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September 24, 2019
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September 30, 2019Albany Intl. Airport Spotting Guide
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- last modified on October 20, 2020
Albany international airport is the main airport in the capital region of New York. The airport is located in Latham, New York and it is about 8 miles away from the city of Albany. 1,466,706 people flew through Albany airport in 2018. Albany airport has many routes with various airlines. Including routes to various florida airports with Southwest, JetBlue, Frontier, and Allegiant, routes to numerous airports in the east coast such as Newark, Washington DC, Detroit, Atlanta, Raleigh-Durham, Savannah, Charlotte, and Philadelphia with United, Southwest, American, Frontier, Allegiant, and Delta. This also includes routes to Midwest airports such as Chicago, Minneapolis. and Denver with United, Southwest, Frontier, American, and Delta, and finally seasonal routes to Las Vegas with Southwest. Fedex and UPS also operate cargo flights out of Albany to Syracuse, Memphis, Louisville, Hartford, Philadelphia, Plattsburg, Rutland, and Newark.
Albany was indeed the first municipal airport in the US with the first landing strip three miles away from the city. It got it’s international name from a small regional airline called Mall airways which was based at ALB and flew to airports in Canada in the northeast. Air Canada also temporarily flew to ALB to and from Toronto with B1900’s operated by air Georgan. Albany airport is expanding fast, two new airlines (Frontier and Allegiant) joined the airport in 2018, they have started construction on exit 3 (easier access to the airport by car) and a second parking garage, and also a planned terminal expansion (as of August 2019)
Written by Elliott Martin (Follow him on Instagram). Photos for Spot #9 taken by Nicholas Hesler. Last update August 2020
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| Weather | |
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| Airport Information | |
| Runways | |
| 01/19 | 2.591 m (8.500 ft) Asphalt |
| 10/28 | 2.195 m (7.200 ft) Asphalt |
| Terminal | |
| Concourse A | United, Allegiant |
| Concourse B | Delta, American, JetBlue |
| Concourse C | Frontier, Southwest |
| Spotting Information | |
| Ladder | Recommended and usable at spots 1, 4 and 9. |
| Car/Public Transport | Spots 1 till 3 are within walking distance from the terminal. Needed for all other spots, although most spots are walkable from each other. |
| Restrooms | There are restrooms within walking distance of spots 2, 5, and 6. |
| Drinks/Food | Many options in the terminal for spot 2. Ice Cream shop located right at spot 5. Many food options within walking distance of spot 6. |
| Hotels | Hilton garden inn within walking distance of spot 2 and 3. Otherwise the drives to other hotels are very short |
| Season | Traffic is at its peak in the Summer months. Spring and Fall has the best weather. |
| Runway Usage | |
| 01/19 | Main runways used as it is the longest one. The dominant direction (with no or weak winds) is 01. |
| 10/28 | 28 used for high winds facing the east. 10 is very rarely used. |
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Cell Phone Lot - 01 arrivals and line up
| WHERE | This spot is at the official cell phone parking lot of the airport, located at Albany Shaker Road hwy 155. It is on the south of the terminal and also in walking distance from there. |
| WHAT | Best for runway 01 Arrivals and 01 line-up. |
| TIME | Late afternoon to sunset all year round. |
| MISC. | Until a couple of months two fences were installed but one of these has been taken away, so just one left. Therefore you can go down to the fece to get good ground shots through the mesh or use a ladder (not needed for arrival photos). But don’t hang out there for a while, people may tell you or honk at you to leave. Keep in fact this is a public area and a there will most likely be a lot of people there. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | About 350-400mm for the e145 and Challenger taxiing. About 350mm for the MD80 About 100-150mm for the JetBlue A320 |
Observation Deck - all runway movements, terminal ramp
| WHERE | Located inside the terminal on the third level. Once you are in the building walk up the stairs which are located on the left side before the security checkpoint. |
| WHAT | Good for arrivals and departures of all runways, great views of the ramp. |
| TIME | Depends a bit on what you photograph. Late afternoon to sunset. Better in the winter. |
| MISC. | Be aware of the glare on the windows in the sunrise to afternoon and at night. Also security may come up, if they do just tell them what you are doing and you should be fine. Otherwise restaurants and restrooms are just around the corner. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 190mm for the southwest 737-800 departures 200mm for the American eagle E175 departures |
Hockey Lane - 10 arrivals, 28 departures
| WHERE | Right next to the terminal, drive to the Albany County Hockey Facility parking lot and go up to the highest point (highly recommended). |
| WHAT | Best for runway 10 arrivals which are very rare. Views of runway 28 departures as well. Good sight of the A gates and some of the B gates (but there are a lot of poles obstructing the views of the terminal so keep that in mind). Also offers 01 and 19 action. |
| TIME | All day during winter and backlit in the summer mornings and evenings. |
| MISC. | Nothing nearby except some trees spending shadow. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | About 350mm for the Allegiant, about 250mm for the american eagle e145 |
Sicker Road (West) - 01/19 arrival and departures
| WHERE | From the terminal continue north on Albany Shaker Road then turn on sicker road. Drive till the end of the road to the crash gate (don’t block it). It can be a little hard to find sometimes so be cautious. |
| WHAT | Good views for runway 01 and 19 departures and arrivals. 19 departures taxi up close. |
| TIME | Late afternoon to sunset all year round. |
| MISC. | A ladder is helpful because of the fence. And as of August 2019, Commutair plans on taking over the space for their mainenance base so spot here while you can. Also in the morning times around 6-7AM the commutair E-145’s taxi really close out of the maintenance hangar |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 100mm for the C-40 and for the Frontier A320 old livery, |
Control tower Ice cream shop - 19 arrivals
| WHERE | Located right on Troy Schenectady Road hwy 7. If you are driving from Albany Shaker road northwards, simply take a right onto Troy Schenectady Rd. Shortly before the approach path of rwy 19 you will see some kind of fun park to your right. Just park there and start spotting. |
| WHAT | Good views of 19 arrivals (for front views cross the road). Good but parcially obstructed views of 19 departures. |
| TIME | Late afternoon to sunset all year round. |
| MISC. | If you are spotting when the place is open, expect loud noises of kids and Go-Karts. Food and drinks are available here. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 80mm for 737 side and 250mm front About 400mm for the Allegiant A320 taxiing |
The Tailored Tea - 19 arrivals and line-up
| WHERE | On the opposite side of the previous location at the Troy Schenectady Road, there is an “old tea house” named “the tailored tea”. Park on the there and make sure to go onto the field when you take pictures. Go to the small elevated area that goes over the fence on the hill. |
| WHAT | Best for 19 arrivals and line-up (no ladder needed). Good for 01 departures if planes don’t rotate too early. |
| TIME | From sunrise till noon all year round. |
| MISC. | Keep in mind this is a whole field so you can always walk in the landing zone of runway 19 but be cautious of security as you might look suspicious. Restrooms and food is available at the tea house. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | About 120mm for the Fedex 757 (in the air), about 120-160mm for the United and Southwest 737’s, About 350-400mm for the 767 arriving, and about 300-400mm for the UPS 757 |
Sicker Road (East) - all runway movements
| WHERE | From the previous spot drive down the Old Niskayuna road extension and then turn right to get to the crossway of the two runways. Go either to the dead end for runway 19 arrivals and departures or go to the fence for 01 and 28 arrivals and departures. |
| WHAT | Good for 01, 19, and 28 arrivals and departures. You get really close to 28 arrivals and departures. |
| TIME | For 01/19 from sunrise till noon all year round. For 10/28 only in the high summer evenings or early morning hours. Backlit the rest of the day. |
| MISC. | Security may stop to ask what you are doing, but they shouldnt bother you about spotting. Use of a ladder might be tricky as you are very close to the runway. Spotting through the mesh is a better alternative. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | 104mm for the American A319 with sharklets, About 350-400mm for the Southwest 737-700 heart, About 100-130mm for the southwest 737-800 canyon blue |
Pepsi factory - 28 arrivals and departures
| WHERE | From the previous location just continue eastwards along the perimeter fence till the pepsi factory and park your car on the side of the road. There is a big gravel shoulder next to the road so you can spot from there the ground through the fence or the arrivals from the grass on the other side of the road. More westwards the fence is lower as the street at some parts so you can try to clear it from there (next to the pepsi factory). |
| WHAT | Runway 28 arrivals and departures. |
| TIME | Only in the high summer evenings or early morning hours for runway shots. Backlit the rest of the day. 28 line-up from afternoon till sunset (see Hawker sample below) |
| MISC. | There is a fence, but its recommended to not use a ladder as it is close to the runway. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | About 350mm for the united e-145 |
Old Niskayuna road turning bay - 28 arrivals and departures
| WHERE | Located on a turning bay on the opposite side of the terminal. Take a right off of Wade Road or go straight on Old Niskayuna road to the dead end. |
| WHAT | Runway 28 arrivals and departures |
| TIME | All day during winter and backlit in the summer mornings and evenings. |
| MISC. | Ladder recommended and no problem to use here. Police will often drive by and give you a friendly wave. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | About 300mmm for the MD80, about 200-300mm for the Southwest 737-700 taxiing |
Million air FBO building - 01 arrival and departures
| WHERE | The location is within the million air building, south of the terminal at jetway drive. When you enter, just walk up the stairs ahead of you and there is a little area on the top floor with some chairs anda couch that you can spot at. People usually don’t care. If you get asked to leave for any reason, then comply to their orders. |
| WHAT | Good for 01 arrivals and departures |
| TIME | Late Afternoon to Sunset |
| MISC. | The glare on the window’s are really bad so i’d recommend you bring a rubber lens hood. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | About 100-150mm for the MD80, 100mm for the piper M600, about 150-250mm for the Southwest |
New parking garage - all movements
| WHERE | This parking garage has very recently been build (as of July 20th, 2020), on the south eastside of the terminal complex. To get there, simply just drive or walk up to the top level. The satellite images on the map are not up to date. |
| WHAT | Good for everything, Runway 01, 28, and 19 arrivals and departures. |
| TIME | Late afternoon to sunset |
| MISC. | Terminal is just around the corner. Keep a low profile as it is possible that police ask you to leave. |
| FOCAL LENGTH | About 20-80mm for the Southwest 737-700 pushing back, 400mm for the Allegiant (if you want a good closeup), about 200mm for the Jetblue Taking off, about 150mm for the Hawker 800xp |
I was in the new parking garage spotting tonight and we were approached by police and were kicked out. I had spotted there 2 times before and had no issues but I wouldn’t recommend using this location.
I will left a note about that topic and better to keep a low profile. Too bad as this is one of the best locations at ALB.
Julian
Yeah, I recently got kicked out with my friend too (I made the spotter guide), I guess the airport just made the security measures a little more strict up there regarding it’s a newer spot, but thanks for commenting