With more than two million passengers using Little Rock National Airport every year, it is not surprising to find that LIT is the state's largest commercial airport. Known professionally as Adams Field, the airport, commonly referred to as Little Rock National Airport, handles 150 flights every day to more than a dozen cities.
Little Rock National Airport has just finished a number of renovations to the main terminal and more are underway. Six years ago, a new parking garage was added connecting the garage to the terminals with a covered walkway. When all is said and done, the airport will have seen more than $180 million in improvements.
The goal of the airport is to make all travelers feel welcome and satisfied during their time in the airport. A large art gallery near Gate 6 is an excellent way to spend time while waiting for a flight, and a nice array of restaurants are perfect for a quick snack, sit-down meal, or cold drink. Smoking is not allowed in the airport, which can pose a problem with some smokers. There are a couple designated smoking areas outside, away from the terminal.
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Long-Term Parking is the largest lot on the airport grounds, so spaces are generally available without issue. Free shuttle service takes passengers to and from the terminal. Parking in this lot costs $1 per hour with a maximum daily rate of $8.
Discount Airport Parking - Known as the "Peanut Lot," the discount parking area is located to the left of the terminal and does require passengers to take a short walk to reach the terminals. Rates in this area are $1 per hour or $6 per day. The shuttle buses do not pass this lot.
Handicapped spaces are available in the main parking deck where the rates are $1 per hour or $10 per day. Fast Class is another option with handicapped spaces. Here passengers exit the parking area quickly by running their credit card through the machine. There are a limited number of spaces in both of these areas, however. Valet parking is often the better option because passengers will be dropped off and picked up in their own vehicle right in front of the terminal. Handicapped passengers do receive a discount on the daily rate.
Airport Hotel Parking - Comfort Inn & Suites Little Rock and Rodeway Inn & Suites Little Rock both offer "Sleep, Park, and Fly" packages. These hotel packages offer a room before and/or after a passenger's flight plus free parking for a period of up to ten days usually at no charge. This not only saves money but allows passengers to refresh themselves before or after a tiring flight.
Valet Parking is new to the airport, but makes parking extremely easy. Drivers need only pull up to the front curb near curbside check-in and then pay the flat rate of $12 per day. Valet Parking opens at 4am and remains open until the final flight of the day.
Little Rock National Airport (IATA: LIT, ICAO: KLIT, FAA LID: LIT), officially designated Adams Field, is located 2 miles (3 km) east of the central business district of Little Rock, a city in Pulaski County, Arkansas, United States.[1] It is Arkansas' largest commercial service airport, serving more than 2.5 million passengers in 2005. The airport attracts passengers from a large part of Arkansas as well as a number of surrounding states.
Although the airport does not have direct international passenger flights, there are more than 150 flight arrivals and departures at Little Rock each day, with non-stop jet service to 18 national/international gateway cities.
The regional jet made its first appearance at Little Rock National in 1997, with three daily flights by Delta Connection carrier, Comair, to Cincinnati. Comair has now been joined by other Delta Connection carriers as well as American Eagle, Continental Express, Northwest Airlink, United Express, and US Airways Express in operating the regional jet at Little Rock.
Adams Field is named after Captain George Geyer Adams, 154th Observation Squadron, Arkansas National Guard, who was killed in the line of duty on September 4, 1937.
American Airlines was the first airline to serve Little Rock when it first landed at Adams Field in June 1931.
In 1972, the airport unveiled its current 12-gate terminal.
On June 1, 1999, American Airlines Flight 1420 crashed upon landing at Little Rock National Airport on a flight from Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, killing the pilot and 10 passengers.
On July 18, 2006, it was announced that the airport approved funding for studying the feasibility for building a new terminal. If deemed feasible, the project will take about four years to complete.[citation needed]
Continental Airlines announced on September 14, 2007 that on May 4, 2008, it would launch new Continental Express service to the airline's Cleveland hub.
Mexicana is talking with the officials of Little Rock to potentially start services. if so, Mexicana would be the first international airline flying to the airport.
Facilities and aircraft
Adams Field covers an area of 2,000 acres (809 ha) which contains three runways and one helipad. For the 12-month period ending December 31, 2005, the airport had 167,880 aircraft operations, an average of 459 per day: 42% general aviation, 23% air taxi, 15% scheduled commercial and 20% military. At that time there were 152 aircraft based at this airport: 45% single-engine, 32% multi-engine, 22% jet and 1% helicopter.
Terminal
The airport has a single, elongated terminal building with 12 gates. Six gates are located along the length of the terminal (three on either side) and a circular area at the end has six more gates.
The terminal handles more passenger traffic than it was originally designed for. Nineteen planes are berthed every night, and the circular area - where Southwest Airlines, the airport's largest carrier, controls three gates - is especially vulnerable to crowds and long lines. The new terminal will be Y-shaped and have 20 gates to better serve the growing number of passengers who pass through the airport each year.
