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.
LEX8.5+0.1
SDF8.4
Comfort & amenities
20% · Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.
LEX7.6+0.4
SDF7.2
Food & retail
15% · Food and retail quality and variety.
LEX7.6+0.6
SDF7.0
Ground access
15% · Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.
LEX7.2+0.8
SDF6.4
Reliability
15% · Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.
LEX7.4+0.2
SDF7.2
Lounges
10% · Worth-it density and access quality.
LEX6.0+3.2
SDF2.8
Best for
LEX
Central Kentucky origin/destination tripsWeekday AA / DL / UA club members who want the $0 ClubDrivers who will use the $14 Long-Term lot
SDF
Kentucky / Southern Indiana trips that should skip CVG or IND connectionsDrivers who want official $9 Express parking 10 minutes from downtownTravelers who will actually sit down at Book & Bourbon before securityCLEAR / PreCheck members who just need a short walk to the gate
Watch out for
LEX
TSA leftover close 8:30 p.m. on the original scheduleThe Club is closed SaturdaysNo rail — LexTran Route 8 is selected weekday tripsOfficial dest table is U.S. only
SDF
Priority Pass has no SDF pin — there is no Escape, Sky Club, or Admirals ClubTARC dropped the passenger terminal on 2 Aug 2026; flylouisville.com still mentions the busNo rail, and Derby weekend turns the single checkpoint into a hub queueCheckpoint expansion is under construction through early 2027
Amenities and tips
LEX
The Club at Blue GrassBourbon Library + Snack BarrelComplimentary Wi-FiNursing suite + LEX PetsGoodMaps + Sunflower lanyardsLong-Term parking after the 2026 expansion
Official leftover is 90 minutes — checkpoint closes 8:30 p.m.
Official TSA / dest leftover: arrive 90 minutes before scheduled departure. Checkpoint daily 4:00 a.m.–8:30 p.m.; hours vary by the original flight schedule.
One civil hall — A and B after the same screening story
Commercial passengers use one ticketed-pax building. Official leftover Concourse A and Concourse B. Official pages do not print a live gate-to-airline map — read FIDS.
Eat after TSA — Bourbon Library is the named kitchen
Official dining: airside Bourbon Library 6:00 a.m.–last flight, Dunkin’ 4:15 a.m.–6:00 p.m., Sir Veza’s 11:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m., Snack Barrel 4:15 a.m.–last flight. Landside leftover is Blue Grass MarketPlace 6:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m.
SDF
Book & BourbonUSO Louisville Metro LoungeComplimentary Wi-FiCLEAR + PreCheckMother’s Room on Concourse A
Pad Derby weekend — weekday mornings are the real queue
Official TSA opens about 90 minutes before the first departure and closes about 30 minutes before the last — this is not a 24-hour passenger hall.
One checkpoint, then pick A or B
Every airline shares one Level 2 checkpoint. After screening you walk a rotunda into Concourse A or Concourse B — there is no airside train and no second security.
Eat Book & Bourbon before security if you have time
Book & Bourbon Southern Kitchen (landside, daily 07:00–20:30) is the first stop on Louisville’s Urban Bourbon Trail — Hot Brown plus a real bourbon list.
LEX · LEX is a one-hall Bluegrass field that stays simple — 90-minute leftover, a Saturday-closed $25 club, and $14 Long-Term — as long as you do not expect rail or a Priority Pass room.
SDF · Compact two-concourse Kentucky field with a real bourbon kitchen, CLEAR, and a $9 shuttle lot — traded against no Priority Pass chair, no rail, and no TARC bus to the terminal after 2 Aug 2026.
