California Airports

Aviation in California

California is served by a network of 755 public-use airports recorded in the FAA's NASR Airport Master Record. The mix breaks down into 13 large_airport, 64 medium_airport, and 678 small_airport. Together they form the on-the-ground network that connects California residents to the rest of the country and, in many cases, to international destinations through the larger airports profiled elsewhere in this directory.

FAA region: California falls inside the FAA's Western-Pacific Region, The region oversees airport certification, safety inspections, and air-traffic-control coordination for every airport in this state.

All 755 airports in California

Travel context

Travelers comparing flight options inside California should look beyond the obvious large_airport entry. Many travelers reflexively book through the biggest airport in their state, but for short-haul itineraries a closer medium_airport or small_airport can shave an hour off the total door-to-door time even when its ticket price is slightly higher. The opposite is also true for long-haul or international travel, where the broader carrier selection at the large_airport typically wins on both price and routing.

For multi-airport metropolitan areas, and several states have them, pay attention to which carrier alliance dominates each airport. A traveler with frequent-flyer status on one alliance will usually find the better experience at the alliance's home airport, even at the cost of a slightly longer drive.

Related references