I Flew To America's LEAST USED Airport 

The fun part about tiny airlines is how the same employee has more than one function. It's like Monty Python sketch when John Cleese just keeps bouncing from one window to another.

Fun fact - the plane they used in the tv show Wings is still in use, flown by Cape Air.

Wasn't expecting to hear another British accent in a town like that.

Noel, that’s the kind of videos that you do so incredibly well. When you go to these remote towns and explore places that nobody ever imagined existed. Keep up the amazing work. The humor, creativity and diversity in your content is greatly appreciated.

The nearby Amtrak station for the once-daily Empire Builder between Chicago and Seattle/Portland serves about 1000 more passengers annually than the airport.

Can we talk about the amazing customer service the lady had at Cinnabon ❤

If you’re interested in seeing obscure and unique airports, I’d suggest Adak airport in Alaska. It operates two regularly scheduled commercial flights a week, serving a small island town of just 171 people. It’s also the west most commercial airport in the US

What a cool little town! The underground portion looks interesting and honestly, the Siesta Motel looks cozy and charming with its retro 60’s vibe. As a train buff, I’d love to get a room at the motel, park myself on the porch and watch the trains.

The reason airports like this use the "international" name is that it has a customs official or some infrastructure to support having flights from other nations arrive. Usually thats because of cargo or general aviation rather than commercial passenger service.

And in the early 80's I flew for Big Sky Airlines using Swearingen Metro aircraft. We overnighted in Havre(for 6 hours) at the very same Siesta Motel. Thanks Noel for the wonderful nostalgia trip !

While driving a Dodge Ram in MT it is necessary to listen to country music. Noel becoming more American every day.😊

"54 passengers left to never return again...or come back by road, theres really no way to know." Absolute instant classic.

Kind of a bittersweet story...Havre had more importance during the Cold War, as it was located near a couple of RADAR stations for the "Pine Tree" line. It's an important part of my family's story, as it's where my late father-in-law (an Airman in the US Air Force) was stationed at a RADAR station on the Pine Tree line, and met a college student in the local nursing college, my future mother-in-law. We don't even live in Montana, but my family wouldn't exist without the place. Then we have the shameful "essential air service" contracts, which incentivize small airline's to offer service on a route. The idea is that the airlines serving the route would establish permanent service after the incentives jump start air services, but the reality is that since the early 2000's, airlines have sprung up that chase these contracts and immediately abandon the routes after the EAS contract expired. Big Sky airlines was an excellent operator, but died after they were bought out by a new private owner that gutted the company. No one has filled the hole left by Big Sky's departure...

Imagine meeting someone from England working at a tiny airport like that. Seemed like a nice chap. I enjoyed this video, nice to have something different to the big airlines

From one aviation geek to another: your videos hit just right. Thank you for all you do.

so. in america there are actually a lot of international airports that don't service international flights. the thing is some airports that were in certain stratigic locations have international status so that they have customs in case an international flight needs to make an emergancy landing and isn't within distance of a normal international airport. a good example of this is Jacksonville International airport. it's important not only because of it's location (halfway point between ATL and ORL) but it also (kinda) has a large footprint with the FAA.

16:10 "I just hate kids flying" Right behind the young pilot. Brillant!

Love the little post-TSA screening waiting area. It shows even the tiniest airports still have the same processes and different types of spaces.

Nice to get a glimpse of Cape Air, which came to the rescue when our local airport lost it's last passenger service several years ago.

The way you make these videos are so comforting and awesome 😎

When you headed back to Billings, I couldn’t help picturing that young female pilot being my daughter who is working her way though the commercial aviation program at the University of Oklahoma.

the tunnels make sense when you consider the normal winter weather for the area able to shop and go from store to store without going into the elements

OMG, Billings! When I was a kid we lived in Terry, Montana and we used to drive to Billings to grocery shop!! Brings back memories from 70 years ago!! The museum you visited looked interesting. This was fun.

These kinds of flights/locations are why I subscribed Noel....Love this stuff!! Had NO idea that Cape Air flew from Billings, or anywhere in Montana. I've been to Cape Air's home airport in Hyannis, MA many times, never flew out of it....used to work for Avis Rent-A-Car in Boston. Seeing stuff like this makes me want to get back out on my weekends and explore more. Hilarious on that hotel room from the 70's!!

My old boss (sadly passed away now) used to fly from Billings Montana to Dubai every 6 weeks for over 20 years, not direct obviously. That room is worth about £20 a night, rank.

Looked like a great trip! The scenery and the atmosphere was really attractive and makes you want to visit!

Back in the days of Regulation, an airline could not just fly wherever they wanted to, routes were given out by the Government. Because of this, Billings became a “Hub” of sorts for airlines that did not have non-stop rights going from Chicago, Denver, Los Angeles, SFO, etc, to Calgary. Edmonton and Vancouver. Hence “International”….

Wow, talk about great memories. I’ve flown that approach over the bluff into Billings hundreds of times and stayed at that Doubletree more times than I can remember. I love these small airport VLOGs as no one else does them and it makes for great content.

Like other commenters, I too am stuck on that motel. By the way, that tile is from post-WW II 1950s, exactly like my father and mother had in their small-town house here in Central California, by Taylor and Wheeler. Lovely video. Montana looks like a homey place out of the 1950s when life was simpler and purer with proud vets able to use their GI Bill to buy a home for wife and kiddos.

Really enjoyed that you showed more of the town as well and not just the flight experience.

Awesome video Noel. Love flying on those smaller planes. The United States has so much to explore. So happy to hear Rachel is feeling better. Travels safe. Happy Holidays to you and your beautiful family.

This sounds like a lot of fun! And you went the extra mile to showcase a bit of Havre's History totally amazing! I might do the same trip one day for funzies.

I just flew from Billings to Wolf Point, MT using Cape Air a few months back in the Tecnam. Unfortunately, on my scheduled flight back to Billings (and connecting flight), the entire Tecnam fleet was grounded for maintenance and I had to quickly rent a car (which, in Northern Montana on a weekend was not exactly easy to do), and drive back to Billings. You're lucky they had a Cessna, because that's not a usual part of the Montana fleet. I don't think Cape Air will order more of those Tecnam's.

I really enjoyed watching my favorite aviation content creator visiting my homestate! Thank you for showing us off!

I really love your videos and I really like how kind you are to everyone you meet. Especially the hospitality workers. Saying hi and thank you really goes a ling way. I'm a bartender and it means so much to me when people are kind like you. Happy Holidays To You!!

Another fun tiny airport in the US is Manistee County Blacker Airport in Michigan. Some cool Lake Michigan views on the way in on the flight from Chicago.

You would think that town was named by one of Montana's many Norwegian settlers, as Havre means oats in Norwegian, but it's actually named after Le Havre, France.

Your adventures are heartwarming for me. I want to take a long bus trip or fly to some faraway small town but right now just can’t do it. Thank you, Noel. 🙏

Bet you'd enjoy the underground tour in Old Sacramento. After several devastating floods back in the 1800's, Sacramento literally raised the entire town. Now the Sacramento Museum, which has a popular YT channel, gives underground tours of the old town.

What a nice trip! We never see much of these smaller airports and I’m happy you give us a glimpse of it.

Sat here on a rainy windy Sunday afternoon in IOM 🇮🇲, this is a wonderful vlog to watch , Thankyou Noel for going to the lengths you go to , to bring us these wonderful places…lovely bloke at your morning check in….he seemed very at ease with all that goes on in a quiet American town….👍👌🇮🇲

Reminds me of a trip I took back in or about 2010 - all for just taking an Amtrak train. Flew from ORD to MSP, then MSP to MOT in either a Bombardier or an Embraer jet, and then boarded the Amtrak Empire Builder from Minot back to CHI. MOT is a small airport (smallest I've been to), and as soon as we all disembarked from the jet, the place was a ghost airport. Fun and good stuff doing these unusual travels! Love your videos & trips Noel! Do more trips like these!

Are you going to do the aviation equivalent of Geoff Marshall (he visits the least used train station in each UK county), i.e. visiting the least used airport in every state?

Thank you for remembering this small town in the wide open spaces of the American West. I have lived nearly my whole life in one (returning after the worst three years of my life living in LA in the early '90s). And thank you for not being "big city negative" about the hotel. It is typical of the American West, not luxurious, not perfectly coifed, but clean. If you had the time, you could have done something that is impossible east of the Mississippi or west of the Sierra Nevada: drive to a place that is so quiet and so free of the sounds of civilization that you can hear a gentle wind rustling the grass or a bird singing a football pitch distant.

Must have been a completely unexpected surprise to run into a fellow ex-pat in Northern Montana

These trip video’s are the ones I would like to see more often. This is so much better than the flights that every Aviation RU-vidr is reviewing. Good work!

I live in Yuma, AZ, and we, too, have a small airport that has 'International' in its name. From what I understand here in Yuma's case is that the proximity to Mexico means it could have flights that cross the border. Montana's proximity to Canada is probably the same reason they have their 'int'l' airport.

If you think Billings is small, Great Falls International airport is served by exactly four airlines - Alaska (Seattle), Allegiant (2-3 times a week to Vegas and Mesa), Delta (Minneapolis and SLC), and United (Denver and seasonal service to Chicago). It's 2 hours southwest of Havre.

Really enjoyed this video, one of your best. It inspired me to go googling the town and looking at maps and town plans! I’m fascinated by such remote tiny “cities” - I didn’t realise quite how remote they were. It really drives home how not long ago the settling of the US was!

The Amtrak is a much more used method of travel through this part of Montana. It runs from Seattle to Chicago and is usually pretty full.

Have flown Cape Air many times between Puerto Rico and US Virgin Is...most memorable flight was an evening flight under a starry Caribbean night and the red glow of the turbocharged Continental engines.

Cool video, Noel. Your segment on checking in at the Siesta Motel reminded me of the movie, "Planes, Trains and Automobiles" when Steve Martin as Neil Page and John Candy as Del Griffith check into the Braidwood Inn at Wichita KS after their New York to Chicago got diverted due to weather in Chicago.

Fantastic video, Noel. Small airports, aircraft and towns are always nice for a change. The Siesta hotel room reminds me of scenes from movies where a fugitive walks in, pays for a room and no sooner has he walked up to his room than the television in the reception area displays his image. The receptionist gets onto the phone, calls the cops and before settling in, the fugitive watches law enforcement arrive through the front window. He escapes (why is it that the fugitives are always men?) through the back window, leaving law enforcement baffled... Fugitives and "wanted" characters always go for motels where they can see who's coming in and have an exit at the back. In addition, such scenes are filmed in small towns just like Havre.

I absolutely love your videos. I always end the video with a big cheeky smile and thinking to myself… wow, What a wonderful video! Always a pleasure when you post. Can’t wait for more

I visited Billings for work back in January 2020 and stayed in that hotel, though it was a Sheraton and not a Doubletree then. I learned it was the tallest building between Minneapolis and Seattle. I imagine there’s a strong probability that is still true! I enjoyed Billings and wouldn’t mind visiting again if I’m ever exploring that part of the country!

I like when you show the extras in the city and hotel.

Noel continues to show that he is in fact an American. He does love the pickups. 😁

I love Noel's sarcasm in the motel room. English humour indeed

I think the Noel-flies-to-the-@rse-end-of-nowhere videos are my favorites. Great stuff. The people, the places and the planes are just so interesting (as they were on your Greyhound vid last week tbf). Also, may I suggest you accidentally leave your camera on again in future? The luggage footage was awesome 🤣

This is amazing! We drove through Havre on our way back from Glacier four years ago. Rumor has it all those towns along US route 2 were named by some railroad exec in Minnesota spinning the globe and stopping it with his finger. Whatever town he landed on was the namesake for all those little towns along the railroad. Very cool!

I have a hypothesis that a lot of these smaller “International“ airports in the US are only named as such because they have a flight up to Canada or down to Mexico but still need to have the Border facilities. As for Harve, as someone whom as done both of the Seattle Underground tours, I would definitely like to have a look around those basement

Noel might just be the world's most pleasant man, injecting a much-needed dose of joyful contentment straight into my veins

Not far from Medicine Hat Alberta Canada 🇨🇦… it would be great to visit this region one day. Thank You for sharing this fine small city. BTW.. Moose Jaw Saskatchewan also has a unique underground tunnel network worth seeing as well.

That motel is definitely a stopping off point for serial killers.

That airport seems absolutely huge compared to 35ME, Matinicus Island Airport Matinicus Island, Maine, USA. It is the most easterly inhabited island in the US. A couple of times while we were there F-15s buzzed the place then turned around and went home. You would love it. We took off running downhill, over the rocks and then the ocean.

Loved the old motel key fob -- would be tempted to "drop into any mailbox" to see if the postal service still honors that promise! 😉 Another fun video, Noel, thanks!

Back in the 1980s I was flying a B-727 cargo plane from Louisville, KY to Portland, OR. We did a fuel stop in Billings which was nothing more than a fuel truck fueling us on a dark ramp. We called ahead and ordered a couple Dominos Pizzas. The fuelers brought the delivery kid out to the airplane and he climber up the aluminum ladder with the pizzas. The kid was scared to death looking around the old dirty freighter. I paid him and gave him a large tip for coming out and taking care of our "catering" needs. The three of us were starved and the pizzas were gone before engine start.

I really enjoyed this video Noel, didn’t expect to find a fellow Brit in middle of Montana in a very rural airport! That’s a flight I’d love to do

The nicest thing i could say about Havre is that theres a bar in town that lets you write on the walls. The town's motto is "Havre has it!" Theres a rack of bush light for whoever can figure out what the "it" is. My money's on alcohol poisoning, but one of my buddies has a good argument going for diseases in the water.

Incredible that the vintage Hotpoint fridge was still there, still running. With only a few minor aesthetic changes, those motel rooms would look like time capsules straight out of the late 50s/early 60s

Great video. Hope you do more of the small EAS airports in the USA.

Proof that no Matt where you are in the world you'll always encounter an Englishman 😂

Not to take anything away from Billings International Airport... But Havre (KHVR) is also an International Airport. It is an official airport of entry with full time customs agents, for GA aircraft that cross the US / Canada border - I've landed to 'cross' the border there.

14:14 Unbelievable….the ‘other’ English gentleman at the airport is my old boss from the Royal Air Force. Served together in Germany in the late 90’s. Massive Manchester City fan unfortunately, apart from that a great guy and great to see he’s ok. Thanks for the video Noel and reminding me of some good memories.

I moved from a 50 year stint in Phoenix to Billings and love every minute of the cold and heat.

Great video! I have been to Havre before. My mom spent her honeymoon there in 1949. I was able to take her on a trip through Montana in 2016 which included Havre and she shared stories of growing up all over Montana.

I suppose if they have at least one flight coming from Canada, that technically makes it an international airport.

That room at the Siesta Motel is a time capsule., the room key and all. Reminds me of when I went on vacation in Montana in 1992 and stayed at a motel the first night in Great Falls. The motel room at the time, even by early 1990s standards, was 20 years behind the times. It seems little has changed since that time in Havre, Montana.

Hi Noel! Please continue the least used airport series, it’s very interesting for me

Another one smashed out the park as they say in your neck of the woods! The pace the content the commentary you have really cracked a perfect recipe Noel thouroughly enjoyed every minute! Especially the tour of the motel OMG they are the same here in OZ too and same prices! Hahaha. Keep up the great work all the best to Rach hope to see you downunder in 2024 :)

The flights are always entertaining but really enjoy when you show the towns like you did in this video.

Neat video Noel I really appreciate that town tour. Please show some more fun places too on your travels. I would have loved seing more of Kazakstan for exemple. It does not need to be extreme, just fun anecdotes and hearing peoples' everyday life is lovely.

I don't know what would avail you to go there but Birmingham Int'l. in Alabama is really just a regional airport. They call it International because they have a few cargo flights to the Caribbean, IIRC. It's home to an ANG wing, (cargo, also) and has an interesting few Tuskeegee Airmen displays in it.

I enjoyed the video Noel, I was surprised to hear the English accent at the airport in Havre. Have a lovely Christmas and best wishes to you and your family 🧑‍🎄🌲🧑‍🎄🌲.

Brings back great memories. When my kids were young, we used to vacation one week each summer in SW Montana. We lived in Bethlehem, PA. So we flew ABE to ORD to Billings to Bozeman. Sounds stressful, but there was something so nice about starting and finishing a trip at small airports.

01:04 I guess one flight to Canada and they can claim international?

Once we flew into Roswell NM. From the air it appeared to be a rather large and busy airport except at upon closer examination it was in fact an airplane graveyard. We were dropped off on the tarmac and a single tram or trolley type buggy held everybody's suitcases. I've been in bigger McDonald's than their terminal. Geesh... So bizarre

Billings is an international airport because it's so close to Canada that international flights are trivial in that regard. Erie, Pennsylvania's tiny airport is also an international airport for the same reason--Ontario is just across Lake Erie.

In the United States, any airport that has “international” in the name means they have US border control and customs operations available for arriving flights originating outside the US. That doesn’t mean they have to have international scheduled commercial or tourist charter flights. For example Ocala Florida is only an “executive airport,” but it has the international designation because of the customs operations that are available.

Suggestion for a future flight: The longest domestic flight in the United States - Hawaiian Airlines flies non-stop from JFK in New York to Honolulu and back using Airbus A-330s.

Wow - you missed the essence of Havre. The town has a lot to offer - good hotels, restaurants, the Buffalo Jump archeological site, the neat train station with old time steam locomotive, and more fun stuff on the High Line. Super nice Native Casino to the south…

That was fun, thanks. I used to fly on those 402's from Boston to Nantucket Island in the 1980s and '90s. Great little airplane.

The guy is so excited at 18:51 xD

What a hoot! I was an Instructor/pilot for (the original) Frontier Airlines from ‘73 to ‘79. We operated DeHavilland DCH-3Twin Otters out of Billings to Havre. Not much has changed.

I loved these videos on small planes to small towns. Thank you very much. Two surprises for me were the 2 pilots on the first flight and second TSA for that size plane? For $78 return this was good value.

Thanks for visiting us in Billings MT!! You described it perfectly, it is a "big" small town lol. When I first looked at the thumbnail, I swear I instantly wondered if it was going to be in Montana. Very Synchronistic! BTW, the First Interstate Bank building is the tallest building in Billings 😀 Great Video!!❤

I stayed at that same DOubletree in Billings!

man, the more videos I see from the US the more I wanna go there sometime. No matter where in the US you go too, it all seems worth a visit. The people seem so friendly

You need to fly Cape Air from the real Logan Airport in Boston to their Headquarters at Hyannis! Maybe @capeair can give you a behind the scenes tour?

Certainly one of the smallest airports you could actually schedule a flight out of like an airline. There are plenty of other little public airports though. Places so tiny they dont even have any building and are pretty much just a strip of pavement. Those are really cool little places