Flying in to The Cliffs is easy. Residents of and visitors to The Cliffs have a multiitude of options when it comes to airports, for both commercial and private flights. Depending on where you’re headed, or arriving from, and when you need to travel, this airport list will come in handy . . . and may also hold a few surprises.
Asheville Regional Airport (AVL)
Asheville’s small but accommodating airport lies only 15 minutes from The Cliffs at Walnut Cove. Board an out-of-state plane in your golf clothes and you can literally be on the Walnut Cove golf course a half hour after landing.
Airlines serving AVL include Delta, United, American (US Airways) and low-cost carrier Allegiant. Asheville Regional offers non-stop flights to and from the following markets: Atlanta (ATL), Charlotte (CLT), Chicago (ORD), Detroit (DTW), Fort Lauderdale (FLL), Newark (EWR), New York (LGA), Orlando Sanford (SFB), Palm Beach (PBI), Punta Gorda/Ft. Myers (PGD), St. Pete/Clearwater (PIE). The smaller airports at the end of this list are the Allegiant flights.
Have your own plane? AVL’s runway is 8,001 feet in length. FBO Landmark Aviation sells 100LL 100LL SS and Jet A fuel. This friendly FBO also makes available gourmet catering, transportation services, a conference room and internet access.
Charlotte-Douglas International (CLT)
The sixth busiest airport in the world, Charlotte Douglas is located less than two hours from The Cliffs. With direct flights to approximately 140 cities – including many major European metros – it makes business and recreational travel easy for residents who prefer to depart from a hub.
Passengers can currently book service in or out of CLT on American, Delta, Frontier, JetBlue, Lufthansa, Southwest, United, US Airways, as well as on AirCanada, Insel and Via Air.
The airport’s award-winning FBO, Wilson Airways, offers pilots and passengers personal aircraft concierges, catering, wi-fi, a luxurious terminal, 40 acres of arrival ramp, shuttle and Hertz rental cars. Available fuels are 100 LL, Jet A, Jet A+Prist.
Greenville Spartanburg (GSP)
Allegiant, Delta, JetBlue, Southwest, United and US Airways all currently serve Greenville’s beautiful airport (pictured above) which lies just 28 miles and 40 minutes from The Cliffs’ mountain region. Several dozen nonstop flights depart daily for 15 major cities and a handful of other destinations.
This popular and easy-to-reach airport recently received a multi-million-dollar renovation and now offers even more amenities for passengers, the most luxurious of which is space. It’s still filled, of course, with friendly southerners and has retained its over-the-top lounge and love outdoor waiting area with ponds, sculpture and fountains.
At 11,000 feet in length, GSP’s runway can accommodate any aircraft. The airport’s Stevens Aviation FBO facility also offers private plane owners a true full suite of services: transient hangars, aircraft cleaning, gourmet catering, conference rooms, limousine service, car rentals, a short-term courtesy car, aircraft maintenance, avionics, paint and even interiors.
Greenville Downtown Airport (GMU)
The city of Greenville, SC is incredibly easy to reach, located halfway between Atlanta and Charlotte, and with its own great commercial airport. But its downtown airfield gives owners with private jet or plane access another wonderful option.
GMU lies just 5 minutes from downtown Greenville, and thus only a half hour from our mountain region clubs of Valley, Mountain Park and Glassy. The popular Runway Cafe and adjacent Runway Park for kids are both at the southwest side of the airfield and offer lots of fun for families, as well as a nice alternative meeting place.
A 5,400 foot runway gives pilots a view of the Blue Ridge Mountain foothills before taking off. The airport’s Greenville Jet Center is South Carolina’s largest fixed based operator and offers jet fuel, avgas, conference rooms, catering and aircraft maintenance.
Oconee County Regional Airport – Seneca, SC (CEU)
Located just three miles west of Clemson, and minutes from The Cliffs at Keowee Springs, CEU is the home base to the university’s Flying Tigers Skydiving Club and the Flying Club. During the Tigers’ football season, weekend air traffic picks up exponentially.
This county-owned municipal airport is a friendly, full-service FBO offering pilots a 5,000 foot runwayk, 100 LL and Jet A+Prist fuel, wi-fi, a conference room and showers for quick flights home after a round of golf. There’s even a courtesy car.
Pickens County – Pickens, SC (LQK)
One of the most beautiful regional airport settings anywhere, Pickens County wows with its location in the Blue Ridge foothills. It lies outside a tiny town but offers a 5,000′ runway which can accommodate a Gulfstream. Less than a half hour from all three Lake Keowee communities, Pickens Country offers Cliffs members who fly in the easiest of landing points.
Pilots will find overnight and longterm tie-downs, a welcoming flight planning room, and a handsome conference room (which, we hear, has been used by new owners meeting with their builders). The Pickens County Airport also has hangar space.
Tri-Cities Regional Airport – Blountville, TN (TRI)
Although you might not think of flying into Tennessee to reach Asheville, the TRI airport is actually closer to Walnut Cove, at an hour and a half, than Charlotte’s CLT is. (Valley, Mountain Park and Glassy are all about two hours away, so this airport, located just off I-26, might work out in a pinch, for getting to those clubs, too.
TRI is currently served by Allegiant, Delta and US Airways Express. Arriving and departing flights connect through Atlanta or Charlotte. Allegiant flies direct to the St. Pete/Clearwater market.
Pilots can expect to find an 8,000 foot runway, hangars, tie-downs, 100LL and JET-A fuel.
