Providence Airport

(June 27 2012) As a frequent user of the Providence T.F. Green airport (PVD) I will say that the airport is a true four star facility. While it still is a small airport by most standards it has a surprising number of plusses that as has been said by others to be a reasonable alternative to Boston Logan (BOS) but only if you are flying within the US (no international arrivals or departures except to Toronto). Upon entry into the departures area the ticket stands are almost all within the same distance from the entry doors to the terminal. You don't have to hike a mile to get to Southwest and 10 feet to American like many other airports do. TSA security is also right there so one doesn't have to hike for that either. The TSA crew does their job well but they get backed up during the 6-8 AM rush. After TSA the main passageway is quite wide and is always clean. It is set up so when you leave TSA you are located dead centre in the passageway (equidistant to either end of the terminal) so there's not as much walking to do. There are plenty of concessions. Signage is good. The seats at the gates are what I would rate as not bad not terrific. Upon arrival the walk to the baggage claim is good with a "detour" that keeps the arriving passengers to not have to deal with departing passengers. Waiting for your luggage is longish sometimes but good overall. There's even a Starbucks in the baggage claim area! There is now a connecting passageway that takes you to a train station that is served by the MBTA (important: weekdays only! With any luck this will change in the future.) (AMTRAK for some reason won't stop there.) where you can get to downtown Providence Boston and most points in between. Next to the train station is a new parking garage. We're supposed to get a lengthened main runway in the near future but with today's economy that may get put on the back burner. And by the way: the locals would have you know that PVD is located in Warwick RI not Providence!

Pretty attractive small airport in my estimation Good service easy gates excellent luggage pickup and altogether easy in and out. Tying into nearby AMTRAC line is a great idea and is in process. And it beats Boston to bits! Short-sighted local NIMBY heads seem to be dictating the future of the airports necessary runway extension without politicians willing to stand up to them for the good of the now ailing state economy.

PVD is an airport that is sadly in need of runway expansion but the locals are fighting this tooth and nail. The majors want a longer runway to allow non-stop west coast flights. Southwest is the 'big kid' on the block here and their lift out of PVD is formidable. Recent changes in the routing of arriving passengers directly into the baggage area were positive. Parking rates border on the insane but if you park off-site with a shuttle you can get a fairly good deal. Certainly a great alternative to BOS.

PVD had gotten bigger (more gates) but not necessarily better. Construction is a problem now as the terminal is being re-done. Baggage service is slow for a medium size airport. And the future is tied up in whether the State of Rhode Island can get past local opposition to expanding the main runway to about 9000 feet. Still it is a very fine alternative to fighting the hassles of Logan in Boston.

I agree with Nick - PVD is a great alternative to BOS. Yes it does get crowded at times (the 'Southwest effect') but it is easy to get in and out of the terminal and the crowds are still smaller than those at larger more congested airports. In addition it is easy to get transportation to downtown Providence (to make a connection to Amtrak for a ride to Boston for instance) and there is also convenient bus service directly from PVD to Boston's South Station.

PVD is definitely a nice airport but the planners didn't realize how many people would use this airport for departures and arrivals. Clean and the staff is friendly.

One of the best airports in the Northeast. It is a great hassle free alternative to Boston Logan. During peak hours (mostly 6-8am) the line can be extremely long but it still moves. Everything is clean and efficient. The problem is there are too many flights and people for one small terminal of 16 gates. They need to expand or build a new terminal. Because I live in the area I use this airport all the time. If you are going to Boston I recommend taking PVD instead.