Uber / Lyft · About 15–20 minutes to the oceanfront hotels, traffic depending
Where they are
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.
ILM8.4
MYR8.7+0.3
Comfort & amenities
20% · Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.
ILM7.4
MYR7.4
Food & retail
15% · Food and retail quality and variety.
ILM7.6+0.1
MYR7.5
Ground access
15% · Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.
ILM7.2+0.5
MYR6.7
Reliability
15% · Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.
ILM7.4+0.5
MYR6.9
Lounges
10% · Worth-it density and access quality.
ILM2.0
MYR2.0
Best for
ILM
Wilmington and Cape Fear travelers who would otherwise drive to MYR, RDU, or CLTAmerican, Delta, United, Breeze, Avelo, JetBlue, or Sun Country nonstops from one buildingDrivers who will use the $9 Shuttle Lot or the free cell lot
MYR
Beach-week leisure trips that already picked one of the ten live airlinesDrivers using Economy $10 or Long-Term $12Travelers who want Nacho Hippo / Chick-fil-A / Starbucks after one checkpoint
Watch out for
ILM
Live drop-off is the temporary curbfront — the garage / finished curb is still a Fall 2026 leftoverNo passenger lounge — aggregator Club ILM / Escape ILM / Priority Pass ILM is fictionOfficial ILM pages do not name a numbered city bus or a rail stop; Sleeping-in-Airports leftover Route 207 is leftover
MYR
No passenger lounge and no Priority PassSpirit is off the live airlines page — 2024 footers are leftoverSummer Friday/Sunday general TSA often 25–35 minutesAirport transportation page still says Coast RTA 15S; live route is 7 since 7 Jun 2026
Amenities and tips
ILM
Riverwalk / Dunkin’ / Port City Java after TSANo passenger loungeFly ILM Wi-FiShuttle Lot $9 + cell lotAirline wheelchair + family rooms
Arrive 2 hours — TSA generally 4:15 a.m.
Official TSA and FAQ cards: arrive two hours before departure. The building is 24/7; ticket counters generally start at 4:00 a.m. and TSA at 4:15 a.m.
One main hall — temporary curb, not Terminal 2
Commercial departures use the main passenger terminal. International arrivals, if any, clear a separate FIS building. Live pickup/drop-off is the temporary curbfront.
Eat after TSA unless you want landside Port City Java
Landside Port City Java is 8:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. Airside named kitchens include Dunkin’, Jimmy John’s, a second Port City Java (4:00 a.m. to last departure), Riverwalk 4:30 a.m.–7:00 p.m., Flying Machine 10:00 a.m.–8:00 p.m., and Bar Stop.
MYR
One TSA, A and B connectedNo passenger loungeAirside food courtFree Wi-Fi, SSID unpublishedNursing rooms + Quiet Room
Trust the 2-hour official clock on changeover days
Official security wants 2 hours domestic / 3 hours international; the homepage snapshot often prints 25–35 minutes in the general lane.
One TSA, then A and B on the same sterile walk
Ticketing and TSA sit upstairs next to each other; after screening you walk Concourse A or B without reclearing.
Eat airside — the live card is Concourse A and B
Trust flymyrtlebeach.com/information/dining-shopping/: Nacho Hippo, Chick-fil-A, Steak 'n Shake, Subway, Salt & Tide, Pizza Hyena, Starbucks between A and B, Pavilion Bar & Grill on B.
ILM · Southeastern North Carolina’s civil field — one main hall, a 2-hour clock, TSA generally 4:15 a.m., seven airlines, no lounge, and $9 shuttle parking after a record 1,826,994-passenger 2025.
MYR · A compact Grand Strand field that put 3.53 million passengers through one TSA and no lounge in 2025: easy once you are past the summer changeover line, and the live airline list no longer includes Spirit.
