I live on Long Island but HVN has always stood out to me as a nice little airport. believe that HVN has potential should the runway be expanded. New Haven is a decent sized city, with surrounding suburbs. If the runway wasn't so short there would probably be more flights. And, if there were more flights, they could probably catch some more travelers who would instead go to BDL.
What routes would you like to see from HVN?

There are recent threads with New Haven, do a search and you will find them. If the runway is extended you may see a couple more flights, maybe AA to DCA and a couple flights to FL on Spirit or Allegiant but having BDL less than an hour up 91 and HPN and NYC not far, HVN will always be a small regional airport. Many people talk about the runway, but you still need a modern terminal and amenities which HVN lacks and the state of Connecticut will not help as BDL is state owned and HVN is owned by the city of New Haven.

WNflyer1523 wrote:

What routes would you like to see from HVN?

Maybe a Twin Otter or something to JFK?

The good old days:
https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/7438566

Pic taken by me!

AA is upgauging to CRJ aircraft...

I know I personally am looking at flying out of HVN in January, and it is significantly cheaper, with a stop in PHL over BDL-CLT n/s.

I live about 15-20 from HVN and 45-55 from BDL...40-50 to HPN.

UA used to do 2 - 3 flights to ORD. Could you see ORD on UA Express or AA?

jco613 wrote:

AA is upgauging to CRJ aircraft...

I know I personally am looking at flying out of HVN in January, and it is significantly cheaper, with a stop in PHL over BDL-CLT n/s.

I live about 15-20 from HVN and 45-55 from BDL...40-50 to HPN.

You found a unicorn. I’ve never found HVN to be cheaper as much as I would like it to be. It’s usuallt on par or higher than BDL. Grew up in Waterbury, HVN would be a lot nicer ride than NYC or BDL thanks to the 84 traffic.


HVN will struggle without more exposure if they do somehow get the runway lengthened. Most people in CT have no idea HVN even has airline service.

727LOVER wrote:

The good old days:
https://www.jetphotos.com/photo/7438566

Pic taken by me!

Great picture!

I remember DL trying HVN-CVG sometime in the 2000s with CRJs. Not sure why it didn't work, but my guess was the runway.

Seeing as this is ‘The HVN thread’, can we also discuss news about Vietnam Airlines?

will the crj service to phl be weight restricted? I think when DL had crj service to cvg only 40 seats could be filled.

evank516 wrote:

I remember DL trying HVN-CVG sometime in the 2000s with CRJs. Not sure why it didn't work, but my guess was the runway.

May 2004 - January 2006. I'm guessing pricing wasn't competitive compared to surrounding airports.

aaflyer222 wrote:

will the crj service to phl be weight restricted? I think when DL had crj service to cvg only 40 seats could be filled.

Maybe, maybe not. HVN-CVG is also about 5x the distance as HVN-PHL. May not be necessary since the flight is so short and the plane will probably be well below MTOW.

aaflyer222 wrote:

will the crj service to phl be weight restricted? I think when DL had crj service to cvg only 40 seats could be filled.

The aircraft they used were 40 seater's and yes, at times they were weight restricted.

uconn99 wrote:

There are recent threads with New Haven, do a search and you will find them. If the runway is extended you may see a couple more flights, maybe AA to DCA and a couple flights to FL on Spirit or Allegiant but having BDL less than an hour up 91 and HPN and NYC not far, HVN will always be a small regional airport. Many people talk about the runway, but you still need a modern terminal and amenities which HVN lacks and the state of Connecticut will not help as BDL is state owned and HVN is owned by the city of New Haven.

The New Haven airport has been plagued with a marginal runway for many years. In the past, NW twice proposed HVN-DTW flights using first a DC-9 and later a CRJ-200 and both proposals fell short due to weight restrictions. SW surveyed the airport some years ago and again the runway was the deciding factor. The pending court case will determine the future of the airport and its commercial service. The plan is to pave the southern 1000 foot overrun and 400-500 feet of the northern overrun. This will finally remove the last impediment to increased service. For many the trek to BDL is more than an hour depending on traffic through Hartford and the weather. The New Haven metro area can support much more service than just a few more flights and the terminal while small is larger than the older one that handled over 130,000 yearly boardings.
The state's goal in fighting HVN is to eliminate it as it would cut into BDL's numbers. HVN has much higher area population base than does BDL and many area fliers would find it much easier to use. With Bridgeport being about 20 miles away, HVN would draw from part of Fairfield county. AA is committed to HVN by using CRJ-200's to replace the Dash-8's which will be gone by next year. I would imagine DL and UA are watching the HVN court case and the planned runway upgrade. Allegiant has already expressed interest in HVN for Florida flights. As far as international flights, JFK offers the most flights with non-stop service to many foreign cities.
If HVN wins the court case it would eliminate the areas dependence on BDL and keep more travelers dollars in the local area and provide more jobs and increased patronage at local restaurants, hotels, etc.

MO11 wrote:

evank516 wrote:

I remember DL trying HVN-CVG sometime in the 2000s with CRJs. Not sure why it didn't work, but my guess was the runway.

May 2004 - January 2006. I'm guessing pricing wasn't competitive compared to surrounding airports.

Another reason it ended is because DL was chopping flights like mad from CVG when they lost hub status.

WNflyer1523 wrote:

MO11 wrote:

evank516 wrote:

I remember DL trying HVN-CVG sometime in the 2000s with CRJs. Not sure why it didn't work, but my guess was the runway.

May 2004 - January 2006. I'm guessing pricing wasn't competitive compared to surrounding airports.

Another reason it ended is because DL was chopping flights like mad from CVG when they lost hub status.

But didn't that chopping begin after the NW merger was announced 2 years later? I don't think they were downsizing CVG at that time.

evank516 wrote:

WNflyer1523 wrote:

MO11 wrote:

May 2004 - January 2006. I'm guessing pricing wasn't competitive compared to surrounding airports.

Another reason it ended is because DL was chopping flights like mad from CVG when they lost hub status.

But didn't that chopping begin after the NW merger was announced 2 years later? I don't think they were downsizing CVG at that time.

I am pretty sure the CVG dismantling began before the merger. Along with HVN, there were five cities cut at that time and one I remember was ISP. The loads from HVN were good but the weight restrictions was part of the reason for ending the flights. Same with UA back in the 90's. On one HVN-ORD flight, 40 passengers had to be deplaned due to weight restrictions.

The only time I flew out of HVN was this past January, and that was because I was on an award ticket with AA. While I would love to fly out of HVN more the high ticket prices leave me to use BDL and HPN as my primary airports, with JFK and LGA being used if all else fails.

I really hope they allow the runway to be expanded, otherwise commercial service will probably eventually end. What's hilarious is Tweed at the moment seems to be marketing PHL more than HVN itself.

HVN is in a great location. If the runway is made longer i truly think it can work. Its like a HPN there are so many affluent people it can pull from. There is so much business traffic to/from Connecticut if they can add DCA, ORD and ATL i bet the numbers sky rocket and they attract some real frequent flyers.

slcdeltarumd11 wrote:

HVN is in a great location. If the runway is made longer i truly think it can work. Its like a HPN there are so many affluent people it can pull from. There is so much business traffic to/from Connecticut if they can add DCA, ORD and ATL i bet the numbers sky rocket and they attract some real frequent flyers.

I agree!

As others have said, if the runway issues get sorted out that could open up some doors. But I don't see a massive influx in service even if the runway is extended. Very cool to see the photo posted above of the two UA 737s and three commuter props, but HVN will never see service like that again. Times have changed in the industry. Small regional airports like HVN do not see the service they did in the 80s and 90s.

I think best case scenario for HVN would be to solidify its status as a regional airport, beyond token flights down to PHL. That could look somewhat like HPN in the pre-B6/FL days. Service to DTW or ORD seems to make the most sense, IMO. DCA would be high on the list as well but for the slot restrictions. ATL and CLT would be reaches. Beyond that I'm not sure what markets are realistic. Allegiant seems like it would be an odd fit, and HVN is not a WN-type airport.

HVNandrew wrote:

As others have said, if the runway issues get sorted out that could open up some doors. But I don't see a massive influx in service even if the runway is extended. Very cool to see the photo posted above of the two UA 737s and three commuter props, but HVN will never see service like that again. Times have changed in the industry. Small regional airports like HVN do not see the service they did in the 80s and 90s.

I think best case scenario for HVN would be to solidify its status as a regional airport, beyond token flights down to PHL. That could look somewhat like HPN in the pre-B6/FL days. Service to DTW or ORD seems to make the most sense, IMO. DCA would be high on the list as well but for the slot restrictions. ATL and CLT would be reaches. Beyond that I'm not sure what markets are realistic. Allegiant seems like it would be an odd fit, and HVN is not a WN-type airport.

I could see AA adding flights to CLT. DL and UA would take note of the numbers and perhaps add DTW, ATL, ORD, and IAD. The ORD flights did well in the past as 737 flights to HVN were oversold when I used them. Service would be mostly 50-90 seat RJ's and maybe an early morning mainline aircraft. There is enough nearby population and commercial flyers to support quite a few flights. HVN is so much closer for many in the area and with 3-4 airlines, it would greatly reduce the dependence on BDL.
HVN for years never could evolve into the type of airport that could offer service to meet demand due to the limited runway. Hopefully the court will rule in HVN's favor and this decades old saga can be put to rest.

HVNandrew wrote:

As others have said, if the runway issues get sorted out that could open up some doors. But I don't see a massive influx in service even if the runway is extended. Very cool to see the photo posted above of the two UA 737s and three commuter props, but HVN will never see service like that again. Times have changed in the industry. Small regional airports like HVN do not see the service they did in the 80s and 90s.

I think best case scenario for HVN would be to solidify its status as a regional airport, beyond token flights down to PHL. That could look somewhat like HPN in the pre-B6/FL days. Service to DTW or ORD seems to make the most sense, IMO. DCA would be high on the list as well but for the slot restrictions. ATL and CLT would be reaches. Beyond that I'm not sure what markets are realistic. Allegiant seems like it would be an odd fit, and HVN is not a WN-type airport.

Four commuter props. There's a J32 hiding behind the white UA 737.

It's interesting to compare HVN and ORH. Worcester's city population is greater than New Haven by about 50,000. I can't speak to the metro area of both. However, they're both roughly the same distance to BDL (ORH is 20 miles further). Worcester has BOS at about 55 miles away. New Haven has LGA at 74 miles, JFK at 80 miles away, and EWR at 95 miles away.

B4's family FLL and MCO service must be doing well. I can't help wonder if similar service to HVN would be successful, when the runway gets its due length. I'd also love to see RJ service on UA from HVN to ORD. I used to pass ride on that flight frequently when UA did it in the 90's. Prior to UA, Air Wisconsin had BAE-146 service HVN-ORD. I worked as a "ramp rat" at HVN for Pilgrim Airlines in the mid-1980's and loved seeing that service.