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.
CHS8.1
SAV8.3+0.2
Comfort & amenities
20% · Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.
CHS7.3
SAV7.4+0.1
Food & retail
15% · Food and retail quality and variety.
CHS7.3
SAV7.4+0.1
Ground access
15% · Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.
CHS7.2+0.4
SAV6.8
Reliability
15% · Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.
CHS6.6
SAV6.8+0.2
Lounges
10% · Worth-it density and access quality.
CHS6.8+1.0
SAV5.8
Best for
CHS
Priority Pass / LoungeKey holders departing before 20:30Drivers who will actually use the $13 Economy Lot, not the $21 Hourly Garage for a weekPreCheck on the 06:00 bank (official forecast stayed under 15 minutes)Anyone who will take CARTA Route 11 at $2 instead of a $17-minimum taxi
SAV
Origin-and-destination trips that already know the single Level 2 checkpointDrivers using in-terminal Alamo–Thrifty counters and the $7 Lot DAmex Platinum or Chase Sapphire Reserve holders who will actually use Passport Club
Watch out for
CHS
The Club CHS closes 20:30 and admits outbound passengers only — a 21:00 Breeze has no loungeCLEAR is not here; homepage Check n' Go still names Spirit, which ceased 2 May 2026West Gates ($105M, four gates + FIS, official substantial completion end of 2026) and a new parking garage are active constructionCARTA 11 is a local bus with many stops, not a 20-minute downtown flyer — budget 45–60 minutesBermudAir is not a live CHS airline; Breeze Cancún is the scheduled international to treat as a real FIS departure
SAV
Assuming standard Priority Pass, LoungeKey, or The Club at SAV existCAT 100X Airport Express — suspended since March 2021; live bus is local Route 3North Economy Garage closed; overflow may be the Yellow Lot on Ida J. Gadsden with a shuttleStale 19-gate / Spirit-is-definitely-here / Sixt maps
Amenities and tips
CHS
The Club CHSCARTA Route 11 and cheap parkingCHSFREEWIFILowcountry concourse foodNursing rooms, SARA, SunflowerOvernight seating
Official window is 90 minutes to two hours
TSA opens 03:30 and runs to 21:30 or the last departing flight. Official hourly forecast on 9 Sep 2026 stayed under 15 minutes all day — the 06:00 bank was the peak at 12 minutes.
One checkpoint, then pick A or B before you sit
Wrong concourse is a walk through Central Marketplace, not a reclear. The Club, Chick-fil-A airside, and Concourse B sit west; Charleston Beer Works sits on A.
Eat in Central Marketplace or on your concourse
Official live list: Kardea Brown's Southern Kitchen, Ashley Cooper Provisions, Verde, Burger King, Cinnabon, and Starbucks in Central Marketplace; Chick-fil-A airside and landside; Charleston Beer Works on A; DeSano and Commonhouse on B.
SAV
Single-checkpoint 15-gate pierLeopold’s + Southbound + PGA Tour GrillflySAV complimentary Wi-FiIn-terminal rental countersPassport ClubNursing room, sunflower lanyards, outdoor SARA
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.
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.
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.
CHS · A genuinely easy Lowcountry alternative to ATL or CLT — one checkpoint, a real Priority Pass lounge, $13 economy parking, and a $2 CARTA bus — undone by a 20:30 lounge close, no rail, and a West Gates job that is still in the ground.
SAV · A compact two-level coastal pier with in-terminal rentals, a real Leopold’s, and a $20 Commission lounge — undone by a 20:30 TSA close, a shuttered economy garage, and no live Priority Pass.
