Many of you probably agree that our airport is an easy one to travel in and out of, and a recent study by Rightway Parking agrees.
Out of 55 major airports in the U.S., Reno’s airport is the #5 least stressful airport.
Airports are ranked based on cancellations and flight delays as well as travel time from the city’s downtown.
We spoke with representatives of our airport, and they told us they work really hard to provide programs that can help ease passengers when they are feeling stressed or anxious.
Natalie Brown, the Chief Marketing and Public Affairs Officer for the Reno-Tahoe Airport Authority, said, "If you've ever been to the airport and you see dogs with a little vest on them that says ‘pet me,’ those are part of the Paws for Passengers Program, and they really do want you to pet them, and in fact, there were some here earlier today that I was petting because it just never gets old, but for anybody who's maybe feeling a little stressed out, petting the dog will help you out."
They say the weather can sometimes affect an airplane's take-off or landing time, but say it doesn't happen that often in our area.
They say they work alongside all other airports really well to have communication throughout the day to figure out where delays may happen.
They share how each passenger may experience different reasons as to why they may feel a little stressed when traveling.
Brown said, "It kind of depends. I mean, if you get dropped off and you don't have bags to check, then maybe you're kind of, you know, getting through pretty quickly, but if you are maybe traveling with your family and you're going to park in long term and have a little bit of a walk, it kind of depends on what your travel experience is."
Representatives of the airport tell us the infrastructure program they're working on will help them handle the continuous growth of the city, saying it will allow them to add more parking for passengers and expand space for wait areas.
They also say it will help with air traffic since their terminals were built 40 years ago and the sizes of planes have changed.
Brown said, "There is the possibility for that type of expansion as well. And even throughout construction, we continue to talk with our airline partners to help them understand the business case, to bring additional air service here. So even though we're under construction, we are still in those conversations and talks with airlines to bring additional air service to RNO."
They encourage passengers to arrive two hours early to ensure enough time to get checked in, go through TSA, and especially if they need to park before coming in.
