“Ports of Entry” are main gateways where international flights can land. These gateways (AKA hubs) have customs agents on staff to clear passengers arriving into the United States. International flights cannot land at airports that are not ports of entry. The key ports in the U.S. are Atlanta (ATL), Boston (BOS), Charlotte (CLT), Chicago (ORD), Dallas/Ft. Worth (DFW), Denver (DFW), Detroit (DTW), Houston (IAH), Los Angeles (LAX), Miami (MIA), New York (JFK/LGA/EWR), Orlando (MCO), Philadelphia (PHL), Portland (PDX), San Francisco (SFO), Seattle (SEA), Washington, D.C. (IAD).

Many groups originate in “offline cities” where they have a regional airport that serves their needs. These “non-port of entry airports” are in many instances large enough to operate larger aircraft but the major American domestic carriers including UA/DL/CO/NW/US, etc. have decided to strike strategic alliances with regional feed airlines that operate smaller aircraft in order to have greater frequency in these smaller markets. When our groups choose to originate locally, if they are not in a port of entry gateway, they will now likely be split into various smaller groups for transport into the hub. The aircraft in use on these routes i.e. CR7, CR9, DH (various) limit groups to 25-30 passengers per frequency. These smaller aircraft also make it difficult for instrumental ensembles to transport large pieces of musical equipment.

Groups within realistic motor-coach transport of a gateway may be wise in considering this option, although it might not, in all cases, be less expensive from an airfare perspective. Sometimes offline cities have marginally lower fare levels (i.e. $25.00 to $40.00 pp) and small amounts of married segments for sale. It is important to remember that these published fares exist for the use of individual passenger traffic, and not group traffic. Whether or not low fares exist for our group passengers is a matter of seat availability at the time of the space search. In many instances, we fly groups into hubs in more time than it would take for them to board a motor-coach and transfer to a main hub, thus avoiding splits and additional security hassles.