Airport Question

We%26#39;re driving 3.5 hours to Fargo to catch an early morning flight. It%26#39;s not worth it to get a hotel room since we have to be at the airport for 2 am.

Is there somewhere we can sit and relax at or around the airport from around 11 or midnight till 2 am?

Is the airport accomodating to those willing to crash on a bench till the ticket desks open?

Thanks,

wpggirl :)

Airport Question

I%26#39;m surprised there%26#39;s a 2am flight. They used to open the airport about an hour and a half before the 6am flight...I remember sitting outside the doors in December waiting for them to open because I was at the airport promptly 2 hours early. That being said, there are late flights arriving in the airport close to midnight...or later if Northwest is doing its usual not ontime departures. So they shouldn%26#39;t be closing the airport prior to your arrival. There are benches but they aren%26#39;t entirely comfortable. Where are you flying to at such a late flight?

Airport Question

Thanks for your reply.

Sorry, I guess I worded it wrong. Our flight leaves at 5 am to the Mayan Riviera (via Chicago). We figured we should be at the airport 3 hours prior to the flight, but it sounds like that%26#39;s not really how things work in Fargo.

I am not even really sure where the airport is in Fargo. Do you know if there are any hotels close by?

You%26#39;ve been very helpful so far :)

Airport is super easy. Off I-29 you take the 19th Avenue Exit and go left (East) and you go under the railroad bridge and turn left into the airport...I think its the first one that says Fargo still when coming from the North (if not it is marked as the airport or Fargodome on the exit notice signs). Much easier to find than Winnipeg%26#39;s...this one is almost out of town. There are tons of hotels nearby. The ones that say by the FargoDome are closest. Those you just don%26#39;t turn into the airport, you keep on 19th Avenue and they are just on the other side of the airport. They also might have park/fly specials so that might be a good deal for you but I just park my car at my Mom%26#39;s there so I%26#39;ve booked them. There is also a microtel right off 29 on 12th Avenue exit that might be cheaper. Don%26#39;t worry about being there 3 hours early. I would say 2 hours at most but likely 1 1/2 hour early will be plenty. The security lines are rarely long...we have like 6 gates at the whole place.

I was right...lots of park n fly offers at those hotels:

daysinn.com/DaysInn/鈥?/a>

ramadafargo.com/pdfs/ramada_park_and_fly.pdf

(though this one is down by the Mall not by the airport)

www.radisson.com (though downtown but nice hotel)

I guess I can%26#39;t find that microtel...maybe its gone. I don%26#39;t get up to North Fargo much anymore.

Took a flight from Fargo to Cancun, via MPLS in May.

Our flight left at 6ish, we got there at 5ish and had plenty of time to hang out and wait for a flight.

If you%26#39;ve only ever flown out of a big airport, this place is much different. You%26#39;ll be in and threw security in a matter of minutes.

JACombs:

Looks like the Microtel is now a Super 8, based on the TA posting:

tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g49785-d95003-R鈥?/a>

You guys are all so fabulous! I am so thankful to hear that we don%26#39;t have to be at the airport so early and that I might actually be able to get some sleep that night :)

I know exactly where the FargoDome is; we were there for a concert a few years back.

Thank you so much for all the hotel links, etc.

wpggirl :)

wpggirl,

If you have been to the FargoDome, you are just a short (maybe 4 minute) drive to the airport. NO traffic at all. When you get there, you will find only 4 gates. There is rarely a line at the ticket counter (sometimes 3 or 4 people, which in ND we consider a crowd!) I%26#39;ve flown out of Hector Airport in Fargo many times and find that 1 hour early is more than plenty for domestic flights. For flights out of the country, they want you checked in at least 90 minutes prior to takeoff. But then you will find that you check in, go thru security, and then have about 80 minutes left before you leave! Anyway, you will not have any of that frantic feeling that you get at many larger airports. And you are sure to experience ';North Dakota Nice';. Have a fun vacation!

BabyNurse from West Fargo