Westchester County Airport

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"HPN" redirects here. For the English railway station, see Hapton railway station.
Westchester County Airport HPN

Image:Westchester airport logo.gif

IATA: HPN – ICAO: KHPN – FAA: HPN
Summary
Airport type Public
Operator Westchester County
Serves New York metropolitan area
Location Harrison, New York
Elevation AMSL 439 ft / 134 m
Coordinates 41°04′01″N 073°42′27″W / 41.06694, -73.7075
Runways
Direction Length Surface
ft m
11/29 4,451 1,357 Asphalt
16/34 6,548 1,996 Asphalt
Image:00651AD.gif
FAA diagram of Westchester County Airport (HPN)

Westchester County Airport (IATA: HPN, ICAO: KHPN, FAA LID: HPN) is a public airport located in the towns of Harrison, North Castle and Rye, New York in Westchester County. It is approximately 9 miles (14.5 km) east of the central business district of White Plains, New York. It serves the areas of Westchester, a suburban county of New York City, as well as Fairfield County, Connecticut. It also serves, to a lesser extent, the New York metropolitan area, as it is located approximately 33 miles (53 km) north of Midtown Manhattan. It is often used by those who wish to avoid the congestion of the other New York City-area airports.

Contents

[edit] History

Westchester County Airport was originally built during World War II in 1942 as a home to an Air National Guard unit to protect New York City. In May 1983, with the quick growth of the suburban area in Westchester, the Guard unit was moved to Stewart International Airport further to the north near Newburgh.

In 1947, passenger service began, and before the passing of the Airline Deregulation Act the airport was served by several regional airlines, such as Allegheny Airlines[1], Command Airways[2] and Empire Airlines[3], etc.

After several renovations, the airport today is served by 8 airlines to 18 different destinations in the United States and Canada.

On January 5 2006, the airport was the point of departure for the last flight of Independence Air; a flight to Washington, DC at 7:26pm.

In January 2007, JetBlue Airways announced that it would begin service from Westchester County in March 2007.[4][5]

JetBlue flies their A320 and Embraer 190 aircraft into and out of White Plains with service to 4 Florida destinations, which include Fort Lauderdale, West Palm Beach, Orlando, and Fort Myers.

[edit] IATA Code

The IATA Code for Westchester County Airport is HPN. There is a small debate in the origins of this IATA Code. Many believe that it is derived from the name of the city White Plains (since IATA Codes normally do not begin with W because those are reserved for radio signals). Others, however, believe that the IATA Code represents the first letter of the three neighboring communities that the airport is located within (Harrison, Purchase, and North Castle).

[edit] Terminal

Westchester County Airport has one relatively small three-level terminal with six gate spaces of which only four may be used at one time. two of these gates have jetways. The terminal also has one luggage carousel, one baggage reclaim office and 2 or 3 TSA screening lanes. JetBlue avoids delays at White Plains by using their own stairs and ramps to board the aircraft from the front and back simultaneously. The stairs and ramps are property of JetBlue and are not used by any other airline in White Plains. On the second level of the terminal there is a coffee shop, bar and restaurant with tarmac and runway views and an eatery called Skytop Restaurant. On the third floor there is an outside observation deck with views of the runway and tarmac. Also, a number of ATMs are located in the terminal along with a little candy bodega on the first floor. Both the coffee shop, bar and restaurant are before the TSA checkpoint.

Image:DSC 0105.JPG
Westchester County Airport

[edit] FBO and other Facilities

Westchester County Airport in the home of several Fixed Based Operators, including Avitat, Signature Flight Support, Landmark, NetJets, Panorama, and Million Air. Panorama and Million Air also support their own flight schools.

Although varied in the services offered, the FBOs at Westchester County Airport provide Jet A and 100LL fueling services, repairs and maintenance, aircraft tiedowns, de-icing, United States Customs, and other aircraft services. Some of the FBOs are particularly luxurious, providing limousine transportation services and deluxe surroundings.

Westchester County Airport is also the current home of the New York Wing of the United States Civil Air Patrol, as well as the Southeastern Group of the New York Wing. Both are housed in the same building as the Airport Precinct of the Westchester County Police. These facilities are currently undergoing remodeling to accommodate the recent arrival of the New York Wing.

[edit] Airlines and Destinations

[edit] Popular Culture

  • Westchester County Airport was used in the film Meet the Parents to represent Chicago's O'Hare International Airport and New York's LaGuardia Airport[6].
  • The airport was also a filming location for The Best Man and Random Hearts[7].
  • The 1986 film SpaceCamp mentions White Plains as a possible landing site for the space shuttle; the characters soon realize that the landing site they're thinking of is the White Sands Missile Range in New Mexico, and not the airport (which couldn't possibly handle a shuttle landing).[8]
  • Westchester County Airport was used in a Law & Order episode called "All In The Family"[citation needed]
  • In The West Wing episode "Celestial Navigation" Leo tells Toby and Sam to "Fly to Westchester County Airport and rent a car" in order to get their United States Supreme Court nominee, Roberto Mendoza, out of jail in Connecticut.[9]
  • The airport is featured in the remake of the Thomas Crowne Affair as a double for New York Kennedy. A character is told to "go up the escalator and make a left" to reach the International gates. Doing so would actually put her in the parking garage[citation needed].

[edit] References

[edit] Notes

  1. ^ Airliners.net Allegheny Airlines Photo
  2. ^ Command Airways Timetable Images
  3. ^ Empire Airlines Timetable Images
  4. ^ http://abclocal.go.com/wabc/story?section=business_week&id=4955279
  5. ^ http://www.thejournalnews.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070120/NEWS01/701200349/1020/NEWS04
  6. ^ Trivia for Meet the Parents, IMDb.com
  7. ^ Movies Made in Westchester County
  8. ^ SpaceCamp film script
  9. ^ West Wing transcript

CT Express Shuttle (888)392-4776,- Transportation to and from Connecticut

[edit] External links

v • d • e
Airports in the New York City area
AirportsJFK • LaGuardia • Long Island MacArthur • Newark Liberty • Stewart • Teterboro • Westchester CountyImage:Jfkairport.jpg
AirTrainAirTrain JFK • AirTrain Newark
TransportationTransportation to New York City area airports • Transportation in New York City
lmo:Westchester County Airport
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