Three Forks Airport

About Three Forks Airport

Three Forks Airport is a regional airport serving Three Forks and the surrounding region of Montana. The airport is identified by FAA location identifier K9S5. It is open to public use but does not currently host regularly scheduled commercial passenger service, it is used for general aviation, business charter, training, and air-taxi operations. Administratively the airport falls inside the FAA's Northwest Mountain Region region, headquartered in Renton, WA.

The airfield sits at approximately 45.8781° N, 111.5690° W, with a published field elevation of 4,089 feet above mean sea level. Travelers connecting through here should plan ground transportation with the airport's class in mind: as a small or regional airport, expect a single terminal building, a limited but functional set of rental options, and a much shorter walk between curb and gate than at the major hubs.

"Three Forks Airport" is one of 303 public-use airports in Montana, and one of roughly 16,000 such airports indexed in the FAA's national airspace records.

Reference data

Estimated traffic profile

The figures below are projected from the FAA's airport-class definitions and the Bureau of Transportation Statistics' published baseline ranges for each class. They are intended as orientation, not as a substitute for the live BTS T-100 segment data, which is updated quarterly.

Runways & airfield

The airfield carries an estimated 2 runways, with the longest runway running approximately 4,600 feet. This runway length is well-matched to regional jets, turboprops, and general-aviation traffic; mainline narrow-body jets can operate here at reduced takeoff weights. Pavement type, lighting, instrument-approach minima, and any displaced thresholds are all published in the FAA's NASR record for the airport, pilots should consult the live AIP and current charts rather than relying on summary figures here.

Airlines you are likely to see at K9S5

The list below is composed of US-certificated carriers that commonly serve airports of this class. Routes change with each schedule revision, for live availability check the carrier's own booking site.

Parking at K9S5

Parking at Three Forks Airport spans the standard tiers you would expect at a regional airport. Short-term and hourly rates typically run between $3–$4 per hour, depending on whether you park in the garage closest to the terminal or in a satellite lot. Daily economy parking generally runs $7–$10 per day, with off-airport private lots usually undercutting the long-term garage by a few dollars per day in exchange for a short shuttle ride. There is no dedicated cell-phone lot, so drivers picking up arriving passengers should plan to circle or use short-term parking for any wait longer than a few minutes. Always cross-check rates on the airport's own website before you travel, parking pricing is one of the most volatile data points at any airport.

Ground transport & rental cars

Ground transport options at Three Forks Airport reflect the airport's role in the local ecosystem. Rental-car desks for the major brands (Hertz, Enterprise, Avis/Budget, National, Alamo) are sometimes co-located inside the terminal building and sometimes housed at a separate facility nearby; check the airport's official site before booking, since some smaller airports only feature a subset of national brands. Public-transit service is limited or non-existent, most travelers use a rental car, ride-share, taxi, or pre-arranged private car service.

Ride-share pickup and drop-off zones at US airports are increasingly being moved to dedicated lots away from the main curb, check signage on arrival rather than relying on memory from past visits. Pickup wait times at peak hours can be substantially longer than the app's initial estimate, especially when bad weather concentrates demand. Pro tip: if you have a tight outbound connection, a pre-booked private car often beats ride-share on reliability for early-morning and late-night flights.

TSA security & checkpoint expectations

Average TSA security wait times at Three Forks Airport typically range from 2–6 minutes off-peak, climbing to 16 minutes or more during the early-morning and late-Sunday rushes. TSA PreCheck lanes, where available, usually clear in under five minutes regardless of class. Travelers without PreCheck can typically save the most time by arriving outside the 5–8 a.m. and 4–7 p.m. windows when business traffic concentrates at most US airports. The TSA publishes official screening guidance for current rules on liquids, electronics and prohibited items.

Traveler tips for Three Forks Airport

If you have a connecting itinerary through Three Forks Airport, build in a buffer that matches the airport's class. Small and regional airports usually have a single terminal and a short walk to the gate; arrive 60 to 75 minutes before departure for domestic flights.

• Book the right airport. Travelers comparing flight options should look beyond the obvious nearby large hub, a closer medium or regional airport like Three Forks Airport can shave an hour off the total door-to-door time even when its ticket price is slightly higher.
• Read the operating carrier. When a flight is sold under a major carrier's code but flown by a regional partner, the operating carrier is normally disclosed on the booking page; this distinction matters for elite-status benefits and irregular-operations rebooking.
• Watch the weather. At small regional airports, weather-driven cancellations cascade fast because the spare aircraft inventory is thin. If your flight is cancelled, the next available seat may be 8–24 hours later.
• Confirm baggage rules. Some regional aircraft (especially turboprops and small regional jets) gate-check carry-on bags as a matter of routine because of overhead-bin capacity. Pack medications, electronics, and valuables in the bag you intend to keep on your person.

Nearby airports

If Three Forks Airport doesn't fit your schedule or routing, the closest alternative public-use airports are listed below. The first column is sorted by approximate great-circle distance from this airport.

Internal references