Shreveport Regional Airport – SHV

Woah! 2.5 stars Really? Its a Regional Airport! of course it will not have everything a major airport has! Yes, it can be expensive to fly out/​in from here, check deals to see if its worth it.
I have flown in and out of here over a few dozen times. From Curbside to Gate is literally a under 10 minutes process and that includes checking in bags! Yes, the food/​drink options are limited (they keep the standard ridiculous food airport pricing) but then again you never really need to be there anymore than 30 – 40 minutes before your flights departure. Plenty of seating and they have charging stations too!
PRE-​TSA: yes, they hand you a card, no need to take off shoes or laptop. Usually a speedy process.
The planes out of here are super small! They fly direct to Dallas, Houston, ATL, and Vegas (once a week) and GLO airlines starting soon is announcing direct flights to NOLA.
Baggage: Usually no more than 10 – 15 minutes to get them out on the carousel sometimes may take longer but rare.
Taxi cabs ready for you outside or there are the standard variety of rental car places built in

It’s a small, regional airport. It is what it is.
The plusses:
+ It’s small and uncrowded. Drop-​off to gate can be done in under 5 minutes. No hassles.
+ Nicely done baggage claim and ticketing hall. Very modern, airy.
+ Friendly TSA folks.
+ Cheap parking for the family and friends picking me up.
+ Close to pretty much everywhere in the Shreveport area.
+ Good ground staff. I once left a cell phone on a plane once, and it was at the ticketing desk before I got there to ask about it!
The minuses:
— VERY expensive airfares. Miami to Europe is often cheaper than Miami to Shreveport. American, which for me is the best choice given FF status, is often the most expensive.
— The concourses are dated. Add lockers and you’d feel like you were in some 1970s-​era high school. The departure areas remind me of a DMV office. The amateur art and posters for obscure movies are just odd.
— Limited food options.
— Almost entirely commuter-​jet service, and often the planes are the smallest in the fleet (1 X 2 seating). I think Delta recently added an MD-​80. (Many years ago SHV was a «focus» city for DL with close to 40 flights a day, all on mainline equipment. Now maybe 8. The area’s population and economic decline have taken their toll).
— Inconsistent baggage claim. I’ve had bags on the carousel before I got to the claim area. Another time it was 30 minutes (almost as long as the flight).

There is nothing interesting about this airport. The random movie posters of films shot locally are strange and outdated. Once you go through security you can find a snack bar. Limited employees and uncomfortable chairs makes a delay miserable. One star is for the outlet plugs available to keep me in power.

This review is based on a singular experience using this airport so may not be indicative of normal. However, its been my experience that regional airports are generally easier to get processed through than the large international airports. This is not the case here. Give yourself plenty of time before flight time, 2.5−3 hours… not a single person in this airport appeared to have any sense of urgency. From ticketing, baggage check, TSA, to gate check all are content to operate at mind numbingly slow speeds. My advice is to allow for the slowness, be patient, and bring some material to keep you occupied.

This is a small regional airport that is pretty easy to navigate. They don’t have pre TSA check, but they give you a blue card for expedited security (which means you don’t have to take off your shoes or take out your computer). Service at every check point was with a smile and the gate agent was a hoot and knew everyone there! Not much for food selection, so plan accordingly.

My iPad got stolen on our flight from Las Vegas 2÷6÷15. We realized it when we got off the plane before we left the airport and asked the airline to check the plane.
The airport staff (security, grounds people) were very helpful, they checked the plane twice.
Now let’s see it find my iPad will work. Alarms and lock have been set up.

Most of the staff is very friendly! Morning flights are often delayed and the place needs a major renovation. Ticket prices out of Shreveport are much more expensive than flying from Alexandria. However, when you don’t have the luxury of time, pay more and fly out of Shreveport.

Not the smallest airport I have ever been to but certainly one of the quietest. Good if everything is running on time. Nice to board a plane and be number one for take off or land and get docked at a gate with speed.
The problem, however, seems to be this also means undermanned service. The biggest problem I saw was with rental cars. Besides someone at the counter trying to service everyone for Hertz there was NO ONE ELSE AROUND for them. No one outside, no one else at the counter, literally no one else around and this for a 5:30 PM arrival and then for an 8:00 AM departure there was no one at the counter either. Wow!
This could make sense for really odd hours but during usual travel hours this was the oddest thing about my first experience at Shreveport.

Not the worst airport I’ve ever been to, but the workers have ATTITUDE! But, they only have it toward L’s the white’s. Why is that??? Had two bad experiences… once at the HERTZ counter and once at the UNITED AIRLINES counter. They are just plain rude!!!

Seriously. This place needs help. I just don’t understand why they can’t get more airlines in here. They are less than 3 hours from Dallas, Houston is close as well. It could be a Major hub for various airlines. It’s time for a change and a Update on the flooring, etc.

This is a small regional airport, very quick and easy to navigate. Security is usually quick unless you get the Sunday morning before-​coffee crew! Cabs are right out front, and car rentals are easy access! It’s a nice clean airport, with a nice convenience store with fresh coffee and pizza type foods inside security!

As of July 7, 2014, at least Delta has placed 2 larger jets in service running to and from Atlanta. This is a big, big help and much appreciated.
Otherwise, it’s a fine regional airport offering inexpensive short-​term and long-​term parking. The TSA security lines are short and generally move quickly. Some older travelers may have delays using the metal detectors. The three restaurants are ok but the prices are high — as you might expect in an airport.

Small airport and easy to find your way around. This airport is awesome. Not crowded, friendly fast security. Easy baggage claim and cabs ready to take you where you need to go. Be careful at check in though they have limited people working so if they did get a rush you may be there a while.

Great little airport with few amenities. However easy in and out. Car rental easy and friendly. Tiny bar but boy do they make a great LIIT whew !

Worst airport I’ve ever flown in to and out of. Rude employees everywhere and luggage always takes much longer than it should to come out on the carousel.

This is hands down the worst regional airport. Horrible customer service! if you are lucky your regional jet will fly on time without break downs and delays. I rather drive to Dallas than flying from this airport.

If u have a flt delay or cancellation here: you’re screwed. No agents at gates and no real reps downstairs or status benefits in lines.
I can’t express the frustration of dealing with this airport: Lack of educated gate agents, lack of any consideration for priority status anyplace at the airport. Lack of decent food options, the list goes on and on. Constant delays in and out.

Solid small airport for your regional needs. I would love it if this ever started supporting a full sized plane, but for now it is a great little airport and easy to get in and get out.
Beware of cancelled flights here though as they do happen often.

it’s a small airport so i’m being generous w/​the 3^rd star.
The good:
–5 minutes to go through security
–boarding time is FAST
–somewhat friendly staff
–AA misplaced my luggage, but since it such a small airport, they were able to recover it fast.
The bad:
–can’t connect to the wifi
–filthy bathrooms
**delayed here back in 2009 for 5+ hrs due to bad weather. ended up renting a car and driving to Dallas (DFW) to catch a flight back to San Francisco.** did it b/​c I was dying out of boredom, not urgency.

Great airport for getting in/​out with minimal hassle. Car rental pickups and returns are at the terminal. Flights are small, so they board quickly. It’s clear that even though it’s a small small, there’s a lot of local pride about its appearance. The terminal was decorated with local artwork and posters featuring movies that were filmed in Louisiana! What a creative idea. There’s even a little café if you’re hungry.
Although locals probably mostly use the airport, there should be more signage from I-​20. And most of the flight announcements are made unamplified, so you should probably check your gate area around departure time.
Less than an hour out of here on a little jet, I arrived at IAH in Houston. I already missed the little Shreveport airport.