Where we are in North Carolina puts us about as far away as you can get from a major city. Only four cities in the entirety of Eastern North Carolina have a population of over 50,000. With the ocean on one side and farmland between here and the Piedmont, we are a little isolated in the Topsail area. As a result, we sometimes have to travel further to enjoy modern conveniences like Walmarts and Costcos. And airports. Here is a guide to ten area airports.
3 LOCAL AREA AIRPORTS
There are three airports in the area that you can get to in about an hour. I’ve included some of my own experiences and comparisons if you’re debating between booking flights for OAJ & ILM.
- Jacksonville, NC’s airport, Albert J Ellis Airport (OAJ) is the closest airport, only 29 miles away.
- Pros:
- Easier to get to than ILM
- Small! The same folks who work the counter also check you in at the gate.
- OAJ must be the easiest airport in the world for passenger pickup (it is definitely my favorite!)
- If you cannot fly back to the coast, you can fly into RDU (Raleigh-Durham) and rent a car, then drop it off at OAJ and drive home. You can do the same with ILM, but then you may be backtracking quite a bit.
- In my experience, flight prices are the same between ILM & OAJ (although pre-merger with US Airways and American Airlines, you could fly to DC from OAJ for $99. That was pretty amazing).
- Cons:
- The only direct flights are to Charlotte & Atlanta
- Only 2 Airlines: American & Delta
- There is currently no TSA PreCheck at OAJ
- Regional jets–you will always fly into Concourse E at CLT and then most likely have to run across the airport to Concourse B or C.
- Pros:
- Wilmington, NC’s airport, Wilmington International Airport (ILM) is 42 miles from Sneads Ferry. With over 400,000 flights taking out of it every year, ILM is also the busiest airport in Eastern North Carolina.
- Pros:
- ILM has recently added even more direct flights, making travel to:
- ATL (Atlanta)
- CLT (Charlotte Douglas International Airport)
- DCA (Washington DC – Reagan National Airport)
- DFW (Dallas Fort Worth) *beginning in December 2018
- IAD (Washington Dulles International Airport)
- LGA (New York – LaGuardia Airport)
- PHL (Philadelphia International Airport)
- ORD (Chicago O’Hare International Airport)
- 3 Airlines: American, Delta, and United
- When connecting in Charlotte, you have a slight chance of landing in the B or C concourse and not having to run across the airport (which is always under construction!)
- TSA PreCheck
- ILM has recently added even more direct flights, making travel to:
- Cons:
- A little further of a drive than OAJ
- Slightly less as easy for passenger pickup (I mean, a smidge, tops)
- Slightly longer TSA lines (this is barely a thing)
- Pros:
- Formerly Craven County Regional airport, the Coastal Carolina Regional Airport (EWN) is 61 miles away in New Bern, NC.
- Personally, I have never been to this airport.
4 EASTERN (NC/SC) CAROLINA AIRPORTS
- The Pitt-Greenville Airport (PGV) is 90 miles from Sneads Ferry and flies exclusively American Airlines.
- Fayetteville Regional Airport (FAY) is 127 miles.
- The Myrtle Beach International Airport (MYR) in South Carolina is about the same distance as Fayetteville. So far on the list, MYR has the most variety of airlines to travel with and has twice as many flights from it annually than ILM.
- Also in South Carolina is the Florence Regional Airport (FLO). It is 169 miles from Sneads Ferry and flies only to Charlotte, NC on American Airlines.
3 MAJOR (NC/SC) CAROLINA AIRPORTS
The last three airports will take you anywhere in the world you want to go. You just have to get to the airport first.
- Raleigh, NC’s Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) is 151 miles away.
- The Charleston International Airport (CHS) is 151 miles away in South Carolina.
- Finally, Charlotte, NC’s Charlotte/Douglas International Airport (CLT) is 246 miles away.
These last two take about 4 and a half hours to drive to.
CHARTERS
There are also airports that planes can be chartered through. Rocky Mount-Wilson Regional Airport is one such airport, 118 miles away.
Sometimes in order to travel you have to travel.
And if only a direct flight to a far-off destination will do, this is doubly true. With the exception of ILM, RDU, CHS, and CLT, the airports on this list fly around the southeast. Most flights connect at CLT or Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport (ATL).
Getting out of Eastern North Carolina can be trying at times. Thankfully, we have the ocean breeze and sunshine to tide us over while we’re here. And traveling is more the burden of everyone who wants to visit you at the beach. With a little help about different airports in the region, they’ll figure it out.