Springfield-Branson National Airport – SGF

Small airport and hardly any lines through the security screening. Everything went smoothly from point A to Z.

If you have a complaint, specifically regarding AA, forget getting it addressed. I’ve called AA Customer Service multiple times and been passed in a huge circle. I contacted someone at the ticket counter and got passed to someone else (that wasn’t unexpected) and after a month of calls, I tried to see him in person. He was too busy (the cause of my original complaint too) to see me and he’d call me back. Days later (and another voicemail), still no contact.

This is the smallest airport I’ve ever been to in my life. If O’Hare airport was a human body, the size of this airport would be equivalent to its face… I think. Actually, I’m probably wrong.
You have two restaurants in the entire airport, one located before the security checkpoint and one after. Fortunately, both are McAllister’s Deli and have decent food options at reasonable prices. Too bad I burned my tongue from their extra hot tortilla soup. It would be nice to have other restaurant choices instead of only one being available after the security checkpoint.
Not crowded, FREE WI-​FI, spacious, clean, friendly employees, easy to navigate, and sleek. What more could you ask for from an airport? I also like that the outlets are easily accessible right under your seat in the waiting area. O’Hare airport United Airlines terminal, please take note.
I’d imagine that not many people fly in and out of Springfield, MO, definitely nowhere as many as O’Hare airport. This means less traffic, and less likelihood of flight delays.
Not a shabby connecting airport on my way to Denver from Chicago. I approve!

I don’t think I’ve ever gone through such a stress-​free airport like SGF. Things to know:
*****
I. PRE-​FLIGHT
No matter what time of day, traffic isn’t an issue. There’s plenty of parking, and you can easily arrive an hour before your flight without any worries.
II. SECURITY
Took me only about ten to fifteen minutes to get through. Even though there’s only one line, it’s quite seamless. Oh, and TSA is quite friendly. One person even noted that she liked my «MO Bacon» t-​shirt.
III. GATES
Finding your gate should be no problem, since only ten exist. So don’t worry about transferring terminals or concourses. It’s incredibly simple and well-​designed.
IV. AMBIENCE/​DÉCOR
When was this airport erected? Because it looks like it was built yesterday. The carpet, the windows, the bathrooms… everything is pristine.
V. STORES
Even though they do have a café that serves some great local beer, the food and drink options are severely limited. It would be nice to get BBQ or gourmet food there.
VI. OVERALL
Super easy airport that has room for a few improvements. (Please get better food!) It’s quite the gem, when it comes to airports.

Two stars because they only mess up about 80% of the time.
Sunday: had a flight from SGF to Chicago, board flight. the AV switch wasn’t working — flight delayed 1.5 hours. Re board 1.5 hours later — flight delayed again engine wasn’t working. Wait on plane 1 hour — they ask us to deboard and wait one hour for repairs. Waited one hour — flight cancelled. Completely wasted the entire day and had to stand in line at the front desk with the 1 employee they have on staff that won’t even admits she works there — they apparently have all contractors working– not actual airline workers. The employees are like confused blind mice that have been sedated just enough to breathe and maybe get a squeak out here and there. It’s a pathetic situation. If the owners or contracted managers took a flight here I think they would fire themselves.
Okay so FINALLY rebooked, and was very patient still. Got a flight for two days later since they were all booked.
Arrived at flight, about to board. Announcement — flight delayed due to the interior lights not working properly– they need to be recharged — for two hours. Now I’ve missed my connecting flight but still wait patiently for the two hours– oh SURPRISE! Announcement– the flight is cancelled.
Now the three blind, surly mice make their way back to the front desk to re book everyone’s destinations. But to everyone’s surprise– THEY ARE BOOKED OUT ANOTHER TWO DAYS! Surprise surprise.
After waiting an hour I was called to the first mouse gauntlet (the front desk).
My tiny little mouse was kind enough to book me for a flight in ST. Louis on Alaska Airlines. At this point I REALLY need to escape this indigenous airport. Where am I? What have they done with the humans?
I’m even willing to purchase a rental car for the day and drive 5 hours to St. Louis. Yes it took that long.
So I thank the mouse and hurry along to the car rental and head out on my way!
$ 200 later and I drop of my rental car– take a shuttle to the St. Louis airport.
What is this? Sparkly marble floors and Led lights? Is this a REAL Starbucks? Is that a human carrying an IPhone? Could this be the smell of a real 5 star restaurant. That employee is wearing makeup and earrings! Could it be? Could it really be??? Could I be dreaming? Finally! Civilization!
With a glimmer in my eye I happily reach the human at the Alaska counter, and hand her my tickets.
SURPRISE– my tickets weren’t valid. My. Tickets. Weren’t. Valid. I drove 5 hours for Nothing.
The human at Alaska sent me to United Airlines to talk with them.
Great.
Now I’m on hold with United for a 60 Minute wait, but hey! There’s music! Cool!
The moral of the story is. Don’t book with the mice at SGF. Also don’t trust them. Also, avoid this airport at all costs.

I am forced to fly here every year during the holidays and this is one of the worst airports in the country. I am only ever able to depart this airport on schedule less than 50% of the time over the past 10 years. I fly in on all of the available airlines so these problems are not limited to only one airline. Surprisingly, these delays are not due to weather, they are usually due to a random mechanical failure or operational problem of some type. The staff of this airport are some of the most surly, ignorant and obese idiots I have ever had the displeasure to deal with. There is only one café/​restaurant past security and it is terrible. There are usually no cabs available outside and because this airport is pretty far outside of Springfield it usually takes forever for a taxi to arrive after you call one. Next year I plan on flying into Little Rock Arkansas and renting a car so that I can drive up to Springfield. I hate this airport and will never fly here again!

Very clean airport; has wifi, but only a few seats at the gates have power outlets for charging.

A really small but really cute airport with awesome aesthetics and artpieces that will keep you entertained as you wait. This is one of the few airports I’m really happy to visit; there are windows throughout the airport that bring in natural light and highlights the airport well. There are numerous pictures and historic items on the walls that highlight the local history and culture. The customer service provided by the employees is also really nice here. Everyone seems to be very chill and relaxed and greet you with a genuine smile. The airport is also really small and you could traverse it in only 10 mins, yet it’s one of the best airports I’ve ever been to. TSA was very painless here and I easily got from entrance to my gate in under 20 mins. Traffic is almost nonexistent here, as it’s kind of off the beaten path. WiFi is free and blazing fast, YAY :)! The only thing I would really criticize is that there aren’t many dining options here beyond a few sandwiches and pastries, so definitely bring your own food if you’re looking for something more.

Do not, I repeat do not fly on Allegiant Airlines. We have been delayed multiple times. We are waiting to hear if we will even make it home tonight. They offered an $ 8 food voucher (food only) and most meals start at $ 10. After a seven hour delay, they will tell us if we are eligible for a hotel and «possible» flight home tomorrow. They will not help us find a flight with a different carrier. The money saved on the flight out is not worth it. Speaking to others waiting for the flight, they mentioned this is very common with this airlines. I will say, the flight attendants were very kind and helpful on our flight out.

Great airport. It is easy get in and get to your plane and it is easy to get out and get your luggage and/​or rent a car.
For the people that complain about lack of dining places, if you want a fine dining experience, the airport is not the place to go.
If the airport wants to make it much better, do whatever it takes to get Southwest Airlines to provide flights. I know that would double the passenger count,

Everything American was late as we sat and watched United say on time. The 3 stars were for the counter people. Apparently it must happen a lot. Their speed was amazing.

This is actually a great airport to fly in and out of. It’s small, shiny and new.
When you fly in, it’s very easy to get around the airport. Everything is a short walk from the gates. Baggage claim and car rentals are in the same area. Typically no lines. Since there are not a lot of flights coming in, any checked bags come out fairly quickly. I wouldn’t count on cabs being readily available. Go ahead and rent a car. The rental cars are in a parking lot right outside the doors. Getting out of the airport and into our rental car took us less than 15 minutes after deplaning. We even had one person in our group with a checked bag.
Departing is a breeze as well. If you have a car rental, just park it in any space that’s marked for your rental company and take note of the mileage. Return the keys and you’re good to go. The security line is non-​existent here. The best part is that the TSA agents are actually extremely friendly. Lots of smiling faces and they are so polite! There are only about 9 gates so you can’t get lost heading to the one you need.

What an unexpected gem! Apparently this airport received a makeover a few years back, and it’s quite evident. Yes, it’s small (I mean, c’mon, it’s Springfield, not NYC) but it’s clean, bright, and modern. I was über impressed by the ticketing/​rental car area. I guess I just wasn’t expecting much being that it’s a less trafficked airport.
Because of the tiny size, there’s literally no way you could get lost. I rented a car and there was construction at the time, so all the rental vehicles had been moved to short term parking. Just a few feet from the terminal entrance! Super easy to hop in the car and be on your merry way.
The one downside (which is the same downside as any small airport) is the lack of food options. I was early for my flight, and the only place serving up hot food was severely lacking in vegetarian options. I was kicking myself for not grabbing a to-​go bite on the way to the airport, but that’s totally my own fault.
Everyone with whom I interacted seemed genuinely interested in their jobs and they were oh so friendly. Definitely a thumbs up for SGF.

Airport is amazingly nice for a city this size. Way nice for the volume of flights. Security was efficient, expedited Pre Check… Delta check in was friendly and Flight Crew left a welcome note and thank you on my seat. Nice.

Wow, excellent staff and such a nice, clean, quiet and modern airport! Super cozy for waiting for people and easy to see everything and know where you need to be. Small, few food options. In fact, I don’t think there’s much of anything beside vending machines until you pass through security, so keep that in mind if you have to wait for your ride. I enjoy going outside and sitting on the grass (near the rental cars) in the evening to watch the planes. It’s nice little breather instead of getting straight out of a plane into a car :)

Nice small airport. Recently constructed so everything is new. Basically regional jet service to airline main hubs.

We arrived on a Monday evening, about 8:30 pm from Chicago, and there was hardly anyone here. We deplaned, went to baggage claim, picked up our rental car and were out very quickly. Great experience.
Fast forward a few days…
It was a Friday morning and we felt like the only ones here. We arrived one hour before our flight, turned in our rental car, walked up to the American Eagle kiosk and printed our boarding passes, paid for one checked bag, and was immediately called to the counter by name (bypassed 2 or 3 people in line.) Our bag was checked, our car seat tagged and checked, and we continued on to the TSA checkpoint.
We were the only ones at the checkpoint. I’ll spare you the story of government stupidity since the airport really doesn’t have any say over the TSA. I will say, though, that my 2 year old is not a threat to national security.
After that short delay, we made it to our gate about 5 minutes before our flight was to board. There was another short delay as our aircraft was just arriving and needed to deplane passengers. After that, they started boarding immediately and we departed to Dallas.

Super convenient and easy!
This airport makes Springfield a hot commodity. Flights are cheap and this airport is easy to get to. I have flown several times from Springfield to Tampa and each time for less than $ 200.
Airport is super easy to find. Google maps can get you there, and the airport is so small that parking is simple and inexpensive or drop off/​pickup is easy.
Upon entrance the airport itself is user friendly. There is never many people here. You can arrive an hour or so before flight with no problem getting through security. The checkins are always easy in my experience.
When you get to the gate, you can sit at chairs that have plugins under the chair. Love this feature!
Not only this, but there are some vendors that have the PicnictoGo boxes that provide gluten free food for passengers.
I will be flying with them again soon!

New, clean, and up to date airport! One security checkpoint, super friendly personnel. Outlets and USB available under every few sets of seats. Fabulous! Even the bathrooms are clean!
Only con is lack of good food options. Only McAllisters is decent.

You have to love small airports. And this is a smal airport!
There is a coffee shop, a deli and a bar inside the terminal. So if you have time to kill and want variety, pick it up before you get here :)
On the plus side, there is no lines through security (unless it is a busy time of day I’m sure), there is wifi. It is clean and the folks are friendly.