Florence Regional Airport – FLO

Horrible horrible tsa. They are just absolutely terrible. I don’t know what else to say but they are assholes. I passed lax, Phoenix, myrtle beach and long beach airport but I had to throw away belongings and pay money to check in s bag here at the tiny Florence «airport». They laugh about taking your belongings exclaiming that they came up on your belongings right in front of you and they go into your bag with a stick and they take out a little document and put into a machine like I’m some sort of terrorist they don’t say anything about what they are keeping. Rude. Terrible tsa. Security my ass. You guys are a joke. I hate this airport and have no idea why they are allowed to treat people like this.

If you are looking for a small airport, this is it! No lines, no hassles, no walking five miles to the gate.
Recently renovated, this is a very nice breath of fresh air and reminder of how things used to be.

It’s small but functional for the most part. It only flies to Charlotte now but from there you can get a connecting flight to just about anywhere. Ticketing is usually pretty fast and going through TSA is mostly painless. For the most part, the flights stay on schedule with only minor delays, which is a big bonus.
They’ve completed construction recently so now there are bathrooms and water fountains on the other side of security as well a few vending machines that accept cards and a microwave. It’s not much but it is an improvement.
Even though it’s fairly quick moving through ticketing and security, it’s still recommended to show up at least an hour early. They don’t keep people at the ticketing counter, nor does the TSA check point stay open so if you show up too late, you won’t get through security. Bring a good book or something.
As for the flights, since they only go to Charlotte the flight itself is about 25 – 30 minutes. Too short for a beverage service most of the time but that’s understandable. You can still ask for water and they’ll get it to if turbulence isn’t too bad. The planes also tend to get a bit hot during summer. The airflow is pitiful so dress appropriately.
The planes are also pretty small so a lot of standard carry-​on luggage won’t actually fit in the overhead compartments. They’ll fit under the seats but you sacrifice leg room so if you’re tall it might be best to valet your carry-​on (valet doesn’t cost money, they put your luggage in with checked luggage and you pick it up after the plane lands) as long as you don’t have electronics in it.
All in all, it’s nothing fancy but sometimes it’s cheaper to fly out of FLO than flying out of CLT and for the most part, I haven’t had any problems with flying out of here.

It’s a shame that this small newly renovated airport is just awful. Our recent January flight, 2015 we were delayed and kept prisoner for over 5 hours because of fog in Charlotte. We had been there since 4:30am and left around 10:00am. We could not leave to go out to get coffee or breakfast because TSA left and we were locked in! This was not acceptable as several could have left and gone to Charlotte to make our connections. I will drive to Charlotte from now on instead of Florence which I usually do because so many late night flights are always cancelled. We are residents of Florence as well.

FLO is a horribly managed airport; they run one airline (US Airways) the same schedule each day, their TSA agents are arrogant and thorough to the point of annoyance, and they open and close each morning and night like a shopping mall.
I decided to show up to my 8:44pm flight at 8:15 knowing I’d have plenty my of time get my boarding pass, go through security, and board my flight. This would’ve happened had their been anyone at the front desk, but as it turns out, they close the desk 30 mins prior to each flight departure — totally not necessary! Therefore, I missed my flight and watched people board and leave because the gate (there are only 4) is 100 yds away from the entrance. They put me on standby for the early flight the following morning… no empathy or concern, complete disregard for ideal customer service. TSA didn’t care either, although they were standing there with no security to perform, they had no interest in letting the US Airways workers know that I was there, checked in, and awaiting a printed boarding pass.
I arrived the next morning TOO early because the airport hadn’t even opened yet! Future reference: airport opens at 4a, closes at 9p. So much for showing up 2 hours early like the inconsiderate desk worker suggested. I was able to board on standby… because 6 people missed the flight for the same reason.
This airport needs to get it together.
1. Get a digital kiosk for customers to print their boarding passes
2. Leave one person at the front desk, or
3. Hire more people

Love this airport. It is so easy, quick and make travelers feel how easy to go from a small airport. There is hassle bustle they say !!:). This is one of the cutest airport… Very quiet, calm, composed and very nice. People are nice. it is nice to take the picture how the regional airports look… Amazing place. I flew from it yesterday also. This is cost wise really economical and easy going.
TSA folks can remember your name or where you are from or what you talk –they can tell you or count easily. US Airways is one of the regular airlines which goes to this airport. Probably there may be other– I did not check or validate !!:) I used to fly in US airways-​I am silver preferred so i take that airlines. Now they have merged with AA — American Airlines!:)

This is a very small airport w/​4 rental car places. It’s convenient to the small town where my family is from. But, the planes that come to that airport are small, yikes! Though the airport is open late the rental car places close by 9pm on weekdays & 7pm on weekends.

After many layovers and delayed flights, it was a breath of fresh air to depart from this small airport on my journey back to home. No long security lines or airport traffic! You could seriously arrive less than 45 minutes before your departure and still make your flight! The only airline that flies from this airport is U. S Airways. I hate tiny planes, but thankfully the flight was very short to Charlotte. A totally of 30 minutes I think? Not bad! Once you arrive in Charlotte you can easily catch a connecting flight to your desired destination.

Small. Quaint. Serves its purpose. Friendly staff.
Bottom Line

This is an interesting airport not set up like most. They are adamant about not parking out in front for drop off & pick ups, but once you’ve passed the main entry it’s ok to pull your vehicle over momentarily.
I felt like I owned the airport when I walked in because I was the only person being tended to for check in, security and even the waiting area for a bit.
Unlike most airports, I had to wait to be called to the security check in. Everybody was very nice and professional. Make sure to use the bathroom and water fountain before security. Once you’re in the secure area of the airport you cannot used the restroom and water fountain because of the construction currently going on.
In conclusion, this airport serves it’s purpose for a small city and does not deserve to receive a poor rating based on it’s size. It may not have all the bells and whistles of a big airport, buts it’s also much simpler, less cluttered, and easy to navigate through.

Florence isn’t too bad. It’s size makes it quick and easy to get in and out. There is construction going on, so it’s a little cluttered in areas, but that you just have to take with a grain of salt. I personnally have had great customer service experiences there, but I have heard horror stories from other people. Last time I was there, some people were having bag issues and it was not pretty. Bags were taking a while to show up on the belt and people were vetting irate. The agents stayed calm and cool though and of course the bags eventually showed. I think it had something to do with more than 1 flight arriving at almost the same time and just congestion on the belt. This giving you an idea just how small the place is.

I saw the previous review here on FLO and it looked kind of bitter. Most of those things were the airline’s fault.
Unfortunately, there are some legitimate gripes about the place.
I got to FLO at night and left in the early morning. I assume crime in Florence is pretty low, since the place is pretty dimly lit (except for the front of the terminal). I had no idea where to turn in my rental car keys, so I put them in what appeared to be a drop box. I hope that’s right, or someone’s probably joy riding around in the car I rented.
The TSA line was epic. I’ll just say they are thorough. Extremely thorough. You aren’t going to miss your flight, but that’s only because the plane is right there and they’ll wait.
The rental car person was decent to me when I picked up the car. Other than her, I can’t recall anyone else being particularly accommodating.

I do a lot of traveling so, as we all know, airports are unavoidable.
Normally, small airports mean small towns with minimal travel and the people that do travel are doing so for business. This USUALLY means the staff is a little nicer and tries to accomodate. Well, don’t expect this from the Florence Regional Airport.
Our flight left at 4:30 on a Sunday afternoon. My brother and I booked our flight together to make things easier. I was the only one that had a bag to be checked so I went to the desk while he checked in at the kiosk. The attendant told me it would be $ 25 to check my bag so he took my card and swiped it. The tag didn’t print so he explained that it didn’t print because my brother had the reservation open while he was checking in on the kiosk and asked to swipe my card again. I asked if I’d be charged twice and of course, he replied, «No, of course not». Well, 6 hours later I check my account and of course I had been charged twice. When I emailed the Director about the problem his response was…
Sir,
Please contact your airline for this error.
Thanks,
Florence Regional Airport
1^st of all, I’m a 25 year old FEMALE so «sir» doesn’t apply to me.
2^nd of all, why can’t I get an apology before your shoo me off.
3^rd, I need to contact the airline for YOUR mistake?
4^th, Is this how Directors address people? Not helpful at all…
We had a little while to wait and there is a business center about 4 steps away from the seating. While I was seated in this area my brother left his bag there and told me to watch it while he went to the restroom. As soon as he walked away a man approached him and asked why he left his bag there. When he told him I was there watching it the attendant scolded him and walked off. Really? We are the ONLY people in this airport? You think we’re terrorists attempting to blow ourselves up? He had to have known we were there together, seeing as there were only 3 people in that whole airport and they were getting paid to be there!
There were other little irritating factors — too much to mention. I just don’t understand why they would be so rude since we were probably the only people they’d seen come through their doors in a week.