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Also Albuquerque has NO international flights even though it's called an international airport. Not even to Mexico which seems like a huge waste of opportunity to me.
Actually, Puerto Vallarta, Mexico starts December 15th nonstop on Frontier Express by Republic. We are moving on up!!!
you seem to have a paradox going here -- you don't want to live in a large urban area yet you want a major airport?
I think you also have to understand that in the UK, the only major hub is London Heathrow, and to a lesser extent London Gatwick. And if you are not going through london, you are back tracking through AMS, CDG(Paris), FRA, etc. So possibly to the poster, Albuquerque's airport seems enough like a hub.
And personally, I would rather make a quick connection than drive 70+ miles to get to a major airport. And really, like I said earlier, we do have nonstops to 40 cities. You do have to be willing to fly Southwest Airlines though to reach the majority of them nonstops. (Believe me, it is loads better than RyanAir.)
I have lived in Austin and currently live here in the suburbs of Albuquerque and NEITHER offer a major airport. You have to make tons of connections. It's one of my gripes -- I like to travel and a secondary airport drives me crazy.
I have to ask where you fly to where you make all these connections. The only reason I ask is because we do actually have service to all major U.S. Cities.
Here are our non-stops:
Amarillo, Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore (BWI), Chicago (Midway/O'Hare), Cincinnati, Cleveland (seasonal), Dallas (DFW/Love Field), Denver, El Paso, Houston (Bush/Hobby), Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, L.A.-Ontario, Lubbock, Midland/Odessa, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Newark, Oakland, Oklahoma City, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland, Puerto Vallarta Mexico (seasonal), Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma, St. Louis, Tampa Bay, Tucson, Tulsa, Washington (Dulles). Nonstop in-state service is offered to Carlsbad, Clovis, Farmington, Roswell and Silver City.
BTW, I am not nitpicking your post. But as you can tell by my proflie name, I am involved.
Um I know London well..... I also lived in the UK for a brief period.
Here's an example of flight issues. Before the very recently added non-stop United flight to Dulles in the Metro DC area -- the ONLY direct flight to the entire DC area which has THREE major airports (Dulles, BWI, National) was Southwest and that was in Baltimore. No major carriers offered a direct flight. Albuquerque is not a hub for anyone. That one Southwest flight always filled up very fast since it was the only flight. I just took the United flight and it was HEAVEN not to have to connect but easily fly directly to the nation's capitol. Even BWI was a bit of a drive back to the DC area and its suburbs.
I also like direct flights to Canada, Mexico and Europe -- none of which exist in Albuquerque.
And it's not just the "existence," it's also the availability - if there are only 1 or 2 direct flights to the major place you want to go and you don't book early enough -- you have to make a connection. At major airports, there are LOTS of direct flights to LOTS of the major cities and you have a variety of choices. That is another thing a major airport offers.
Don't get me wrong - Albuquerque does well for being a secondary airport but it isn't a major airport by any means. Not to mention the whole thing shuts down at night so if you are stuck on a late flight you better have eaten or have brought something to read. I hear this complaint constantly from business travelers. I have the same issues with the airport in Austin. When I lived there we had the small intown airport of Mueller then they built the larger one outside town which is comparable to Albuquerque but it still isn't Houston or Chicago or Dulles.
Puerta Vallarta? That's the Pacific side. Albuquerque should easily be flying daily non-stops to Cancun IMO. But maybe the market doesn't support that.
Also, none of the major tours like Apple tours operate out of Albuquerque either so when I book them I always have to fly to another city to get the direct flights -- like to Cancun or places in the Caribbean.
For me these things are important, to others they won't matter. So it really depends on your criteria. I'm not knocking the Sunport -- it's the typical secondary airport and they do a good job for what they provide. It is fairly easy to get almost anywhere in the western US from Albuquerque so as a regional airport it does very well.
I'm not knocking the Sunport -- it's the typical secondary airport and they do a good job for what they provide. It is fairly easy to get almost anywhere in the western US from Albuquerque so as a regional airport it does very well.
Well let’s be fair. Washington DC's and Baltimore’s combined metro areas are 8,207,040. Albuquerque's metro is 815,000. And it isn't a secondary airport, but rather a mid-size airport. A secondary airport would be more like Dallas Love field is to DFW or Houston Hobby is to Houston Bush Intercontinental.
Compared to cities of similar size to Albuquerque, Albuquerque has the best airport hands down for flights.
Tucson, ABQ is much Better!
Oklahoma City, ABQ is much Better!
El Paso, ABQ is much better!
Omaha, ABQ is much better!
Tulsa, ABQ is much better!
You name a city within +/-50% of Albuquerque's population, and Albuquerque will be a better airport in terms of flights ,airlines, prices, and availability hands down every time!
Obviously Chicago, Atlanta, Miami, Houston, Dallas, PHX, LA, NYC, Cincinnati, etc. are going to have better airports. But they are all URBAN, and that is what the poster is trying to get away from. So if the poster wants to live in a city of Albuquerque’s size, Albuquerque would be the best option because of the Sunport.
All of your points LLD are very valid, however, they don't all apply to the what the poster is asking for. (He doesn't want to humidity, so Washington, Dallas, Houston, Florida, New York, Chicago, Atlanta, Philly, Seattle, Portland, and other large airports are out just becuase of that.) And yes you have been very spoiled in the way of flights in Washington, DC.
Hi there. I'm a Brit living in Albuquerque - going into my 3rd year here. I am here for graduate study, so I don't exactly travel a lot, but when I do I have few problems. Flying to New York takes forever though, which is annoying.
As for life here - very different from the UK. No real humidity at all, though this summer has been too hot for me. I don't care if it's a "dry heat", 97 degrees is just too hot. I never experienced allergies before I moved here, but now in the spring I get a runny nose and headaches and all the great stuff. I find the winters here the coldest I've ever experienced, and I lived in Edinburgh for 4 years before I moved here. Night temps in December get down to -15C. You don't notice it that much if you're not a pedestrian, apparently.
Yes, you are isolated out here. But I don't really feel it that much. The rush hour traffic here will make you feel like you're in London I live in the Nob Hill area and it's a great neighbourhood in terms of being able to walk to shops, the park, and schools (inc. primary schools, middle schools and the university). A lot of the more 'family-centred' communities are in the northeast and west of the city, and they're very much places where you need to drive absolutely everywhere.
If you visit in the autumn you will love it here as it's just gorgeous. Santa Fe is much more isolated than Abq and I prefer it here because there's more to do, especially with children.
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