Uber / Lyft · About 15 minutes to downtown Sarasota; about 20 minutes to Bradenton
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.
PGD8.7+0.3
SRQ8.4
Comfort & amenities
20% · Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet.
PGD7.0
SRQ7.5+0.5
Food & retail
15% · Food and retail quality and variety.
PGD6.8
SRQ7.8+1.0
Ground access
15% · Transit, taxi, and parking to the city.
PGD7.4+0.1
SRQ7.3
Reliability
15% · Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience.
PGD7.2
SRQ7.2
Lounges
10% · Worth-it density and access quality.
PGD2.0
SRQ2.0
Best for
PGD
Southwest Florida trips that can skip RSW and SRQ for AllegiantOvernight parkers who will take the $12 + tax long-term lotDomestic departures that can follow the official 2-hour clock
SRQ
Gulf-coast leisure trips that already know Allegiant uses Concourse ADrivers who will use Shade Lot $16 or Overflow $14Travelers who want local food (Wahlburgers, Mattison’s, Anna Maria) after TSA
Watch out for
PGD
No passenger lounge — do not buy a third-party Escape PGD passNo jetways; lightning inside five miles stops boarding and bagsWolfgang Puck and new Gates 5–6 are still coming soonNo kiosks; counter check-in closes 45 minutes priorShort-term is $24 + tax and is not an overnight lot
SRQ
Two TSA checkpoints that do not connect airside — wrong line is a reclearNo passenger lounge and no Priority PassThursday and Friday mornings: parking fills and the long-term shuttle adds timeLive flysrq.com/dining is leftover — Wahlburgers opened 28 Feb 2026
Amenities and tips
PGD
One-story Bailey Terminal, walk-up ramps, TSA opens with the flightNo passenger loungeThe Junction airside; Dunkin’ Express in bagsFree open Wi-Fi; fillers unpublishedMother’s Room at Gate 2; family restrooms at 2A and 7Long-term $12 + tax; free reserved county transit
Arrive 2 hours — TSA opens with the flight
Official FAQ and construction cards: counters and TSA open two hours before each flight. Use two hours, especially for the 6–8 a.m. Allegiant bank.
One building, walk-up ramps, gates 7–12 live
Bailey Terminal is one story. Gates 7–12 are open. Official pages still stamp new Gates 5–6, Wolfgang Puck, and a new TSA as coming soon.
The Junction after TSA; Dunkin’ in bags
Airside Junction opens 90 minutes before the first departure and closes with the last. Landside Dunkin’ Express is in baggage claim.
SRQ
Two unconnected TSA linesNo passenger loungeWahlburgers and B-side refreshSRQWIFIBreeze Transit + $16 shade parking
Two checkpoints — pick the right one
Allegiant uses Concourse A’s own TSA. Every other airline uses the main / Concourse B checkpoint. Official arrive-early page wants at least two hours; Thursday and Friday mornings are the named crush.
A and B are not one sterile walk
After you clear the wrong checkpoint you cannot walk airside to the other concourse. A4–A8 are ground-level Allegiant gates; B is upstairs jet bridges.
Trust March 2026 openings, not the dining card
The live flysrq.com/dining card is leftover. Concourse B now has Wahlburgers (opened 28 Feb 2026, B6–B8 next to Starbucks), Mattison’s, Motorworks, Huey Magoo’s, The Salty Key, Jimmy John’s, and a remodeled Starbucks.
PGD · Punta Gorda put 2,282,002 people through a one-story, walk-up-ramp field in 2025: easy when you use the two-hour clock, eat at The Junction, park long-term at $12 + tax, and accept there is still no lounge.
SRQ · A compact Gulf-coast field that ran 4.51 million passengers through one terminal with two TSA lines that do not connect: easy once you pick Allegiant-A or everyone-else-B, no lounge, and a dining card that still has not caught up with Wahlburgers.
