PDX is the model for big airports. I raised this with the planners and, after the initial eyeroll, said they would reach out. I’ve been looking at other regional airports of our size (5 flights per day) and haven’t found much.

Tools and pumps — most people carry basics still nice to have a good floor pump. I’m sometimes asked for a multitool-like tool on rides. 

AC we have when needed. Whole airport is on geothermal energy and pumps. 

LBS (2-3 at any one time are operating) are on the list to talk too. I’d like to see a standard process of box use and replacement on site. We have the space. 

I’ll update CB on progress. It’s mud season here so this is a good positive project to work on. 

Here’s another nice to have, Zelda: economical storage space.  It’s on my mind now because we’re currently planning for our upcoming tour of England, where we need a place in London to store our suitcases for three months.  We hope to return to Ithaca and explore more of the Finger Lakes someday - it’s something I’ve thought we might do on the way home from a spring tour some year - and knowing we had a suitcase solution would be a nudge in that direction. 

Also, on a different forum thread there’s recently been discussion of a place near Frankfurt that specifically caters to bike travelers.  It’s a former Airbnb run by a biker who now offers lodging as well as storage space - for over-wintering eBikes for folks that keep one in Europe, or for batteries for bikers who want to bring their own bikes but can’t transport the batteries.

Graham raises a good point--in addition to the needs of bike tourists, you want to make it so that locals will want to ride there. This includes airport employees, people from car-free households who want to rent a car at the airport, students who want to ride to the airport when they fly home for a long weekend, etc. At a minimum, this means good-quality bike racks (not "wheel benders"), protected from the weather, well lit, with security cameras. Bike parking should be in a conspicuous area, both for security and so people see it and think "Hey, next time maybe I'll ride my bike here." Better yet would be a fenced-in "bike corral" that requires swiping a credit card to enter (maybe charge a dollar a day), so there's a record of who goes in and out, or individual bike lockers. And a conspicously signed bike path or good bike lanes between town and the airport, so people driving there see that they could have ridden.

Storage is definitely something we can address locally. I’ve also read about a spot outside of Paris (maybe the Grampies used them?) where storage is possible for the intervening months. 

I’m hoping to get someone to put in the short-term bike storage solution too — for two weeks or so. This would let those who fly out of Ithaca to leave bikes safely and as a spot to stash boxes and luggage while on tour. 

The e-bike revolution definitely changes the storage needs. I’d love it if we have enough seasonal tourers to store their gear. 

I’m so happy to have put this question out to the CB community. It works many ways: 1) the ideas are brilliant and consider many aspects of the problem; 2) it gives me a very fast pulse survey (with quotes which matter more than numbers) to bring to airport management; and 3) it gives me hope that others might come to the Finger Lakes rather than the Erie Canal! 

These are great ideas. The double win of conspicuous bike parking (maybe a double-decker Netherlands-style rack) would be excellent because we want to know the bike is safe while we are away. Even commuter bikes should get this kind of protection.  

Bike lanes exist although mostly for local riding, not the to-from airport riders. You are right that signage to the downtown would help — there is none right now. It brings up another goal which is to create Finger Lakes routes that are connected to form a longer distance tour. The airport signage should link to that as well. 

Adding specific # goals to the business plan is interesting. It’s an advertising point as much as an environmentally/lifestyle improvement. The ability to brag about the ease of riding out of the airport is huge. It also helps with recruitment of employees, students, and tourers. 

We lack useful signage of any kind. Having a map plus marked routes to campuses, downtown, etc. would be good. Importantly they need to note the hills that can stymie people when they are faced with them. 

I wonder about battery storage and exchange. If anyone knows of model operations around this I’d like to hear about them. 

Z

For me, airports provide two services, and what I would look for at the airport:

1. End point of a flight to a new destination. If I'm traveling to bikepack at a new destination, I would want to get off the plane, hit a restroom quickly, and then find public transportation/walk to my hotel. I normally ship my bike to a local hotel a few days ahead of time, and then only fly with personal effects. So, getting OUT of the airport is key for me. I've only traveled with my foldable when I had that, and for that trip, assembly in the airport at the baggage carousel was my primary objective.
2. Rental car dropoff. I've found with tours over the last few years I rent a car one-way and drop off at the airport because it's open 24hrs (at least for the bigger airports). I can drop off the car, unload the bike, throw the panniers on, and ride out of the airport. For this option, I'm looking for an easy route out of the airport. As an example, Pittsburgh has a trail heading directly out of the airport parking and connecting to the Montour trail. 

   

   But any cycling-related services in the airport would be a bonus. Since you mentioned Ithaca, if there's a cycling route or trails that are well-visited/ridden, you may want to try and connect with the local tourism to promote the trails, and have a section on the tourism page on how to navigate the airport or services the airport provides.