Reno Tahoe International Airport aka: RNO

Special tip: you can bring a salad past airport security as long you have fewer than three ounces of dressing.

Reno’s airport offers (free) wireless , (free) hotel shuttles running every half hour or so; and a (not free, but good) Mexican restaurant.

The airport’s small and there aren’t many flights in or out. If your airline’s having a bad (United) day, you’re boned. Expect turbulence in the winter.

Back in 2004 I was attending an engineering conference in Reno.

At the conclusion of the meetings I checked out of the hotel and headed to the airport. I decided to head home after the final session of the meeting since SLC is only about an hour away from Reno. Most of the other guys were staying over another night since they were heading to the East Coast and wouldn’t be able to catch a flight home until the next morning.

It was a normal time of day (i.e. during business hours). I got to the airport (it was snowing a bit). When I arrived I noticed that most of the flights listed on the screens said CANCELLED. More and more flights showed as cancelled every few minutes.

To make a long story short, the approach radar at the Reno airport was out of commission. The weather was bad enough with limited visibility due to snow that no planes could land. As the last plane took off from Reno that day it meant that there would be no more aircraft available for those of us who wanted to leave later in the day.

The part needed to fix the radar was being brough in, but the airport would not be up and running until sometime the next day. I talked to the airline. The flights out of Reno the next day were pretty full. I decided to book onto a flight that flew into Elko, NV and then went on to SLC from there. It was only a short delay, but there were quite a few seats available.

After booking the flight for the next day I called the hotel. They came and picked me up, and put me in a room. I left without incident the next day.

And only….

Turbulence was TERRIBLE. The worst I’ve ever experienced. I understand the South Lake Tahoe airport is even worse.