City: Louisville, KY

Category: Getting Here, Getting Around

Telephone: (502) 368-6524 (Airport Author

Address: 600 Terminal Drive

Description: Chicago and New Orleans are an hour’s flight from Louisville, and cities such as New York, Miami, and Houston are about two hours away, so it’s apparent that Louisville is an easy trip from most points in the South, Midwest, and Northeast. Stop and change planes once or twice, and most points in the West can be reached in a morning or afternoon. Louisville International Airport (SDF) serves all the major American airlines, although it’s only a spoke for most. And despite its “international” status, the only country served directly is Canada. Louisville International Airport is located in the southern part of the city and is situated on 1,200 acres. The passenger terminals comprise more than 360,000 square feet and have 23 boarding gates. There are 5,625 public parking spaces, including a four-level parking garage, with three levels under cover. The airport consists of two parallel runways, one crosswind runway, and more than 62,000 linear feet of taxiways. Apart from commercial passenger and general aviation activities, Louisville International Airport is also home to the Kentucky Air National Guard and UPS, Kentucky’s second-largest private-sector employer. Louisville International Airport currently has one terminal with two concourses; Concourse A houses Delta, Continental, and Northwest Airlines, in addition to American Airlines and Midwest Airlines. You’ll find United Airlines, US Airways, Frontier Airlines, and Southwest in Concourse B. The terminal is very small and easy to navigate; to claim your luggage, follow the signs to the main hallway, jump on a moving sidewalk, and at the main lobby, take the escalator to the bottom level, where you’ll also find kiosks for all the major car-rental agencies. This is where taxis and limos will be waiting as well; arriving passengers come in through the entrances on the second level. The trip to downtown Louisville takes about five minutes from the airport.May is by far the busiest time to visit Louisville, thanks to the Kentucky Derby. If you hold tickets to the annual races, arrange your flights and make accommodations well in advance. Aside from the Kentucky Derby, spring is a lovely time to visit Louisville, when the weather is warm and the dogwoods, redbuds, and azaleas are blooming. Winters in Louisville can get cold, and snow is likely from December to February, although it usually doesn’t stay on the ground for very long. If you don’t mind the cold, inexpensive flights to Louisville and discount accommodations are likely to be found in the off-season.