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.
INN8.5+0.3
SZG8.2
Comfort & amenities
20% · Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.
INN6.8
SZG7.0+0.2
Food & retail
15% · Food and retail quality and variety.
INN6.2
SZG6.5+0.3
Ground access
15% · Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.
INN8.0
SZG8.4+0.4
Reliability
15% · Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.
INN5.5
SZG6.5+1.0
Lounges
10% · Worth-it density and access quality.
INN6.5
SZG6.8+0.3
Best for
INN
Ski and alpine holiday arrivals with a short hop into Innsbruck or the Stubai/Nordkette valleysPriority Pass / LoungeKey holders who can use Tyrol Lounge before 19:00Travelers who want a tiny terminal without multi-building transfersAustrian Airlines Vienna feeders and easyJet/transavia leisure links
SZG
Ski and lake-district holiday arrivals into Salzburg, the Sportwelt, or nearby Bavarian AlpsPriority Pass holders who can use the Business Lounge inside posted hoursTravelers who want a compact Austrian airport with frequent Obus links into the Altstadt / HbfEurowings Europe / leisure-carrier hops and short city breaks to Salzburg
Watch out for
INN
No rail — IVB bus F to Hauptbahnhof is the public backbone (€3.30 Kernzone single in 2026)Category C mountain approaches + single 2,000 m runway: wind and low cloud cancel more than flatland peersWinter Saturday ski banks can push security toward an hour in a two-lane hallTyrol Lounge closes 19:00 — no evening lounge cover
SZG
No rail — Obus 2 (Hbf ~23 min) and Obus 10 (centre ~15 min Mon–Sat) are the public backbone (€2.50 Kernzone advance single in 2026)Winter Saturday ski/charter banks can pack security and the tiny lounge despite the mid-size footprintBusiness Lounge closes 19:00 Mon/Sat/Sun (20:00/21:00 midweek) — no late-evening lounge coverSingle runway on the alpine fringe: wind, low cloud, and winter de-icing still cancel more than flatland peers
Amenities and tips
INN
Tyrol Lounge (airside)IVB bus F to HauptbahnhofFree passenger Wi-FiDuty-free + café clusterAirline PRM assistanceCar hire on terminal campus
Winter ski banks punish the tiny security hall
Compact terminal, brutal winter-Saturday peaks — pad security and do not cut mountain-weather buffer on ski charters.
One hall — landside check-in, upstairs security, gates beyond
One Olympic-era terminal with upstairs security and a small airside hold — easy to learn, easy to congest.
Limited airside cafés — lounge or eat in town
Fine for coffee; Tyrol Lounge or the city beat scrambling the gate cafés on ski-charter peaks.
SZG
Business Lounge (airside)Obus lines 2 & 10 into SalzburgFree passenger Wi-FiMarktrestaurant / Marktcafe / Das WolfgangAirline PRM assistanceCar hire on terminal campus
Winter ski banks still pack a mid-size terminal
Compact campus, serious winter-Saturday peaks — pad security and do not treat SZG like a sleepy regional field in ski season.
T1 daily driver, T2 for seasonal overflow — no jet bridges
One campus, two buildings — learn T1 first; T2 is the winter/overflow relief valve, not a separate airport.
Marktrestaurant / cafés plus a tiny paid lounge
Fine for coffee and schnitzel; Business Lounge or the city beat the gate scrum on peak winter banks.
INN · Tyrol’s compact alpine gateway 4 km from Innsbruck: one terminal, Category C mountain approaches, IVB bus F instead of rail, classic 100 ml security, and a single Tyrol Lounge that closes at 19:00 — easy to walk, hard to time on winter Saturdays.
SZG · Austria’s #2 civilian airport 3 km from Mozart’s city: trolleybuses instead of rail, classic 100 ml security, winter ski banks that punch above the building size, and a single ~25-seat Business Lounge by Gate 10 that closes early some evenings.
