Spokane International Airport (Geiger Field) - Spokane, WA - Commercial Airport

Spokane International Airport is located 5 miles out of Spokane in Washington. It's the primary commercial airport of the area and is the second largest in the entire state of Washington, with some 3.4 million passengers passing through it in 2008.

Spokane International Airport was originally known as Sunset Field before being renamed Geiger Field in 1941 after Major Harold Geiger. By 1946 it became the municipal airport for Spokane and had yet another name change in 1960. This time the name stuck, and it's been known as Spokane International Airport ever since.

Expansion and improvement projects have been underway almost since its conception and continue to this day. Currently, the airport is home to two runways and 24 gates on three concourses, offering over 100,000 operations a year. Some of the main airlines that serve the airport include Alaska Airlines, Delta, Horizon Air, Frontier Airlines and US Airways, to name but a few. As a cargo airport it's also served by carriers DHL Express, UPS Worldwide, Federal Express and United Parcel Service who handle some 52,000 tons of cargo annually.

The airport terminal has everything the modern passenger requires including Wi-Fi access, snacks, restaurants and retail outlets, and even the on-site Ramada Hotel for stop-over's, conferences or dinners. Get last-minute flight essentials, grab a coffee or catch up on some business; passengers will be able to do everything they would expect as they wait for their flight.

There are a number of parking options available, including parking garages and lot parking. Prices vary according to where you choose to park, starting at $6 a day or $42 per week in the North Shuttle Parking lot (so-called because a free shuttle bus takes passengers to and from the terminal) to $9 a day or $63 a week to stay in the parking garages.

Rental car companies operate from the airport, including Alamo, Dollar and Hertz. There are a number of shuttle services that pass the airport as well as the Spokane Transport Authority-provided bus service that takes passengers directly to or from the Transportation Plaza in downtown Spokane. There's a local taxi cab firm available and several hotels in the surrounding area even offer van transportation to and from the airport, so it's worth checking in advance to see what they can do for you.

It isn't surprising that Spokane International Airport is one of the largest and busiest in the area, with flights operating on a daily basis to cities throughout the United States. It's considered by the FAA as a small hub and will surely only continue to grow in popularity and size with improvements continuing to be made.