Hilton Head Airport

Holy crap I love this airport. It’s like a Little Tykes airport with little plastic TSA guys in authentic outfits, complete with lunch boxes and batons. If you’re quiet, you can sneak up on them while they are on lunch break.
The parking lot felt like those of the nearby dozen country clubs, and the only other people there were elder-​ish dudes with tortoise shell glasses and tennis rackets in their own special colorful bags.

Small Airport with Nice Touches
Visited Hilton Head for a work conference and flew into HHA versus driving from Savannah. It’s a small airport in every way– few check-​in stations; closed the majority of the day; no restaurants and only vending machines; one TSA gate that can get overloaded quickly; very few plugs for charging electronics; and a single, large hall with chairs as a terminal. Even the parking is self-​service with payment stations inside. But, there are rocking chairs in the front of the airport to lounge in until the TSA station opens, which was cool.
One tip: when you arrive, feel free to Über to your hotel. There are only a few hotel shuttles. Only one cab was parked outside (to the right) when my plane landed and the passengers exited the airport. I happened to be first in line… but am still getting the smell of cigarette smoke our of my nose and blazer. I Über’d for my return flight and it was a breeze.

The airport is decent, but there is no water fountain after security which is inexcusable considering that we aren’t allowed to bring in anything to drink. There are also no restrooms after security which is inconvenient but not quite as bad. The staff is courteous and helpful. Airport is reasonably clean and well organized.

Tiny tiny airport. One gate. Three tips:
1) Print a PAPER boarding pass. Don’t think you can arrive late and get through security with your American Airlines app boarding pass.
2) Print a paper boarding pass AT HOME. If you’re late, the two people who work for American might not be at the ticket counter anymore. There is no machine to print your own boarding pass. Be warned.
3) When TSA there says remove all the liquids from your bag — they mean ALLLLLLLL the liquids. Don’t think your dopp kit full of 3-​ounce bottles can stay in your bag, don’t forget about the tiny trial size vial of perfume you have, nothing. They WILL flag your bag, unpack it until they find the missing teaspoon of liquid, then swab your bag for explosives residue. Seriously — can we send these guys to JFK or some airport with a legit terrorism threat?
Bonus tip — Don’t let Google navigate you to the «Hilton Head Airport» or else you’ll be taken to the general aviation (read: private plane) side. There is no easy way back to the commercial side. Enter 120 Beach City Road into your GPS and arrive as planned. Don’t think you can rely on signage, either — the road signs to the airport are very small and easy to miss at 40 mph.

Horrible experience, will never fly out of HH again. First our flight was canceled, the next one delayed. All connections had to be rebooked — twice! AA not much help. Then the TSA security staff won’t let me through because I didn’t «look like my picture» on my DL. Honestly, I think the TSA staff here are so bored they are just looking for something to do! Not a fun way to end my week vacation in HH… next time I will fly in and out of Savannah!

So easy to get in and out! No food though but a few vending machines outside of TSA. Everyone was very friendly and efficient.

This is a review for TSA ONLY. The staff of the adorable airport were great. Maybe its because they are so small but all the tsas had a wicked inferiority complex. They opened the only gate 20 before we were scheduled to leave and due to their over the top bag check and scans we had to delay the planes departure time. Seriously 1 out of 3 people had invasive bag checks including me AND my GF. Maybe I’m just sick of tsas ridiculous outdated guidelines.

Wish all airports were like this!,
Maybe it’s because your either about to start your vacation or go home from one, but this airport is actually fun to fly in and out of. After I landed I had to laugh when I was waiting for my luggage at the pick up location. I stood at a garage type door and I could hear a vehicle backing up on he other side. Once it opened you are treated by a guy in the back of a wall truck handing you your bags!
Flying out, loved the rocking chairs! Security was a breeze.

Such a beautiful view flying into this airport. It’s tucked away at the end of the island in between rows and rows of trees and surrounded by pretty water. It’s a small airport so there are limited options but you’ll find everything you’re looking for. Everyone is super friendly at this airport and more than willing to help out.

Tiny airport, but free fast wi-​fi, super friendly, helpful staff, and nice big white rockers to wait for your flight. Love this place!

This is seriously the cutest airport ever. It’s tiny. And I do mean tiny. Picture a one terminal airport, with no bathrooms past security, an the same people checking you in, checking your bags, and facilitating the boarding process. Yep, when I said small, I meant small.
Perhaps a result of the miniscule size, the stress level also seems to be nonexistent in the airport. With rocking chairs scattered throughout the waiting area, and nowhere to go aside from the terminal (once security opens for the departure flight, that is), you won’t find the hustle and bustle of a normal airport here at HHI. Nope, instead you’ll find people rocking quietly in chairs, or stepping outside to use their cell phones. You might find someone at one of the rental car desks or purchasing a snack from a vending machine. But you won’t find any yelling, or running, or unnecessary freak-​outs.
What can I say? Hilton Head airport might not serve the cheapest flight into the area, but it sure does make for a pleasurable and easy experience. Every person with whom we interacted was cool, calm, and collected… just what you’d expect from folks living/​working in a beach vacation destination.

By far the smallest airport I’ve been to, Hilton Head will just get the job done if you don’t want to fly out of Savannah (or drive 2 hours to Charleston). There’s no «airport» feel here, as the parking lot looks like one for a golf course, and there’s not much signage for the airport either. You could easily miss this place if you were expecting a LAX-​esque sign.
Things seemed super laid back when I came here on a Sunday afternoon… perhaps too laid back. Check-​in and security were fine and both were the fastest components to the experience. Security didn’t open until 30 minutes before the scheduled departure, which would be unheard of in a larger airport. I sat in a rocking chair outside security to wait.
The gate area is tiny, but clean. The pink seats leave much to be desired but at least they’re not uncomfortable. There are 4 «gates» which are just doors that lead to the tarmac. And I only saw the airport use the one closest to the tarmac. There is NOTHING in terms of concessions or restrooms post-​security.
The car rental area is inside the airport. Like everything else here, the facilities associated with car rentals are tiny and limited.
Some aspects of the airport services, like everywhere else on the island, are pretty slow… from servicing the plane, to boarding, to deboarding. Even when the plane arrived late, things still seemed slow and there was no sense of urgency, which sucked for people having a connecting flight at our destination in Charlotte (pretty much the only airport they fly to, except Washington Reagan on occasion).
The «snack bar», the only choice for food, merely consisted of a few vending machines and a couple of small tables, so don’t expect a Wolfgang Puck culinary experience here. Plus it’s pre-​security.

Great service for GA but you pay a huge premium, so be prepared.

I know it’s kinda weird to review and airport but this one warranted a review — there are some of the NICEST people who work here! The desk/​ticket staff in particular. I just wanted to make that public. Thank you for treating me kindly and with respect. That is something that is lacking at most national airports.

Arriving in HHH airport was easy as your luggage is waiting for you right next to the car rental area. It’s a small airport so you can’t really get lost.
The only good thing is that there is usually no line so you don’t need to arrive 1.5 hours earlier even if you rented a car because the process will not take that long. Free wifi makes the time go by faster. They also have nice rocking chairs too.
Leaving out of HHH airport was terrible!!! TSA is terrible and wrong! I brought baby food (Earth’s Best 4.2 oz yogurt smoothies in a sealed squeeze bottle) so my daughter could eat during 8 hours of flying. The TSA lady (older one) told me that I had to open ALL my baby food because it was over 3 oz. (I verified with the airlines ahead of time and you can bring baby food on the plane that is over than 3 oz, for instance milk and etc.) I told her I am not opening her food bc I will have to refrigerate it after opening her food and that I verified this with the airlines and keep in mind I flew out of SFO which I think would be more strict. She wouldn’t budge. She said I couldn’t take it on the plane and I kept arguing with her for awhile. She finally said we will need to pat you down and go through all my belongings. The younger lady pat me down (she was nice and just following orders) But SERIOUSLY TSA has nothing better to do. Oh and when I got my bags that were checked in I realized TSA went through them too since I got a piece of paper that said TSA inspected your bags and a few of my Earth’s Best squeeze tubes went missing. Have they never seen that before or something? UGH
The security gate will only open up approximately 15 – 20 minutes before you need to board. There’s vending machines but no real food. You also have to walk outside to get to the small plane.
But I will not be coming back to HIlton Head again. One time is enough.

I love the small feel of this airport. That said, small = few conveniences (i.e, food) but you show up, and can be on the plane 30 mins later so that makes it much easier to deal with!

Cutest little airport ever! So convenient to travel in and out of if your visiting Hilton Head Island. They use basically one gate and security doesn’t open until just before the flight leaves. I had some issues with my flight being cancelled but the airline staff based here is very polite and accommodating. I’d say the only negative to this airport is that because it’s so small there is a lack of food options so pack a snack before you come. There’s also no bathroom inside once you pass through security. You’ll probably be on a Prop plane when traveling thru here but the airline tells you that upon booking your ticket so it’s no surprise. The plane is a little louder than a regular jet but so quick to board/​deboard since it’s so small. It’s like having a private jet for you and 25 of your closest friends! Overall, it’s a great little airport and I will definitely fly into here again on my next visit to HH.

This is probably one of the smallest airports I’ve ever been to, which has it’s good and bad points. The good: You can’t really get lost once you’re in it. The bad: Not many options if you haven’t eaten before you arrived to wait for your flight. Also, I don’t think it’s been decorated since 1982 which isn’t bad if you like pink pleather.
Take all of this with a grain of salt. I REALLY didn’t like having to fly on one of those turbo prop planes to get here and flying into Savannah wasn’t an option.

LOVE this place! A lot of it has to do with the fact that it’s Hilton Head and I love the beach, but it is a great little airport. The convenience factor is definitely there. Airports of this size always tend to be efficient and quick and Hilton Head is no different. There’s a great bunch of people working here and they’ve always been extremely courteous and friendly each time I’ve been here.
Flying into the airport is very scenic especially if the plane comes up Broad Creek. You get a good view of the whole island and the lighthouse. In the summer, you can see just how packed the beach is and there are boats all over the place.
Due to the nature of the area and being right on the ocean, summer time storms can wreak havoc on this place and can affect flights, so always remember to check your flight status. I’ve had to circle before to allow time for storms to pass and I’ve had friends on flights that have ended up diverting to Savannah. Still a great airport!