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Palm Beach International Airport
Palm Beach International Airport
IATA: PBI – ICAO: KPBI – FAA: PBI
Summary
Airport type	Public
Owner	Palm Beach County Department of Airports
Serves	West Palm Beach, Florida
Elevation AMSL	19 ft / 6 m
Coordinates	26°40′59″N 80°05′44″W / 26.68306°N 80.09556°W
Website	www.pbia.org
Runways
Statistics (2007)
Aircraft operations	199,681
Based aircraft	116
	Source: Federal Aviation Administration

Palm Beach International Airport (IATA: PBI, ICAO: KPBI, FAA LID: PBI) is a public airport located 3 miles (5 kilometers) west of West Palm Beach, Florida and serves Palm Beach County. The airport is operated and maintained by Palm Beach County Department of Airports. Road access to the airport is available directly from I-95, Southern Boulevard, and Congress Avenue. The airport is bordered to the west by Military Trail.

[edit] History

For the military use of the Airport, see Palm Beach Air Force Base

Palm Beach International Airport (PBIA) began operations as Morrison Field in 1936. Morrison Field was named in honour of Miss Grace K. Morrison who was a key participant in the planning and organization of the airfield. The first flight departing the field was a New York bound Eastern Air Lines DC-2 in 1936. The airport was officially dedicated on December 19, 1936.

In 1937 the airport was expanded beyond an airstrip and an administration building when the Palm Beach Aero Corporation obtained a lease, built hangars and the first terminal on the south side of the airport. The new terminal became known as the Eastern Air Lines Terminal. The field was used by the U.S. Army Air Corps during World War II, commencing in 1941. Following the attack on Pearl Harbor Morrison field was used as a base for the allied invasion of France, many planes took off from Morrison, en route to the United Kingdom, to take part in the D-Day invasion of Normandy.

In 1947 the Army Air Corps moved to Mobile, Alabama and commercial services by Eastern and National Airlines resumed from Morrison Field. On August 11, 1948, the name of the airport was changed to Palm Beach International Airport. The airport was once again used by the military in 1951. Renamed Morrison Air Force Base, the facility was used to train nearly 23,000 airmen during the Korean War. On March 1953 the county opened the airport's second passenger terminal on the south side of the field. Following the Korean War, the federal government attempted to make Morrison AFB a permanent military installation, however the County fought the move and took over airport operations in 1959. Delta Air Lines began scheduled service in 1959 and was followed by Capital Airlines in 1960. Jet-powered flights were introduced by Eastern Airlines in 1959 with the turboprop Lockheed L-188 Electra.

On October 1966 a jet-age eight-gate Main Terminal Building was opened on the northeast quadrant of the airport. In 1974, Delta Air Lines moved into its own six-gate unit terminal which featured the airport's first jetways. The FAA built a new ATC Control Tower on the south side of the airport during this period.

On October 23, 1988, the 25-gate David McCampbell Terminal, named for World War II naval flying ace, Medal of Honor recipient and Palm Beach County resident CAPT David McCampbell, USN (Ret) was officially dedicated. The 550,000 square foot (51,000 m²) terminal was designed with expansion in mind and can be doubled in size when required.

In 2003 its terminal was voted among the finest in the nation by the readers of Conde Nast Traveler Magazine. In that same year, a new landscaped and state of the art I-95 interchange was built to decrease traffic on Southern Blvd (US 98) extending Turnage Boulevard (the road around the perimeter of the concourse).

Aggressive competition for the southern end of the airport's market from rapidly expanding Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood International Airport led to an unanticipated stagnation of passenger growth at the airport throughout the 1990s. The 2001 recession and the September 11th terrorist attacks further inhibited growth in 2001 and 2002. However, rapid development in South Florida since 2002 has finally led to a surge of passenger traffic at the airport. In addition, discount carriers such as JetBlue decided to make PBIA a mini-hub for travellers from the northeast during this period, further increasing traffic at the airport. In 2006, the County embarked on an interim expansion program by breaking ground on a new 7 story parking garage and the addition of 3 gates within Concourse C. Long range expansions include an expansion of gates at Concourse B and the eventual construction of a new 14 gate Concourse D to be extended east from the present terminal.^{[citation needed]}

A panorama of Palm Beach International Airport, taken from what was the 391st Bomb Group Restaurant off of Southern Boulevard.

[edit] Annual passenger counts

Enplaning and deplaning combined.^[2]

2008 - 6,476,303 ^[3]
2007 - 6,936,449 ^[4]
2006 - 6,824,789
2005 - 7,014,237
2004 - 6,537,263
2003 - 6,010,820
2002 - 5,483,662
2001 - 5,934,904
2000 - 5,842,594
1999 - 5,742,634
1998 - 5,899,482
1997 - 5,813,361
1996 - 5,680,913
1995 - 5,418,831
1994 - 5,588,540
1993 - 5,074,132
1992 - 5,023,963
1991 - 5,077,573
1990 - 5,691,410

[edit] Facilities

Palm Beach International Airport covers 2,120 acres (858 ha) and has three runways:

Runway 9L/27R: 10,008 x 150 ft. (3,050 x 46 m), Surface: Asphalt
Runway 9R/27L: 3,213 x 75 ft. (979 x 23 m), Surface: Asphalt
Runway 13/31: 6,931 x 150 ft. (2,113 x 46 m), Surface: Asphalt

[edit] Air Traffic Control Tower

A new 240-foot Air Traffic Control tower is currently under construction on the north side of the airport (west of concourse A, off Belvedere Rd.) along with a single-story, 9,000-square foot ATBM Base Building.^[5] The current tower lies on the southern side of the airport.

[edit] Helicopters

Helicopter operations typically use 09R/27L or its parallel taxiways, or make a direct approach to either Customs or the Galaxy Aviation ramp.

Palm Beach County Sheriffs Office (PBSO) maintains its air division from a hangar at the southwest corner of the airport.

Health Care District of Palm Beach County operates the Traumahawk with Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue from a hangar at the southwest corner of the airport, next to PBSO.

[edit] Other Hangars

General Aviation FBO's and hangars are located along the southern edge of the airport, with entrance access available by the Jet Aviation FBO.

[edit] Fire Protection and Emergency Medical Services

The Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue Aviation Battalion is located between runways at PBI. The battalion is made up of 3 shifts of Aviation Firefighters, Florida Paramedics, a shift Lieutenant and District Chief. The Aviation Battalion Chief oversees all aspects in the battalion. The battalion is responsible for Emergency Medical Services and fire protection for the entire airport.

There is 1 Rescue/Pumper unit (ambulance/mini-pumper), 4 Airport Crash Trucks, 1 mobile command unit, 1 support truck (with backboards, body bags, air bottles, etc.), 1 airplane stair truck, and 3 Battalion Officer vehicles in the Battalion.^[6]

[edit] Airlines and destinations

Destinations with direct service from PBI

The following airlines fly to Palm Beach International Airport:

[edit] Concourse A

Airlines	Destinations
Continental Connection operated by Gulfstream International Airlines	Key West, Marsh Harbour, Nassau, Tallahassee, Tampa, Treasure Cay
Bahamasair	Marsh Harbour

[edit] Concourse B

Airlines	Destinations
Air Canada	Toronto-Pearson [seasonal]
AirTran Airways	Atlanta, Baltimore, White Plains
Continental Airlines	Cleveland, Houston-Intercontinental, Newark
Continental Express operated by ExpressJet Airlines	Cleveland, Houston-Intercontinental
Southwest Airlines	Baltimore, Long Island/Islip, Philadelphia, Tampa
US Airways	Charlotte, Philadelphia, Washington-Reagan

[edit] Concourse C

Airlines	Destinations
American Airlines	Chicago-O'Hare [seasonal], Dallas/Fort Worth, New York La Guardia [seasonal]
JetBlue Airways	Boston, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Newark, White Plains
Delta Air Lines	Atlanta, Boston, Hartford
Delta Connection operated by Comair	Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky
Northwest Airlines	Detroit, Memphis [begins December 17], New York-LaGuardia
Spirit Airlines	Detroit [seasonal], Atlantic City [seasonal]

[edit] Public transportation

Palm Tran buses #40 and #44 serve the airport. Both provide connections to the West Palm Beach Tri-Rail/Amtrak/Greyhound station.

[edit] In popular culture

Palm Beach International Airport was used in Police Academy 5: Assignment Miami Beach. The airport is about 70 miles (110 km) from Miami, the focal point of the film. This fact is proven in the film as a floor mat with the large letters 'PBIA' printed upon it can be plainly seen.

[edit] Controversies

In conjunction with the slated construction of a new ATC tower at PBIA, the FAA intended to transfer all of PBIA's air traffic controllers whose assigned sector is between 5 and 40 miles (60 km) from the airport to a remote facility at Miami International Airport. Ground traffic controllers, and approach controllers whose sector is within 5 miles (8 km) of the runway would have remained at PBIA. The FAA cited the move as a cost cutting measure, but critics say that it creates a risk to South Florida air traffic if the Miami facility is damaged in a hurricane, or terrorist attack. The National Air Traffic Controllers Association opposed the move. The remote facility at Miami International Airport currently houses air traffic controllers for both Miami and Fort Lauderdale international airports.

[edit] Incidents involving PBI

On September 12, 1980, a Florida Commuter Airlines Douglas DC-3 crashed into the Atlantic Ocean on route to Freeport International Airport from Palm Beach International Airport. There were no survivors.
On January 30, 2008, American Airlines Flight 1738, a Boeing 757 flying from Luis Muñoz Marín International Airport in San Juan, Puerto Rico to Philadelphia International Airport, had to make an emergency landing in West Palm Beach after the captain reported smoke in the cockpit. Of the 137 passengers and seven crewmembers, one passenger and five crewmembers were taken to the hospital, including the captain and the first officer.^[7]
On February 22, 2008, American Airlines Flight 862, a McDonnell Douglas MD-80 flying from Palm Beach International Airport to O'Hare International Airport in Chicago, IL, was diverted to Miami International Airport for an emergency landing due to nose gear trouble. Of the 130 passengers on board there were no injuries reported.^[8]
On March 12, 2009, best-selling author and international leadership guru, John Maxwell, was arrested at Palm Beach International for trying to board a plane with a concealed weapon. According to the report, the TSA screener noticed a handgun displayed inside Maxwell's briefcase. Maxwell told TSA officials that the gun was recently given to him as a gift and that he had simply forgotten to take it out of the briefcase. He was charged with possession of a concealed weapon while attempting to board an airplane and was released from jail on bond, while awaiting trial. Maxwell addressed the incident on his personal website [1], calling it "one of the stupidest things" he has ever done.^[9]

[edit] See also

Florida World War II Army Airfields

[edit] References

[edit] External links

Palm Beach International Airport, official site
- Terminal Map with airlines
Palm Beach International Airport 1966-1988
26°41′00″N 80°05′44″W / 26.6832°N 80.0956°W / 26.6832; -80.0956
Resources for this airport:
- AirNav airport information for KPBI
- ASN accident history for PBI
- FlightAware airport information and live flight tracker
- NOAA/NWS latest weather observations
- SkyVector aeronautical chart for KPBI
- FAA current PBI delay information

[FAA-0] FAA Airport Master Record for PBI (Form 5010 PDF), effective 2007-12-20

[1] Passenger and Rental Reports - Palm Beach International Airport

[2] ttp://www.pbia.org/Airport/Business/reports/traffic/2008_12.pdf

[3] ttp://www.pbia.org/Airport/Business/reports/traffic/2007_12.pdf

[4] ttp://www.pcl.com/projects/Active/6101066/index.aspx

[5] Aaron Lang - Palm Beach County Fire-Rescue

[6] ttp://www.floridatoday.com/apps/pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20080131/BREAKINGNEWS/80131001/1086

[7] ttp://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20080222/ap_on_re_us/diverted_flight

[8] ttp://www.wptv.com/news/local/story/Pastor-John-Maxwell-arrested/pREg-MkIoEW0w1p6ZSKGew.cspx

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