The United States of America, also known as the USA, the U.S., the States, the United States or simply as America, is comprised of fifty states which are mainly located in central North America. The country is bordered by Mexico to the south and Canada to the north, and lies between the Pacific and Atlantic Oceans. Of all the countries in the world, the United States is the third largest by land area and population, with over 312 million inhabitants. The fifty states of the country possess a large number of airports, some of which are considered as the busiest in the world by passenger traffic and aircraft movements, and the majority of American airports are extremely well established, with extensive passenger facilities and ground transportation services. An American airport guide is also most useful when navigating the largest of these establishments.
The states of America that are centrally located within the country include, from north to south, North Dakota, South Dakota, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma and Texas. Texas has two very large airports, namely, the Dallas/Fort Worth found between the two cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, and the Houston George Bush Intercontinental, located about 23 miles north of downtown Houston. Nebraska’s largest airport is the Eppley Airfield, and North Dakota has a number of smaller international airports, such as the Hector International. The Will Rogers World is found nearby Oklahoma City, while the Wichita Mid-Continent is located in Wichita, Kansas.
To the west of the central American states include Montana, Washington, Oregon, Idaho and Wyoming in the north, and California, Nevada, Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico in the south. The busiest American airports in these areas include Seattle-Tacoma (Washington), Portland (Oregon), Las Vegas McCarran Airport (Nevada), Salt Lake City (Utah), Denver (Colorado), Phoenix Sky Harbour Airport (Arizona) and in California, the Los Angles International, the San Diego and the San Francisco Airport.
To the east lie a large number of states, including Minnesota, Chicago, Illinois, New York, Pennsylvania, Missouri, Ohio, Virginia, Arkansas, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, Mississippi, Alabama, Georgia and Florida. In Virginia is Washington, D.C., the capital district of the country, and nearby are the large airports of Washington Dulles International and Ronald Reagan Washington National. Georgia has the busiest airport in the world, known as the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta, and Chicago in the state of Illinois is served by the Chicago O’Hare International Airport, which is the world’s third largest airport. Other important destinations in this half of America include the John F. Kennedy Airport and the LaGuardia in New York, the Philadelphia in Pennsylvania, the Minneapolis-St. Paul in Minnesota, the Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky in Kentucky, the Charlotte/Douglas International in North Carolina and Miami and Orlando in Florida.
The top five busiest destinations in America are the Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta with over 89 million passengers per annum, the Chicago O’Hare with over 66 million passengers per annum, the Los Angeles International handling over 59 million passengers every year, the Dallas/Fort Worth with nearly 58 million passengers per year and the Denver International handling over 52 million passengers per annum. These airports are also hubs for the American airline companies of United Airlines, Delta Air Lines, GeorgiaSkies, American Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Air Choice One, Alaska Airlines, Great Lakes Airlines, Horizon Air and Frontier Airlines. Although these airports have a large number of international as well as domestic travellers, the John F. Kennedy and the Miami are the busiest in the country for international passengers. The airline carriers which have a strong presence at US airports include Air Canada, British Airways, Lufthansa, Emirates, KLM, Korean Air, Qantas, Thai Airways , Air China, Air France, Air New Zealand, Air Berlin, Aeromexico, Cathay Pacific, Singapore Airlines and Swiss Airlines. Flights are available from American airports to destinations around the world, for example, Tokyo, Bangkok, Beijing, Zurich, Frankfurt, Rome, London, Paris, Amsterdam, Auckland, Mexico City, Toronto and Vancouver.
US airports, similar to those in other countries, are both small and large. The smaller locations may have only one terminal building for passenger facilities, while the larger ones have numerous buildings and several concourses which handle their flights. The air gateways with several terminals often have people mover trains for the transport of their passengers within the complex, or buses for terminal transfers. The trains are automated, high-speed transport systems available every few minutes, and are free for use by passengers. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport is equipped with the world’s largest high-speed airport train system. All airports in America have extensive passenger facilities which usually include banking and currency exchange services, shops and restaurants, Wi-Fi connections, lost and found services, luggage services and carts, restrooms and information booths. Larger terminals may also have additional services, such as barber shops, massage therapists, shoe-shine services, children’s play areas, VIP lounges, meeting room facilities, healthcare centres and hotels. Large and small USA airports are, however, accessible to disabled passengers. An American airport guide can be used for more detailed information regarding the facilities at each significant destination.
Airports in the United States of America have large highways and Interstates which link them to the nearest cities, and have extensive parking facilities for passengers arriving in their own vehicles. They are paid-parking areas, but the first few minutes of parking may be free of charge. Passengers can also travel to and from American airports by public transport, as most have buses that are frequently available. Certain large airports even have direct railway connections, such as the ‘L’ Blue Line trains of Chicago O’Hare International and the Trinity Railway Express at Dallas/Fort Worth. A large number of regional buses and courtesy hotel shuttles serve each location as well, and from nearby the exits of the terminal buildings, passengers will find taxi and limousine services. USA airports have a wide selection of car rental companies available for arriving passengers, for example, Hertz, Avis, Budget, National, Thrifty, Alamo, Auto Europa, Dollar and Enterprise. These are all internationally recognised car hire companies, offering high quality vehicles at competitive car rental rates.
Before departing from one of the large airports mentioned, it is best to consult an American airport guide for further details regarding the terminal layout, number of terminals, transport options, passenger services and parking options. American airports may also be contacted at their relevant customer service numbers, and have counters within their terminals from where information is available.
