Asheville Regional Airport

Nice, small airport. We were one of the first people in this morning so of course everything was quick. Staff was all friendly. Lots of signage so we didn’t get lost.
We had breakfast at the Blue Tavern-​pretty good!
There’s a big store that’s connected to the tavern where you can essentially get anything, food, wine, souvenirs, etc. I really liked this airport!

Only seven terminals gotta love it, this just might be the smallest airport I’ve ever flew out of, for the record this TSA staff is one of the coolest ever they pay attention to everything… I wish allegiant was more cooler with the carry on rules lol

Short lines, courteous staff, expensive tickets. A viable choice and Sierra nearby certainly doesn’t hurt!

So small, but oh so good. Every employee, from the rental car agents to the TSA to the baggage handlers are extremely friendly in the true spirit of Asheville. I dread most airports due to the long lines, unexpected waits, and overly curmudgeonly behavior of most employees and travelers, but without exception, Asheville Airport is a easy breeze. It will typically only take you about 20 minutes from curb to gate, where you then can lounge in the many rocking chairs overlooking the tarmac. This airport is always spotlessly clean and bright. If you get there early enough before the shop closes, you can pick up some last minute Asheville affordable souvenirs and get one more taste of the town’s beer on tap at the bar. All-​in-​all, always a pleasant experience arriving or leaving this lovely little city.
Tip: If you have extra time to kill before your flight, be sure to check out Sierra Nevada Brewery & Taproom just down the road a mile. Super close, free entrance, and amazing beer! It’s like a freakin beer castle, highly recommend.

Really nice, clean regional airport EXCEPT the television is tuned to informercials! So very annoying and you are trapped.

I have flown in and out of AVL countless times over the years, and I have always had a good experience. The check in lines are fast, and the security moves at good rate also. For example; I was flying out on one of the busiest travel days of the year, and my total time from the curb to the gate was less than 20 minutes. I will always pay the extra money for the convenience and ease of travel to fly from the Asheville Airport.

AVL is a small regional airport that provides the easiest and most direct flights for the surrounding area.
Pro’s:
+ easy layout — there all of 7 gates. It is pretty hard to get lost
+ rental cars– directly outside of the exit doors
+ updated– they have but some work into this airport over the years. It is cleaner and the seats are much newer, albeit, not that comfortable
+ gift shop/​food — large for the airport. There is a bar. I would recommend eating prior to coming though
+ partial pre-​check– you keep shoes and jacket on and get to walk through the non-​full body scanner
Con’s:
— Security– for a small airport it is wildly inefficient. Yes, at times there can be no people and you can walk right through, because it expect a wait, even with 3 people ahead of you.
Also, the security has a totally unnecessary power tripping mentality.
–outlets– somewhat limited. Look for them in the pillars
–prices– AVL can be a pricey airport for flights. You can get some deals every so often, but if you don’t mind a 1 hour drive, Greensboro/​Spartansburg or Charlotte are good alternatives.

Three different flights had to wait over an hour after getting off the plane at baggage claim. There was no inclement weather and we also weren’t given a reason why it took so long. Pretty unexpected given how small the airport is. The AVL regional airport ground crew and Allegiant airlines crew both suck. Won’t be using them again. Rather fly out of Greenville or Charlotte.

For most of my life traveling to the airport and the process inside has always been a stress inducer. But in Asheville, it’s different. It’s almost like having a private jet: it’s just that easy to get parked and to the gate. Security is never tense, and always fast, and there’s a nice little restaurant right past the checkpoint. The restaurant also has good food and the servers are great. Flying is easy thanks to the Asheville Regional Airport.

Easy. Just don’t wear studs on your shirts, TSA doesn’t like that.
It’s clean.
The breakfast sit down café is not good. Better to grab McDonald’s on the way to airport and save $ 15.

This airport is a small regional airport. As you would expect it has a wonderful and friendly airport staff, as well as airline and rental car personnel; a good restaurant and snack area; as well as a great guest services personnel to provide visitors with things to the area.
So you ask yourself, why just two stars. The first reason is that there is limited parking and is usually full — so it could be a good walk in the rain or snow to get to the airport or to your car when you return — no covered parking here.
However, the worst thing about this airport is the security. It is basically one line, and being a Registered TSA flyer does not grant you anything other than not taking off your shoes or coat here — the equipment is outdated and you still need to remove your laptop and computer from your bag. However, believe it or not this is not like any other regional airport when it comes to security, especially if two airlines are leaving at or near the same time. When that happens TSA is basically becomes dysfunctional and cannot handle the crowd. I arrived at the airport 75-​minues ahead of my flight, got in line within an hour of taking off and about 40-​folks ahead of me. I made it through the line and boarded my flight 15-​minutes after it was to take off — Thanks to the airline (in this case Delta) held the plane for its customers, and three more folks boarded the flight after I did. From my calculations that is a little less than 2-​minutes per person. I don’t expect this to get any better, anytime soon from the line I saw when I returned mid-​morning the other day. Greenville-​Spartanburg airport is looking better and better.
So everything is good until you really have to go through security — the only advice I can provide is please arrive well ahead of your flight and bring a book so you can read while going through security — this way won’t have to run to your gate or stand a chance of missing your flight.

Why 4 stars? Because it’s convenient, if nothing else.
— — —
It could definitely use a little sprucing up, as nothing about it screams, «up-​to-​date.» But I achieved something here that I have never in my life been able to witness elsewhere: there were literally ZERO other people in the security line. I just walked up, and went right to the TSA guy with my ID and boarding pass. I was so shocked, I was fumbling with getting my ID out, considering you normally have at least a few minutes to prepare for that.
There’s definitely a beauty about small airports. The rental car situation is pretty funny. You literally walk outside the door and look to the right: boom, there are the rental cars. Not a tram ride away. Not in a far-​off parking garage. Just right outside the door.

My 4 year old daughter ran though a secure area as I was leaving the area. A TSA officer thought it was wise to try and grab her as she ran towards me.
He was prevented like any large adult male would have been if they went after a 4 year old.
I was found not guilty. The judges words «a father has the right to defend his daghter»

Cute tiny airport with very friendly crews.

This is a cool little regional airport. The only reason it isn’t getting five stars is that since it is a regional airport, normally the little small jets and turboprops (if any) fly into here. So this usually necessitates a transfer at a bigger airport. So things can be a bit more expensive than flying direct.
That said, this is a marvelous regional airport. It seems to have been recently modernized, lots of open space, a few shops before and after security (with the usual airport prices alas), and a pretty big restaurant with huge windows looking out over the tarmac and runways. Security is courteous and speedy. I was through in about 10 minutes. There is actually space to walk around after security so if you don’t feel like sitting in a chair for an hour before sitting in your seat on the plane for a few more hours then you can.

You gotta love small, regional airports. I appreciate being able to drive a rental car right up to the main terminal, leave it outside and walk on in. The security lines are short and there is a full bar with local beers on tap in the middle of the terminal. The gift shop also has some local fare and pretty cool last-​minute gifts.

With the understanding that you really can’t review an airport without, by proxy, reviewing its constituent parts (TSA, ground crew, control tower, desk clerks, souvenir shops), let’s just settle on reviewing the gestalt of the place. The overall customer-​facing experience: In the case of AVL, it’s marvelous.
I’ve flown in here a bunch of times. It’s a pint-​size airport about 20 minutes outside of downtown. Cute and friendly as can be. Tiny planes fly in there. They have 3 check in desks, but usually only one needs to be open. There’s never more than 50 people in this airport, not counting employees. Usually fewer.
It takes seconds to park, and all of 2 – 3 minutes to get through security. Security is gentle and polite. They do a good job. One time I had an 8 ounce tube of toothpaste in my carry on (I like to brush my teeth), and instead of making me throw the whole thing out, they let me squeeze most of the toothpaste into the trash but let me carry the tube with just enough paste to brush my teeth for a couple of days. Which was awesome, and kind of clever.
You don’t ever have to worry about losing track of time and missing your departure time, because you have a clear line of sight to your gate at all times because there’s only (I think) one gate, and it’s in the middle of a big room with a decent bar serving local beers, and a tiny souvenir shop that sells t shirts, shot glasses, and mini aspirin. If you’re supposed to be boarding the plane and you’re not, someone can just yell «hey, stranger, get on the plane already,» and you’ll hear them just fine. They might have a PA system, but they don’t need one. So, like I said, you’ll never get passed over for boarding.
If you’re flying into Asheville, it usually takes no more than 15 minutes to get your checked baggage at the baggage claim. In bigger airports, this can take more than an hour. If you’re picking up someone at the airport, you can literally see them get off the plane while you’re standing at baggage claim, so there’s no mystery about finding a person, or whether the plane’s landed yet. Alternatively, you can just roll up to the curb and whoever’s on the plane will have no problem finding you.
Oh, and it’s a nice building, post-​renovation. And it has rocking chairs. Very antebellum.
I realize this is mostly a discussion of the joys of regional airports, vice major hubs. And yet, there does seem to be something uniquely Asheville about this particular airport experience, and I appreciate it.
If only all airports could be so charming and manageable, it might be less of a hassle to fly places.

It may not be the most glamorous air port in the world. In all truth, the best word to use to describe it might be cute. I feel like Asheville’s Regional Airport is a reflection of the city itself.
It’s very nice inside, they’ve done a tremendous amount of renovating and upgrades over the past few years, but it still maintains that small town airport charm.
It’s small. I believe it has a total of 4 gates, and you’re most likely going to walk to or from your airplane. There’s a very pleasant little restaurant inside, where you can also buy books, candy, and neck pillows.
There’s a bounty of of power outlets, which also include USB ports so your electronics needs will be taken care of.
The total walk from your plane to the baggage claim typically takes less than 5 minutes, meaning that you’ll totally beat your bags to the conveyor belt. Thus, take your time, stroll leisurely. Check out the art, advertisements, and be impressed with the cleanliness of the bathrooms.

It’s a small, regional airport, so keep your expectations in line, folks!
You’ll find *plenty* o’ seating, outlets for charging your umpteen electronics, just a handful of restrooms, one restaurant and one centrally located sundries area. For the size of the airport, all of the basics are very much covered. There are only eight gates and this security line is short, but the folks examining your luggage will take their sweet time.
Why four stars? The local and cuteness factor. Theres a row of rocking chairs that stare out onto the runway and a small art gallery near baggage claim. Pretty cute, Asheville, pretty cute indeed.

People are so angry! When does flying ever make you feel cozy like one of the reviewers said? And the rating for the airline is just misplaced .
I like the Asheville airport I think of all airports I literally ever flew from they have the friendliest TSA people I forgot a little multitool in my backpack and they had to take it but gave me three options put it in my car, mail it to myself (there is an option at customer service) or throw it away. I never had that happening in atlanta or NYC they just give you hate eyes .
They have 7 gates and fly mostly to connect to international airports.
They have plenty of parking and the guys outside in front of the terminal don’t have a nervous breakdown right away when you unload right there.
It is about 15 minutes to drive to downtown Asheville, traffic is never really bad because our city is pretty little!