-Kerr navigation system are able to control flooding to a degree, though when I was a kid I remember Cajun's Wharf flooding because the Okies opened their dams and let too much water go downstream when the Arkansas was flooding. Plus, it's not like we're in any kind of similar situation to NO.

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Levees are less important on the Arkansas as the lock and dams of the McClellan-Kerr navigation system are able to control flooding to a degree, though when I was a kid I remember Cajun's Wharf flooding because the Okies opened their dams and let too much water go downstream when the Arkansas was flooding. Plus, it's not like we're in any kind of similar situation to NO.

Flooding is not the problem but certification is. The airport is in a flood zone and expansion could be prevented by FEMA. If levees are not certified then on paper they do not exist. In Little Rock the area under concern besides the airport is the port and downtown.

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  • 1 month later...

I was on LR Nationals site and they had a flight to Sioux Falls, South Dakota on NW Airlines. Does that make any since? They also have several flights on British Airways to Chicago O'Hare and DFW.

Arivals and Depatures

The link wont show the sioux city flight after today at 11:55 pm

These are codeshare flights (the British Airways flight) through American on the One World Airline Alliance. Just like how Air France is a codeshare partner on the MEM-Amsterdam flight on Northwest and KLM. As far as Sioux Falls, that's a LIT-MEM or LIT-MSP flight that then continues on to Sioux Falls after the stop at one of the hub.

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Flooding is not the problem but certification is. The airport is in a flood zone and expansion could be prevented by FEMA. If levees are not certified then on paper they do not exist. In Little Rock the area under concern besides the airport is the port and downtown.

Has the LR airport ever flooded? Even in the flood that occurred when I was in my early teens and Cajun-s Wharf flooded downtown and the airport were not affected. The levees combined with the lock and dam system really prevent a lot of flooding along LR's stretch of the Arkansas.

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  • 2 weeks later...

looks like the airport expansion might really happen. 100 million + project in the works per Arkansas Business. This would include a new terminal and land aquisistion. Project plans are to be released in the coming weeks. Also, there are talks of international flights to Mexico and Italy.

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looks like the airport expansion might really happen. 100 million + project in the works per Arkansas Business. This would include a new terminal and land aquisistion. Project plans are to be released in the coming weeks. Also, there are talks of international flights to Mexico and Italy.

Holy crap....that sounds great.....I'm on it!

Here's the clincher:

The issue that must be addressed with the expansion is how to pay for it, Moses said, because the airlines, most of them bankrupt, do not want to pay any more than they are now paying.

Good luck with getting this off the ground (pun intended).

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looks like the airport expansion might really happen. 100 million + project in the works per Arkansas Business. This would include a new terminal and land aquisistion. Project plans are to be released in the coming weeks. Also, there are talks of international flights to Mexico and Italy.

I hate to rain on LR parade, but I can assure you that LRN will not be getting International Flights to Italy. How many people would fly daily to Italy from Little Rock? 2 3. Considering that Alitalia (Italy's National Airline) only offers service to Miami, New York JFK, Boston, and Chicago in the United States, it seems near impossible for Little Rock to get service. I know that the an airport official mentioned that, but I can assure you that will never happen to Little Rock National.

I'm not even sure if I can see flights to Mexico. Aeromexico offers flights to Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Atlanta, El Paso, Orlando, Miami, Salt Lake City, Tucson, Phoenix, Boston, New York JFK, etc. Mexicana offers flights to San Antonio, Miami, Denver, Las Vegas, New York City, Portland Ore, and many cities in California.

Untill I see an official annoucement from airlines, I don't believe that Little Rock is getting International Flights. Markets like Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Austin, Jacksonville, and Louisville don't even have international flights. International Flights usually don't come to airports unless they have 4 Million + Emplaments, with exceptions to cities near International borders (ex. El Paso). International Flights don't come to Markets without a medium or large sized airline hub. Little Rock doesn't have one, therefore I can't see International Flights coming for an extremly long time.

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I hate to rain on LR parade, but I can assure you that LRN will not be getting International Flights to Italy. How many people would fly daily to Italy from Little Rock? Considering that Alitalia (Italy's National Airline) only offers service to Miami, New York JFK, Boston, and Chicago in the United States, it seems near impossible for Little Rock to get service. I know that the an airport official mentioned that, but I can assure you that will never happen to Little Rock National.

I'm not even sure if I can see flights to Mexico. Aeromexico offers flights to Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Atlanta, El Paso, Orlando, Miami, Salt Lake City, Tucson, Phoenix, Boston, New York JFK, etc. Mexicana offers flights to San Antonio, Miami, Denver, Las Vegas, New York City, Portland Ore, and many cities in California.

Untill I see an official annoucement from airlines, I don't believe that Little Rock is getting International Flights. Markets like Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Austin, Jacksonville, and Louisville don't even have international flights. International Flights usually don't come to airports unless they have 4 Million + Emplaments, with exceptions to cities near International borders (ex. El Paso).

First of all, I don't think where Aeromexico or Alitalia fly has much to do with it. American airlines fly to other countries much more often than they fly here. You can get to Mexico or the Caribbean just as easily on American or US Airways.

That said, it makes little sense to have a direct international flight from Little Rock. I do think it makes sense to build a larger terminal, though. The facade and parking garages helped update the airport significantly but that's the logical next step as the busy airlines - Southwest, AA, and Delta - really seem to have to pack in flights closely at some gates and there is rarely a vacant gate in the daytime. The trend by airlines (save Southwest) to smaller regional jets with much smaller capacities than the older larger ones probably exacerbates this problem as there seem to be many more flights, just with smaller planes.

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^

Almost every single American Airlines International Flight is out of a hub or an extremly large city.

My understanding of this expansion seemed aimed more towards jobs, with more room for Dassault Falcon and Central Arkansas Aviation.

Yeah, I know read what I said. I just made the point that LR was too small a market, I just mentioned that where smaller foreign airlines fly isn't necessarily a good indicator of where the larger American airlines (not the company AA) will fly. There are a lot more cities with direct flights to Mexico than the ones Aeromexico flies to in the U.S.

The expansion and all of that money is about building the new terminal. Like I said, the current one is too cramped. The secondary concern is that the city would like to create more land for Falcon, Raytheon, etc and ultimately this will have to mean expanding as the airport is surrounded by developed land. The surrounding neighborhoods are occupied and some of the most impoverished in the city and I think the city sees eliminating some of that older decaying housing and giving the companies with large facilities at the airport a chance to expand is win-win.

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Yeah, I know read what I said. I just made the point that LR was too small a market, I just mentioned that where smaller foreign airlines fly isn't necessarily a good indicator of where the larger American airlines (not the company AA) will fly. There are a lot more cities with direct flights to Mexico than the ones Aeromexico flies to in the U.S.

Sorry, I misunderstood you.

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I hate to rain on LR parade, but I can assure you that LRN will not be getting International Flights to Italy. How many people would fly daily to Italy from Little Rock? 2 3. Considering that Alitalia (Italy's National Airline) only offers service to Miami, New York JFK, Boston, and Chicago in the United States, it seems near impossible for Little Rock to get service. I know that the an airport official mentioned that, but I can assure you that will never happen to Little Rock National.

I'm not even sure if I can see flights to Mexico. Aeromexico offers flights to Dallas, Houston, San Antonio, Atlanta, El Paso, Orlando, Miami, Salt Lake City, Tucson, Phoenix, Boston, New York JFK, etc. Mexicana offers flights to San Antonio, Miami, Denver, Las Vegas, New York City, Portland Ore, and many cities in California.

Untill I see an official annoucement from airlines, I don't believe that Little Rock is getting International Flights. Markets like Tulsa, Oklahoma City, Austin, Jacksonville, and Louisville don't even have international flights. International Flights usually don't come to airports unless they have 4 Million + Emplaments, with exceptions to cities near International borders (ex. El Paso). International Flights don't come to Markets without a medium or large sized airline hub. Little Rock doesn't have one, therefore I can't see International Flights coming for an extremly long time.

Umm, Louisville has tons of international cargo flights as it is one of the largest cargo hubs in the world.

Louisville also has international passenger flights to Cancun and Toronto, but it varies by time of year I think. I am sure Jacksonville and Austin probably also have a couple flights to Mexico or Canada.

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Umm, Louisville has tons of international cargo flights as it is one of the largest cargo hubs in the world.

Louisville also has international passenger flights to Cancun and Toronto, but it varies by time of year I think. I am sure Jacksonville and Austin probably also have a couple flights to Mexico or Canada.

Nashville's getting one to Tokyo, bizarrely enough.

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Umm, Louisville has tons of international cargo flights as it is one of the largest cargo hubs in the world.

Louisville also has international passenger flights to Cancun and Toronto, but it varies by time of year I think. I am sure Jacksonville and Austin probably also have a couple flights to Mexico or Canada.

Cargo is a lot different than passenger flights. UPS has it's flagship operation there.

Jacksonville has no International flights, I can assure you of this. Austin has a flight to Cancun (I know I lied), but Austin is close to the Mexican Border as well it's MSA is over 1 Million.

Now, Little Rock may get a Mexico Flight. I'm seeing a bit of opportunity here with the Mexican Consulate, Tourist Attractions, etc. But, Little Rock is only 90 or so miles from Memphis International, which is a hub for Northwest with flights to Amsterdam and such. Airlines aren't doing to hot as well. Many airlines such as Northwest and Delta have significantly reduced number of flights to cities in the U.S. as well as decrease aircraft size to avoid bankruptcy.

Apork. I saw that about Nashville getting a flight to Tokyo. Oddly enough, I guess it seems bound to happen. I think they mentioned that hundreds of Japanese Companies are located in Nashville plus Nissan putting a Headquarters there. I know Nashville used to have an International Flight to London on AA, but it was cancelled in 1995 (I'm sure).

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Apork. I saw that about Nashville getting a flight to Tokyo. Oddly enough, I guess it seems bound to happen. I think they mentioned that hundreds of Japanese Companies are located in Nashville plus Nissan putting a Headquarters there. I know Nashville used to have an International Flight to London on AA, but it was cancelled in 1995 (I'm sure).

Sorry, but the article was how Nissan was interested in a BNA-Tokyo flight...not one that was confirming a flight starting up soon. Also, the article stated that there are hundreds of Japanese companies and citizens located throughout the state. The Japanese PM was in Memphis a few weeks ago and was in discussion with several companies in Memphis. The most likely scenario will be that Memphis will get the Tokyo flight due to the fact that Northwest has a large hub in Tokyo and b/c legislation has been progressing for the past few years to get the flight enacted.

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Sorry, but the article was how Nissan was interested in a BNA-Tokyo flight...not one that was confirming a flight starting up soon. Also, the article stated that there are hundreds of Japanese companies and citizens located throughout the state. The Japanese PM was in Memphis a few weeks ago and was in discussion with several companies in Memphis. The most likely scenario will be that Memphis will get the Tokyo flight due to the fact that Northwest has a large hub in Tokyo and b/c legislation has been progressing for the past few years to get the flight enacted.

Damn those journalists!! They always make things tipsy turney in an article. You're right about Memphis more than likely getting it. Northwest has been rigoursly expanding to the Far-East, and since Memphis is a hub, it only makes since to have a flight to Tokyo. They just made it sound like it was a done deal in Nashville. Oh well, life goes on.

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Damn those journalists!! They always make things tipsy turney in an article. You're right about Memphis more than likely getting it. Northwest has been rigoursly expanding to the Far-East, and since Memphis is a hub, it only makes since to have a flight to Tokyo. They just made it sound like it was a done deal in Nashville. Oh well, life goes on.

you should read the Indianapolis paper...talk about tipsy journalists...i think a few months ago there was an article about how FedEx was leaving Memphis entirely to go to Indy...crazy stuff!!!

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Interesting tidbits from ABN. Arkansas's biggest export? Rice, soybeans, cotton? Nope, it's aircraft. The LR Nat'l Airport has been a hub for this for years with Dassault Falcon Jet and Raytheon. Apparently if the airport can acquire more land both want to expand and bring in multiple ancillary companies to assist their operations. In the days when manufacturing jobs are few and far between that sounds like a damn good deal.

As an aside, FedEx once started as Little Rock Aeromotive, an outfit that spruced up jets for upper-tier executives and celebrities. That would've been a nice company to keep in LR.

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Im not sure so much that Dassult and Raytheom is considered an "Export" but more allong the lines of "Economic impact" Aviation is HUGE in Arkansas. Preliminary data shows the total aviation impact for Arkansas is over $3 Billion annually (For all 91 public airports in the state combined).

A State Airport System Plan for Arkansas will be completed this fall which will highlight Aviation's Impact to Arkansas.

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Umm, Louisville has tons of international cargo flights as it is one of the largest cargo hubs in the world.

Louisville also has international passenger flights to Cancun and Toronto, but it varies by time of year I think. I am sure Jacksonville and Austin probably also have a couple flights to Mexico or Canada.

Cargo and PDX are two totally different things ppassafi. Your flights to Mexico are only seasonal at best with a very, very small airline. Were talking an airline with a fleet of three (3) 737's.

AND NB, Memphis wasn't ONCE mentioned to get a flight to Tokyo. Why do you continue to believe that it was????

If there is a new international flight in Tennessee, it will go to Nashville and that's the end of it. Even if it is subsidized by Nissan.

The Japanese PM was in Memphis to go to Graceland and that's about it. There wasn't this economic conference that it seems he thinks there was there. Just a leader of a nation that happens to like Karaoke and Elvis.

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Cargo and PDX are two totally different things ppassafi. Your flights to Mexico are only seasonal at best with a very, very small airline. Were talking an airline with a fleet of three (3) 737's.

AND NB, Memphis wasn't ONCE mentioned to get a flight to Tokyo. Why do you continue to believe that it was????

If there is a new international flight in Tennessee, it will go to Nashville and that's the end of it. Even if it is subsidized by Nissan.

The Japanese PM was in Memphis to go to Graceland and that's about it. There wasn't this economic conference that it seems he thinks there was there. Just a leader of a nation that happens to like Karaoke and Elvis.

There is about a 0% chance of BNA getting a direct flight to NRT (Tokyo). The Nissan HQ totals all of 400 people. If half of them were going to Tokyo everyday, then it might work.

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There is about a 0% chance of BNA getting a direct flight to NRT (Tokyo). The Nissan HQ totals all of 400 people. If half of them were going to Tokyo everyday, then it might work.

Actually there is over 1200 (Nissan) employed there and more contractors. And another 8000 at their factory.

And yeah, I have some connections high up at the airport that say it is in fact possible to get a flight from here to Tokyo. Matter of fact, it was talked about two years ago in semi-private meetings with an airline that currently serves Nashville. With a 6.5% growth rate and over 9 million passengers served last year, it is a possiblity. Ever heard of Southwest for example? They don't fly international yet, but they are going to start.

You obviously have no clue about what you are talking about as the flight wouldn't be a everyday flight. I don't think that was ever mentioned in the article aobut it.

If anyone feels the urge to debate/talk a flight from Nashville to anywhere over an ocean or sea...feel free to post it here in the Nashville forum. I have a thread devoted to the airport. Let's not clutter this thread up with stuff that isn't relevant to Little Rock. Here is the link.... http://www.urbanplanet.org/forums/index.php?showtopic=27899

I just came on here to clarify some misleading statements by one poster. Not start a fight.

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I give SOME city in Tennessee getting a flight to Tokyo pretty good odds. It seems TN is the state with the 2nd highest amount of Japanese investment in the US behind California. A direct flight seems pretty durn inevitable to me at those rates. Here's an article that discusses TN-Japanese business:

http://www.t-g.com/story/1122911.html

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