Airline airports with 'character'
A warts-and-all look at some of this country’s special airports
From airports big and small, pilots learn the traits of many aerodromes throughout their career. We know the weather patterns, where the burbles of wind might cause a settle on final approach, and where terrain poses intimidating challenges. Just as every small, municipal airport has its traits, the big ones do too. Here’s a look at some of the unusual U.S. airports that airline crewmembers frequent and what to expect:
SFO
San Francisco, California’s airport (SFO) is interesting, with two sets of parallel runways that are only 750 feet apart. It sounds like a lot, but it sure doesn’t appear that way when you have two large airplanes flying parallel to each other on final. To maximize capacity when the weather is good, SFO lands two airplanes side by side on Runways 28L and 28R while departing two airplanes off Runways 1L and 1R nearly simultaneously. When the weather gets low, pilots obviously can’t maintain visual contact with each other, and the capacity at SFO gets cut roughly in half as arrivals and departures must be staggered to maintain separation.
SNA
Down the coast of California at Santa Ana’s John Wayne/Orange County Airport (SNA), what used to be a general aviation airport was slowly taken over by the airlines in the mid 1960s when the runway was extended to 5,700 feet. That’s not long by airline standards but good enough to get smaller jets of the day—think Douglas DC–9 and Boeing 737—in and out of there. There’s a second parallel runway but it’s only 2,887 feet long making it useful only for light general aviation airplanes, which still make up a sizable population of based airplanes despite the large airline presence. Like in most of southern California, SNA is hemmed in by urban development on all sides and noise complaints from neighbors have been a constant problem. However, if you asked them to make the trek to LAX for their next airline trip, I presume they might have a change of heart.
DCA/BOS
Washington D.C.’s Reagan National Airport (DCA) and Boston’s Logan International (BOS) get a nod for being two large-city airports located very close to their respective downtown cores while also boasting multiple intersecting runways. Pilots and controllers need to bring their A game to these airports. The January 2025 midair collision at DCA drew attention to the complexities of this airspace and has resulted in changes to airspace and operations in that area. Careful attention to controller instructions and clarification of any ambiguity is key to making these airports run smoothly. DCA tosses in a good bit of prohibited airspace to spice-up the mix as well.
DEN
Denver International (DEN) is the most modern airport on this list; it opened in 1995. While the runways are long and far apart from each other, there are still major issues when taking off or landing at DEN. Besides the obvious and ominous terrain to the west, the bigger issue is density altitude. The combination of a 5,434-foot elevation above sea level mixed with high summer temperatures challenges even the most modern airliners. The thin air requires much higher takeoff and approach speeds. In the 737 I fly, on takeoff we are often more than 190 knots ground speed by the time the main landing gear leaves the runway. The thin air also makes descent rates higher to maintain a typical three-degree glideslope on approach because your groundspeed is elevated. And despite the fact that DEN’s shortest runways are 12,000 feet long, airplanes may have to leave behind people and/or cargo because of brake energy limits or maximum tire speed limitations. Then there’s some of the wildest weather in the country just east of the Front Range. Wing-flexing turbulence, wind shear, icing, thunderstorms, snowstorms, and tornadoes are all threats at DEN.Once you get to flying big jets, you're still dealing with all the unique characteristics of airports just like you did as a student.SAN
Back to California we have San Diego International Airport (SAN). While the weather there is about as good as it gets in the U.S. except for a few months of morning clouds, SAN is challenged by a steeper-than-normal approach angle of 3.5 degrees. While that’s only 0.5 degrees steeper than the standard, it has wreaked havoc on pilots in the form of unstable approaches. In fact, it’s one of the worst in the country for unstable approaches that can lead to go-arounds, and ground proximity warnings such as “Sink Rate” or “Terrain.” There’s a hill and a parking garage just short of Runway 27 that require the steeper approach. So, the trick is to get configured earlier than normal to slow yourself down because of the steeper descent. I also like to have an alternate when flying into SAN (or any other single-runway airport) as all it takes is a disabled airplane on the runway to close down the whole operation.
This is just a cursory list of some of the more challenging airports in the U.S. I didn’t have room to get to the funky international airports to which we fly. The bottom line is that once you get to flying big jets, you’re still dealing with all the unique characteristics of airports just like you did as a student or flight instructor. As always, local knowledge is good to have.
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