One map, pinned from each airport’s published coordinates.
Category scores
Overall is the published weighted sum. A highlighted score is ahead; a tie stays plain.
Ease of use
25% · Wayfinding, security wait, and layout.
AVL8.4
GSP8.6+0.2
Comfort & amenities
20% · Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.
AVL7.4
GSP7.4
Food & retail
15% · Food and retail quality and variety.
AVL7.2
GSP7.5+0.3
Ground access
15% · Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.
AVL7.6+1.4
GSP6.2
Reliability
15% · Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.
AVL7.0+0.6
GSP6.4
Lounges
10% · Worth-it density and access quality.
AVL2.0
GSP6.5+4.5
Best for
AVL
Western North Carolina trips that can skip CLT and GSPOvernight parkers who will take the $12 shuttle lotDomestic departures that can follow the official 2-hour / 4:00 a.m. TSA clock
GSP
Upstate SC trips that do not want a CLT connectionPriority Pass / Platinum holders departing before 19:30Drivers using the $10 Economy lotsCLEAR+ members on a compact one-checkpoint field
Watch out for
AVL
No passenger lounge — do not buy a third-party Escape AVL passSome gates still ground-board during AVL ForwardRide-app pickup is in Shuttle Lot A, not at the bags door2019 Blue Ridge Tavern / Gates 1–7 photos are historicAllegiant AUS / HOU / PHX rows still carry 2025 suspension leftovers
GSP
Single runway closed 11–14 Sep and 18–21 Sep 2026 — terminal shut those weekendsEscape closes 19:30; no second loungeNo public bus until 2027 at the earliestOfficial pages do not map water fillers or print CLEAR weekday hours
Amenities and tips
AVL
One temporary TSA from 4:00 a.m.; official clock is 2 hoursNo passenger loungeFive named airside kitchens; vending landsideWi-Fi SSID I Fly AVL!; fillers in bags and airsideMother’s room and family restrooms on the North ConcourseShuttle lot $12; ART S3 $1; Apple Country free through June 2027
Arrive 2 hours — TSA opens at 4:00 a.m.
Homepage travel alert: two hours before scheduled boarding. Security FAQ: two hours before the original departure; checkpoint closes 15 minutes before the last scheduled departure.
New North Concourse; some gates still ground-board
Ticket lobby, temporary TSA, and North Concourse opened in 2025. Partial bags and rental counters opened in 2026. Phase 2 is still building the rest of the terminal.
Eat after TSA: five named concepts
Official in-the-terminal card: Jimmy John’s, Tropical Smoothie Café, Aletitude, The Goods@AVL, and Costa Coffee — all post-security. Hours follow the first and last boarding times.
GSP
Escape LoungeGrand Hall foodComplimentary Wi-FiGSPlay and nursing roomsGarage and Economy parkingEscape Pods
Two hours — and skip the closure weekends
Official FAQ and airline copy: arrive two hours before departure. Homepage TSA clock is 4:00 a.m.; FAQ says the checkpoint opens at 3:50 a.m.
One checkpoint, then walk A or B
Screen once on Level 2. Grand Hall, Concourse A, and Concourse B share one sterile side — no reclear.
Trust the official dining cards
Airside Grand Hall holds Chick-fil-A, The Kitchen by Wolfgang Puck, Sully’s Steamers, Dunkin’, Baskin-Robbins, and Escape. Concourse A is Triumph Taproom; Concourse B is RJ Rockers Flight Room.
AVL · Asheville put 2,240,877 people through a civil field mid-rebuild in 2025: easy when you use the two-hour clock, eat after TSA, and accept there is still no lounge while AVL Forward finishes.
GSP · One TSA, 13 connected gates, a real Escape / Priority Pass lounge on the right after security, and seven airlines — traded against no public bus, a 19:30 lounge close, and a single runway that is shut this weekend and next.
