--- iata: SOU name: Southampton Airport city: Southampton country: United Kingdom lastUpdated: '2026-09-01' officialWebsite: 'https://www.southamptonairport.com/' sources: - 'https://www.southamptonairport.com/' - 'https://www.southamptonairport.com/at-the-airport/security-screening/' - >- https://www.southamptonairport.com/at-the-airport/security-screening/security-faqs/ - 'https://www.southamptonairport.com/at-the-airport/the-spitfire-lounge/' - 'https://www.southamptonairport.com/to-from/pick-up-drop-off/' - 'https://www.southamptonairport.com/to-from/by-train/' - 'https://www.southamptonairport.com/to-from/by-bus/' - 'https://www.southamptonairport.com/parking/short-stay-parking/' - 'https://www.southamptonairport.com/at-the-airport/services-and-facilities/' - 'https://www.southamptonairport.com/destinations/' - 'https://www.unilinkbus.co.uk/airport' - >- https://www.prioritypass.com/en-GB/lounges/united-kingdom/southampton/sou-sou-spitfire-lounge-ags - >- https://www.caa.co.uk/data-and-analysis/uk-aviation-market/airports/uk-airport-data/uk-airport-data-2025/annual-2025/ - 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Southampton_Airport' quickFacts: - >- Eastleigh, Hampshire — about 4 miles / 6 km north-east of Southampton city centre; IATA SOU / ICAO EGHI; single passenger terminal beside Southampton Airport Parkway station (~99 steps / covered footbridge). One asphalt runway 02/20 about 1,887 m after the 164 m northern extension opened August 2023 (UK AIP / airport & BBC reporting) - >- 885,186 terminal passengers in calendar 2025 (UK CAA Table 09; +3.8% vs 2024’s 852,501) with only 80 transit passengers (885,266 total). 20,092 aircraft movements in 2025 (CAA Table 03.1 grand total; air-transport movements about 15,960). Still well below 2019’s ~1.78M passengers - >- Owned by AGS Airports (with Aberdeen and Glasgow); operated by Southampton International Airport Ltd. Published destination board (airport site, subject to change) includes Alicante, Amsterdam, Belfast City, Bergerac, Dublin, Edinburgh, Geneva, Glasgow, Guernsey, Jersey, Málaga, Palma and Paris Orly. Typical carriers: easyJet (focus city), Aurigny and Loganair bases, plus KLM to Amsterdam. Do not confuse with BOH Bournemouth - >- Best public link is rail: Southampton Airport Parkway is on the London–Weymouth / CrossCountry corridor — airport pages market ~7 minutes to Southampton Central, ~10 minutes Winchester, ~69 minutes London Waterloo. Unilink U1A/U1C stops at the terminal door — operator quotes £2.60 single, first city→airport ~04:17, last airport→city ~00:40 - >- CT/EDS cabin scanners: liquids must still be ≤100 ml per container, but no clear bag is required and laptops/large electronics stay in the bag (airport security + FAQs). Priority Security is a bookable product (third-party August 2026 UK survey ~£7 — confirm live on the airport booker). Free water fountain near the ground-floor toilets in the departure lounge - >- Sole passenger lounge is the Spitfire Lounge airside after security (1F; Priority Pass directions: through the restaurant, follow “Business Lounge”). Airport walk-up/pre-book from £25 adult / £15 child / under-3 free. Staffed Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri 06:00–20:00; Wed/Sat/Sun 06:00–10:00 and 15:00–20:00 (Priority Pass split-day evening close is often listed 19:00 — trust the door). Priority Pass / LoungeKey accepted subject to space bentoTips: - label: Transport title: Parkway station is ~99 steps — Unilink is the city door-to-door bus detail: >- Exit the terminal, turn toward the covered footbridge / lifts to Southampton Airport Parkway (airport marketing: one of Europe’s shortest plane-to-train walks). South Western Railway and CrossCountry serve the station; airport journey-time examples are ~7 minutes Southampton Central, ~10 minutes Winchester, ~36 minutes Bournemouth, ~49 minutes Reading, ~60 minutes Portsmouth, ~69 minutes London Waterloo — buy live fares, not brochure averages. For the city without changing at the station, Unilink U1A (city→airport via University / Portswood) and U1C (airport→city) stop on the terminal forecourt. Unilink publishes £2.60 singles, contactless tap-on/tap-off, and daytime frequencies up to every 8–10 minutes; first toward the airport ~04:17, last from the airport ~00:40. Bluestar 24 also calls at Parkway toward Hedge End — useful locally, not the main city product. summary: >- Rail at Parkway is the standout SOU advantage; Unilink U1 is the cheap terminal-kerb city bus at £2.60. category: timing - label: Security title: 100 ml still applies — but leave liquids and laptops in the bag detail: >- Southampton’s published CT/EDS security page is clear: each liquid must be in a container of 100 ml or less, you no longer need a clear 1-litre bag, and large electronics stay packed. Empty reusable bottles before the lane and refill at the free fountain by the ground-floor departure-lounge toilets. Priority Security is sold on the airport multi-purchase booker (and often bundled with Priority Parking for up to two passengers) — August 2026 third-party UK price checks commonly show ~£7; verify the live cart rather than screenshots. Build buffer on easyJet leisure banks when the single checkpoint is the bottleneck. summary: >- Classic 100 ml limit with CT leave-in-bag convenience; Priority Security is bookable, not a walk-up mystery lane. category: terminal - label: Lounge title: Spitfire is paid + Priority Pass — watch Wed/Sat/Sun lunchtime gaps detail: >- After security, head upstairs through the restaurant area and follow Business Lounge / Spitfire signs. Airport pricing starts from £25 adult / £15 child (under 3 free); pre-book online up to 30 minutes before arrival or pay at the desk. Opening pattern on the airport lounge page: Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri 06:00–20:00 continuous; Wed/Sat/Sun morning 06:00–10:00 then afternoon 15:00–20:00 — midday Wednesday and weekend lunch departures often have no lounge. Priority Pass lists the same venue (Spitfire Lounge AGS) with slightly tighter evening hours on split days (often 19:00); kids under 4 free on PP conditions. Boarding pass required; under-18s need an adult. summary: >- Only full lounge at SOU; Priority Pass works, but Wednesday/weekend midday closures strand long connections. category: status - label: Drop-off title: '£7 / 20 minutes in Short Stay — Long Stay is closed, no free kerb' detail: >- Official pick-up & drop-off sits undercover on the ground floor of Short Stay (~1 minute walk). Airport drop-off page: £7 for 20 minutes, card / contactless only, ANPR in and pay on exit. There is currently no free drop-off product and no Long Stay shuttle — Long Stay remains closed, so do not plan a free remote car park hop. Unauthorised roadside drop-offs attract an £80 enforcement charge (£50 if paid within 14 days). Blue Badge holders get 30 minutes free in Short Stay after validating at customer service on exit. Turn-up Short Stay tariff continues £15 / first hour, £20 / 90 minutes, £30 / 4 hours, £60 / 24 hours (airport Short Stay page). summary: >- Budget £7 for a 20-minute Short Stay drop-off; Long Stay closure removed the free remote option. category: timing lounges: - name: Spitfire Lounge hours: >- Airport page: Mon/Tue/Thu/Fri 06:00–20:00; Wed/Sat/Sun 06:00–10:00 and 15:00–20:00 (flight-schedule dependent). Priority Pass often lists split-day evenings to 19:00 — confirm at the door. access: - >- Pre-booked paid entry via Southampton Airport lounge booking (from £25 adult / £15 child; under 3 free) - Walk-up purchase at the lounge desk after security when space allows - >- Priority Pass / LoungeKey / related lounge-network cards subject to space - Airline / ticket status where the carrier explicitly includes SOU lounge bestFor: - easyJet / KLM / Channel Islands waits of 90+ minutes airside - Priority Pass holders on morning or late-afternoon banks - >- Anyone wanting included soft drinks / light food away from the gate seats summary: >- Only passenger lounge at SOU. Airside after security on floor 1 (through the restaurant, signed Business Lounge). Paid from £25 or Priority Pass. Closed mid-day Wed/Sat/Sun on the airport roster — check hours before you pay for an early lunch departure. verdict: worth-it terminal: Main terminal (airside) amenities: - Complimentary soft drinks and standard alcoholic drinks - Light food / breakfast or all-day menu (airport marketing) - Free Wi-Fi - Flight information screens - Power / charging - Quieter seating away from the main gate hold waterOptions: - kind: free name: Departure lounge water fountain (ground-floor toilets) zone: airside summary: >- Airport security FAQs explicitly point to a free fountain near the ground floor toilets in the departure lounge for refilling after you empty bottles at the CT lane. Compact terminal — ask staff near Duty Free if you do not see it immediately. location: >- Airside departure lounge — by the ground-floor toilets after World Duty Free / main seating terminal: Main terminal isBestValue: true - kind: free name: Café tap-water refill on request zone: airside summary: >- Airside Costa / food-and-drink counters will usually refill a bottle with tap water if you ask when the fountain queue is busy or a unit is offline. location: Airside café / bar counters after security terminal: Main terminal - kind: purchase name: Landside / airside retail bottled water zone: landside price: Typically about £1.50–£2.50 for 500 ml summary: >- WHSmith and café units sell sealed bottles landside before security and airside after Duty Free if you prefer not to hunt the fountain. location: WHSmith / café units landside and airside terminal: Main terminal airportistScore: 7.5 slug: sou region: Europe --- > Markdown for [/airports/sou](/airports/sou). Append `.md` to any page URL (or send `Accept: text/markdown`) for an agent-readable copy. - [HTML page](/airports/sou) - [Lounge directory](/airports/sou/lounges.md) - [Sitemap](/sitemap.md) # Southampton Airport (SOU) Southampton, United Kingdom · Europe AGS regional airport at Eastleigh with a covered footbridge to Southampton Airport Parkway (~99 steps), CT security that still caps liquids at 100 ml (no clear bag; electronics stay packed), Unilink U1 at £2.60, and a Spitfire Lounge that Priority Pass can enter — except through Wed/Sat/Sun midday closures. Do not confuse with Bournemouth BOH. ## Airportist Score **7.5 / 10** - Comfort: 7.2 - Navigation: 8.6 - Food: 6.4 - Transport: 9.0 - Disruption resilience: 6.5 ## At a glance - Passengers: 0.89M - Terminals: 1 - Typical security: 10 min - On-time: 80% - Disruption: normal ## Best for - Travellers who want a true plane-to-train walk instead of a coach transfer - Channel Islands / Scotland / Amsterdam itineraries on Aurigny, Loganair, or KLM - Priority Pass holders who need a real lounge (when Spitfire is staffed) ## Watch out for - Long Stay car park is closed — no free remote drop-off; Short Stay drop-off is £7 / 20 minutes - Spitfire Lounge shut mid-day Wed/Sat/Sun on the airport roster (morning + afternoon blocks only) - Ticketed to “Southampton” but flying from BOH Bournemouth is a common Solent mix-up ## More intel - [Lounge directory](/airports/sou/lounges.md) (free) - [Getting there](/airports/sou/getting-there.md) (free) - [Amenities](/airports/sou/amenities.md) - [Traveler tips](/airports/sou/tips.md) - [Water](/airports/sou/water.md) - [Full guide](/airports/sou/guide.md) - [Disruptions](/airports/sou/disruptions.md) - [Reviews](/airports/sou/reviews.md)