Savannah/Hilton Head International Airport (SAV) Airport Guide - HonestAirport

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Most important tips

Know before you go

A compact traveler cheat sheet for timing, terminals, food, and disruption checks.

Timing

TSA’s published window is 03:45–20:30

Official checkpoint hours are 3:45 a.m. to 8:30 p.m., subject to TSA closing earlier. The building is 24/7; the sterile side is not.

Official FAQ: arrive at least 2 hours out, 2–3 hours in peak periods. Most flights board 30–45 minutes before departure. After 20:30 there is no reclear until morning. CLEAR Mobile’s official shops pin is 04:00–18:00.

Layout

One checkpoint, then a straight 15-gate pier

Clear once on Level 2, then walk a single linear concourse numbered up toward Gate 15. You cannot pick the wrong TSA portal.

Savannah Square (Leopold’s shop, Southbound Taphouse, landside Starbucks) is before security. The four-gate expansion is still an active construction project — dining pins and the live map still stop at Gate 15.

Food

Leopold’s is the local name worth the walk

Leopold’s Ice Cream runs a Savannah Square parlor (top of the escalators, before TSA) and an airside concourse kiosk. That is the one Savannah original the airport actually has.

Leopold’s own shop page lists both airport counters 10:00–19:00 in the body and 10:00–18:00 in a later locations block — confirm at the counter. They validate parking for parlor customers. Airside food is PGA Tour Grill (Gates 9–11), Burger King / Torn Basil / Auntie Anne’s / Great American Bagel (Gates 3–5), Stella Bar (7–8), Service Station Bar (11–12). Landside beer is Southbound Taphouse in Savannah Square.

Lounges

Passport Club is real; The Club at SAV is not

One Commission-run room between Gates 10 and 12. Live Priority Pass does not list Savannah. $20 day pass, no guests on cards, same-day departing boarding pass required.

Standard Priority Pass, LoungeKey, and Capital One Venture X from aggregator pages are not on the official Feb 2025 entry PDF. Peak times they stop selling the $20 pass. Savannah Salutes (Level 2, pre-security) is military hospitality, not a passenger lounge.

Live conditions

Right now at SAV

Security waits and operational status from official feeds, where the airport publishes them.

Honest verdict

Who this airport works for

Best for

Origin-and-destination trips that already know the single Level 2 checkpoint
Drivers using in-terminal Alamo–Thrifty counters and the $7 Lot D
Amex Platinum or Chase Sapphire Reserve holders who will actually use Passport Club

Watch out for

Assuming standard Priority Pass, LoungeKey, or The Club at SAV exist
CAT 100X Airport Express — suspended since March 2021; live bus is local Route 3
North Economy Garage closed; overflow may be the Yellow Lot on Ida J. Gadsden with a shuttle
Stale 19-gate / Spirit-is-definitely-here / Sixt maps

Airportist Score

Why this score

Overall is the published weighted sum of six categories. No holistic fudge on top.

Ease of use · 25%

Wayfinding, security wait, and layout.

8.3

Comfort & amenities · 20%

Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.

7.4

Food & retail · 15%

Food and retail quality and variety.

7.4

Ground access · 15%

Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.

6.8

Reliability · 15%

Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.

6.8

Lounges · 10%

Worth-it density and access quality.

5.8

Key stats

Editorial reference figures, not live readings.

Annual passengers

4.2M

Terminals

1 terminal, 15-gate pier (4-gate expansion underway)

On-time departures

74%

Typical security

12 min

Guide quick facts

From the editorial guide for SAV.

Updated Sep 11, 2026

Official stats table (checked 11 Sep 2026): calendar 2025 was 2,113,972 enplanements + 2,120,559 deplanements = 4,234,531 passengers, 116,074 operations, 11,829.10 tons of cargo. That is +2.4% vs 2024’s 4,134,381. Do not use the Savannah Chamber brochure’s 4,259,852 figure — that was an October-through projection, not the year-end table. 2026 Jan–Jul on the same official table is already 2,507,329 passengers.
One two-level terminal. Ticketing, Savannah Square, and the single TSA checkpoint are on Level 2; bags, rentals, taxis, and the Visitor Information Center are on Level 1. Official dining pins still run through Gate 15. The four-gate easterly concourse expansion is an active Summer 2026 project (August 2026 commission still signing change orders) — do not treat Gates 16–19 as open.
Operator: Savannah Airport Commission (not-for-profit, City of Savannah-owned field). Official site https://savannahairport.com/. Address 400 Airways Avenue, Savannah, GA 31408. Main phone 912-964-0514. ICAO KSAV. AirNav elev 50.2 ft, 7 miles NW of downtown, I-95 Exit 104. Two grooved runways: 10/28 9,351 × 150 and 1/19 7,002 × 150.
Civil passenger terminal on a joint-use field. Georgia Air National Guard 165th Airlift Wing (C-130J) and the Combat Readiness Training Center / Air Dominance Center lease land on the southeast and northeast quadrants. This page is the Commission terminal only — do not create a second airport for KSAV / Savannah ANGB. Hunter Army Airfield is SVN, about 7 nm south. Hilton Head Island Airport is HHH. Do not confuse the three.
Official About page (11 Sep 2026): 9 airlines, more than 30 nonstop destinations, over 50 daily flights. Wikipedia’s live destination table names Allegiant, American, Avelo, Breeze, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, Sun Country, and United. Spirit launched EWR in Aug 2025; third-party NK253 schedules only ran through 17 Jun 2026 — confirm tonight’s FIDS, do not assume Spirit is still on the board. Allegiant’s crew/maintenance base closes 2 Nov 2026; airport and airline both say the station and current schedule continue. No Sixt on the official rental list.
One passenger lounge: Passport Club, airside between Gates 10 and 12, official 05:30–19:00. It is a Savannah Airport Commission room, not an airline club and not a live Priority Pass lounge (PP USA directory 11 Sep 2026 has CHS and PVD, not SAV). Standard Priority Pass from a credit card does not get you in — official Feb 2025 PDF is Prestige card only, plus Amex Platinum / Centurion, Chase Sapphire Reserve, a $20 day pass, and a short house list. Aggregator “The Club at SAV” with LoungeKey / hot food / peach cobbler is not the official description.

10 official sources

Full guide

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