Eastern Iowa Airport planning for 14 Rose Bowl charters

CEDAR RAPIDS - The Eastern Iowa Airport is preparing for more than 3,000 Iowa Hawkeye fans to travel on charter flights to the Rose Bowl game in Pasadena, Calif.

The busiest day for travel will be Tuesday, when 13 public charters leave Cedar Rapids. The first charter is scheduled to depart at 5 a.m., with the last at 8:30 p.m. Another charter flight will be leaving Dec. 30.

Charter passengers are being asked to use the airport's west-end entrance along the terminal drive. A section of the terminal under construction as part of a $50 million remodeling project will be open Tuesday to allow charter passengers to check in at an area separate from the ticket counters.

The federal Transportation Security Administration will have additional staff and equipment on hand. There will be two security screening lanes for charter passengers.

Airport staff will help direct charter passengers to the correct ticket counters. Skycaps will be available to provide luggage and wheelchair assistance.

Special concessions will be available Tuesday throughout the B and C concourses. Airport staff also plan to have trivia games and other activities to create a festive atmosphere.

The airport is encouraging charter passengers to arrive 2 1/2 hours before their flight departs.

Passengers traveling on regularly scheduled commercial flights will have their own security checkpoint lane. They are urged to arrive at least 90 minutes before their flight departs.

No expedited screening will be provided Tuesday.

Outside the passenger terminal, the airport's long-term and short-term lots will be available. The cost to park in the long-term lot is $6 per day and the cost for short-term parking is $11 per day.

Airport Director Marty Lenss and his staff began working with the TSA, the airlines, concession vendors and Landmark Aviation, the fixed-base operator, local travel agencies and tour operators before the Hawkeyes secured the Rose Bowl berth. They knew the team would travel somewhere for a postseason bowl.

'This is very similar to the number of flights and passengers that we had in 2002 when the Hawkeyes played in the Orange Bowl,” said Pam Hinman, airport director of marketing and communications.