Tiny airport with some flair due to celebrity travelers and tourism.
United, Delta, American, departures & arrivals (it's my hometown, I've been here a few times)
Current Grade: B (June 2019)
Cherry Capital is only four gates (it might be six, but only four jet bridges, I can't quite remember, but I have definitely walked down the stairs and out onto the tarmac many times here), but the building is surprisingly big, and I have to say, very well-kept.
Not to totally wax nostalgic, but before they built this terminal, the old airport was across the field from this one, and we used to walk through security and wait at the window for the plane carrying our cousins from Texas, signaling SUMMER FUN with our grandparents. I still remember spotting them from the window above as they walked down the steps from the tiny plane. (9/11 wasn't until high school.)
Anyway. Traverse City has really made a name for itself not just in cherries and dunes, but lately also in food and wine, which brings more tourists by plane and also more high-profile passengers (like Mario Batali, pre-disgrace). That last one had some significance for me only because it meant United started running direct flights from the NYC area to Traverse City. (Not that it always goes well, but that's not TVC's fault.)
The amenities are meh - there's a little cafe beyond security - but that's ok because you're not really here to hang out or take a connection. My only real complaint is with the distribution of wait time to get through security. It's as likely to be 30 mins as 3 mins. I've missed flights here so I don't like to cut it too close!
A note on weather: you will be de-icing and hanging around on your tiny tiny plane when you're flying out of here in the winter. In the summer, though, enjoy the view of the area as you descend. Pure Michigan and all that.
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