Kalamazoo-Battle Creek International Airport

Many years ago when I used to fly into AZO, it was a much older airport with disagreeable staff. This is when I started to fly into ORD and drive up to Kalamazoo — that’s how much I hated the AZO airport experience. But many years later, my husband and I started to dislike the unpredictability of traffic flow into and out of Chicago, not to mention it was cutting into precious family time. So in the last year or so we started to fly into AZO. My goodness what a phenomenal change. The airport was not as I remembered it. It’s unbelievably clean and looks great too. Everyone we encountered there, whether they were ticket agents, airline staff or TSA agents, were very sweet and helpful.
So a few additional tips, because it is a smaller airport, there’s no need to get there 2 hours before domestic flights. We got there perhaps an hour or so before and even with a slightly complex baggage change, we had ample time before departure. They also do have TSA pre-​check there now.

Wow, what a horrible airport experience. Bad enough that they searched my luggage like I’m a criminal, even though I have had a thorough TSA background check for the TSA precheck program.
But, there is only one restaurant. It closes at 7. I’m here at 630. All flights are delayed, nobody got anywhere. The bar won’t serve a drink because they close at 7. The restaurant has. No food to sell, no menu at all. Because they close at 7, the ovens are already off and cold, and they have nothing to offer. Unless I want a two day old sandwich or a three day old salad. Oh, and again, it’s 630. Bartender says «I don’t work for them.» The guy at the counter says, «I don’t make the rules». When I ask who does, he names some corporation, and of course they aren’t here.
So, we have nowhere to go, no food or drink, and no option. How can it be that you can’t get any food at 630 pm? Not to mention, how did they manage to find the most apathetic staff you could ever meet?
Maybe considering this, the airport has a snack machine? Nope. I travel here for work, but I won’t return to Kalmazoo. There are other places I could’ve flown into, and I will next time.

This airport has really gotten a makeover since I used it last. I recently flew out of here to go to Houston as they were offering better fares from here than from Detroit. I never minded flying from this place as the facility is small and user-​friendly. There are only three airlines that operate here utilizing five gates. The airport served just over a quarter-​million passengers in 2014. It is extremely easy to navigate and is not at all onerous to use. The major downside is that there are only four or five destinations to which you can fly directly.
My drive time to AZO is longer than to DTW but this place is easy to get to as it is right off I-​94 three miles southeast of downtown. The approach is also stress-​free as it is a quick turn off from Portage Rd. Parking is relatively plentiful and not too expensive.
The interior appears much nicer than the last time I used the airport in 2000 or so. The face lift looks quite nice as it is replete with pleasing décor and some interesting art work. My favorite is the caricature statues in the middle between check-​in and baggage claim.
The check-​in area is well managed and the baggage claim is also relatively easy to use. The departure gates and security are upstairs, reachable via escalator. Security is reasonably efficient as staffing does not seem to be a problem. The amenities are not really plentiful in this airport but there are a couple of places where you can pick up a coffee, snack or magazine.
Pickup and drop off in front of the airport is facile. The transportation situation getting to and from the airport is a bit limited, however. Taxis are always available. City buses stop once an hour from 7 AM to 10 PM except Sundays and Holidays. You can at least get to downtown Kalamazoo using the local bus service. Rental cars are always available as the major agencies are represented at the terminal.
In general, this is a great airport if you don’t mind likely having to connect to get to your final destination. This facility makes the front and back ends of your trip so easily manageable that you don’t mind the extra trouble of the connection. The amenities and ground transportation options are limited but there are not many airports where you can arrive within an hour of your flight with a likelihood to make your gate with little stress.

I was at this airport back in August 2013 when I went to my 10 year HS reunion in Three Rivers. They really revamped this airport. It’s really nice. I used to fly out of this airport when I used to live in Three Rivers.

This airport is amazing now that they’ve revamped it. It’s very small, only five gates, so you’ll get checked in and through security in no time. Every time we’ve flown, we’ve been sitting at our gate about 10 minutes after walking through the airport doors. The other reviews stated that they frequently do security checks and I’ve also found that to be true. They are usually pretty quick about it and don’t get too invasive. Just a quick opening of the bag and double checking that everything looks good. It really won’t add more than a minute or two on your time spent in security. Everyone is very friendly and helpful. They’ve added a coffee shop and newstand by the gates, which was a welcome addition. Boarding is always quick and painless. Baggage claim is fantastically quick. It’s always a pleasure flying into and out of this airport!

Very efficient airport and friendly staff. Only took 15 mins to check in and go through security. The airport is VERY clean!

If you want a reliable flight, don’t come here. We had delays going out, and coming back, which required an overnight at the airport. The comment from the lady at the desk… Well this airport is about convenience. I don’t think convenience outweighs the fact that your never sure if your flight will take place.

The airport is small, 5 gates. TSA is usually not backed up. You may get selected for a random search, so be prepared. Also, TSA here does not do pre-​check.
Baggage comes out quickly and rental car booths are located directly across from baggage claim. There are no preferred marquis here. The rental car lot is an awkward walk across the street from the airport.
What I love about this airport, aside from the fact that it’s no hassle/​no stress, everyone is very much pleasant & down home. Also, there are huge bowls of candy everywhere. No seriously, everywhere.

I think we have one the best airports. Everyone is always friendly, even the TSA people. It is fun, the airplanes hanging from the ceiling and he sculptures around the airport. Too bad you can only go to Detroit and Chicago. I could see myself taking a few trips to Florida every winter if I could fly direct. It doesn’t look promising.

I anticipated renting a car for a day and parked my car in the long term parking. The plans fell apart as I was in line at the rental counter, so once the plans cancelled, The rental car people were cool about it. I went back out to my car to exit the long term parking lot where I had spent 19 minutes. I got charged $ 4.00 for a full hour even though I was there for only ¹⁄₃ of an hour. I’d be down to pay a dollar or maybe 2 to pay for a ½ but they wanted to be sticklers, so here’s my review. Don’t park there unless you are ready to part with an hour’s worth of money the second you pull in there. As a contrast, at the Hartsfield Jackson airport in Atlanta, if you were only in a similar lot for a similar amount of time, they’d just let you go without charging you anything at all.

Nice, small airport that recently had a terminal remodel. About the size of Capitol City in Lansing, which makes for limited flights but easy in and out.
Nice.

I have flown in and out of the AZO airport for years on business and I have seen some tremendous transformations occur. The terminal was completely changed over to a new facility a few years ago and it almost resembles a small aviation museum now, with full size planes dangling from the expansive ceiling like a model airplane in a little boy’s room. Because Kalamazoo is a smaller airport, the staff has always been friendly and willing to accommodate you and your needs. I’ve never found the pace to be too hurried here and I often times get there way too early just to decompress and prepare for my week of travel to places unknown.
Parking here is easy in and easy out, with no more than a 1 minute walk to from the terminal to your car. There isn’t a parking garage, so your car will sit outside in the elements while you’re away, but I suppose that is expected.
If you’re a traveler without a hot spot, they offer FREE wifi, which I think is almost unheard of in an airport! For this AZO, you earn 5 stars from me!

Great small airport with easy in and out security. Came through today and there was no one in front of me at security. Not a whole lot of shops or restaurants but a great serviceable airport.

Although my flight out was canceled I will still give this tiny airport 5 stars. I was off of my plane and had my luggage in less than 10 minutes when I arrived from Dallas (with a connecting flight in Chicago). The flight from Chicago was 25 minutes which was awesome.
The airport has a little place to purchase food which I wasn’t really expecting. Baggage claim is very easy to locate and because the airport isn’t super busy you can get your luggage in no time. You can rent cars or get a car service here also. I just love the convenience. The airport is so small that you won’t have problems finding anything.
I mentioned that my flight out was canceled. Well less than an hour away is the Grand Rapids Airport and I was able to get on a flight out of there and it was a direct flight to Dallas.

While there are limited destinations and you usually have to grab a connection, nothing beats this airport. It’s clean, new and fresh and easy in and out.

If only we could get a few more destinations from this airport. The terminal itself is modern and new.
I long for the days when KaZoo served Pittsburgh and even briefly Atlanta. But airlines are driven by load factors and there just isn’t enough business out of this city to justify many direct services. Direct Air made a go at it with a Florida service at couple of times per week but was eventually doomed. Even United Express pulled it’s Chicago O’Hare service leaving only American Connection to serve ORD. Delta to Minneapolis or Detroit and that’s about it.
It’s not for lack of want. The gates can elevate to accommodate a variety of aircraft sizes and I’m sure we’d love to see more city pair choices.
TSA has a nice orderly facility to expedite passengers with minimal waiting time.
The airfield itself has a northbound precision instrument approach (ILS) that will accommodate landings with cloud ceilings to 200 feet and ½ mile of visibility. To the south it’s a bit more restrictive but aircraft are rarely not able to land due to weather.
Snow removal and clearing are done quickly by the airport authority. De-​icing delays are minimal with airline staff that takes care of it all quickly and efficiently.
The good news is the airport is peaceful, clean, there’s coffee or lunch available on the secure side and they’ve even got free wifi!

Cute and very updated airport. Easy in and easy out.

First time ever being in Kalamazoo for anything. Crazy how life can turn out, but I was here for the 2013 Borgess Run for the Health of It Kalamazoo Marathon. I only flew out from AZO back home via MSP and subsequently through LAX on Delta Airlines, so it was nice to visit Kalamazoo on this short, but important trip for my 50 States marathon journey. The Kalamazoo /​Battle Creek international airport is a small regional airport, which services the city and communities of which it was named for. I myself would never thought of being in Kalamazoo, let alone Michigan, but I’m glad I was here.
Basically the terminal was a large two story building, where the ticketing was on the first floor, the TSA security and the gates were on the second floor. There are a small handful of airlines that run service to Kalamazoo, but all of them are the regional partners of the US carriers. The airport was real easy to get into. I arrived at the airport at 6:45am that morning and managed to check in and get through security in 15 minutes just in time to see the elite fliers board ahead of me (zone 1). The airport itself is clean and its basically one way into your gate, so there is no way you can get lost! This airport reminds me of all the small airports in Hawaii and the Midwest, where it is impossible to really get lost, unless you want to be.
Kalamazoo /​Battle Creek international airport is spacious for a regional airport, but still sports the small intimacy of a small town airstrip that is great for those who want that instead of crazy busy in air travel. Your best bet would be to have breakfast before arriving at the airport for your flight, since options for food is really non existent. Being that AZO is a small airport, the only food shop is after TSA. With there being just 4 gates at this regional Michigan hub, the only food options here is just a corner store with bottled water and snacks, which are overpriced anyway. Airports normally are.
I would imagine that the parking and parking rates are horrendous too, but I was dropped off by a friend, so I really couldn’t comment on that. Overall, I think Kalamazoo is a nice place to visit and I’m sure Portage as well as Battle Creek as well. Flying here would be your best bet, but check with DTW Detroit or ORD for better deals, if you don’t mind a drive. Quite an amazing place Kalamazoo turned out to be. Can’t wait till I come back again soon.
@ 35,000 feet
A+

There’s a lot of things the Kalamazoo Airport is not:
It’s not a place to get a meal, or
go on a shopping spree, or
shine your shoes, or
possibly see another human being that works there, or
see more than 5 gates.
But wait, there’s more. the Kalamazoo Airport is also not the place to:
not want to touch anything, or
have to take a tram from one gate to another, or
have a 30 minute ordeal from the car, through security, to your gate
Kalamazoo is small, and yeah, I too am a little skeptical about that «International» designation but with a nearly new terminal, only 5 gates, and one of the easiest in and out experiences in the country, I’m a fan.
One suggestion though AZO, that weird 2 door gauntlet thing on the way out? you need a sign to tell people that more than one person can go through at a time.

Kalamazoo’s a real city now. The new terminal just opened, and it’s beautiful. I like coming home to it.
My company gets a lot of out of town visitors. They used to make lots of jokes about our janky little airport, but they’ve actually been impressed lately.
It’s still small which is great for getting through security. Once you go to the gate, there’s mini convenience store, a quick place to grab coffee or a snack, and a restaurant. I would love if all of these things had a greater selection, but I understand that we don’t have the traffic to support that.
I’ll take AZO over glitzy (and nauseating) ORD or DTW.