Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport

It’s a small airport so it’s very easy to get around in. It has a Starbucks, Burger King, Chick-fil-a, and couple other local places. The bathrooms are very clean (usually) and it’s easy to find parking. Also long term parking is $12 per day.

You can get in and out of here so quick it is probably one of my favorite airports. It’s a very small but has everything it needs.

We don't usually fly Southwest but took a last Minute Trip to Chicago. Our flight was at 5am so there weren't many people there. Going thru TSA was quick and they were all really nice. I'm disabled - have all kinds of hardware in my back and rebuild shoulder and 2 spinal cord stimulators. Getting thru can be a challenge at some airports but this was a breeze! At the gate- there was a lil play area for kids. Maybe not in the best location (could have been more to the middle between both sides of Gates as it was at the end of the concourse) Staff were all very professional and friendly.

This is a very nice place to travel to I used this every time I went to visit loved ones the shuttle is very helpful for me. Try it some time 😁 a satisfied customer no complaints here keep up the great work GUYS and Gals🙂

Clean airport, not too crowd. Clean restroom, too. One thing to improve: I couldn't find any baggage carts at or near the check-in counter or at the entries. I asked one staff member, and she said they were on the ground floor. Their should be someone taking care of this. Otherwise, our customers don't have a chance to use them.

The size of this airport makes for easy travel in and out. No issues there. The airport is clean and seating is comfortable. My one big disappointment was the luggage collection. Flying in at an off peak hour, I would have thought getting my luggage off the carousel would have been quick. No so. Took over 1/2 hour to get luggage from the plane. Thus my time to get out of the airport needed up taking twice that of any of the major airports I travel through.

The remodelation didn't finish still... The access to the toilets in the area of food is umconfortable. The personal of the airport was kind when I needed some indications. The access from the train station is very good and the frequency of the air-train too.

Great little airport with some of the easiest TSA experiences I have ever had to go through. Everyone was super helpful and it was easy to find where the terminal was with plenty of time. Plenty of food choices including much needed coffee at Starbucks. The bathrooms were well maintained and some really nice sculptures and artwork throughout the airport.

It's been a long time since I visited Birmingham-Shuttlesworth airport! Sorority sister flew out of here last Saturday to return to Texas. Despite a torrential downpour and standstill traffic on I-65 northbound, we made it safely to this Birmingham airport! I was pleasantly surprised that the drop off experience was super easy! We had her carry on and tote out of the trunk in no time! I don't know if Shuttleworth offers curbside check-in like the Huntsville airport does as we didn't see any check-in counters on the exterior. The sidewalks were well covered from the elements and I decided (despite being parked in a fire lane) to run in and use the facilities while sister watched my car (with the keys) in case she had to move it. The restrooms were well stocked, clean, and spacious. A security guard walked by the double doors while I waited for Sister to use the restrooms and didn't say a thing about the vehicle. Despite the torrential rain (not Birmingham-Shuttleworth's fault of course), Birmingham seems to be running a really smooth operation at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth! Sister arrived home safely, so there's always that to be grateful for also!

Color me insane... BHM is a five-star airport to me. Always clean, always a bathroom open, beautifully renovated, never have to walk too far, TSA lines always fast. I don't have Pre-Check and it never takes me more than 15 minutes to get through. I'm claiming loyalty to American Airlines. I know... they keep saying "don't settle down," "keep your options open," ... we can't help who we love. And at BHM, my American flight nearly always leaves out of gate B4. Gate B4 is approximately 8 yards from the end of the TSA line. I can't throw far, but it's Stone's Throwing Distance. I love that they're incorporating art from locals that tells the story of Birmingham. The food options are pretty limited... so if you're stuck here and Chick-Fil-A isn't open, you're pretty stuck. But in an ideal world, you're not here very long! I imagine there aren't many people hanging out for layovers here. Pickup and dropoff are easy and straightforward. I'm never annoyed because I can't walk as fast as I want in a stampede of people. I love it.

Birmingham airport is beautiful, modern architecture high ceilings with skylights, super bright and very very clean. Bathrooms are super clean. with the great plumbing and doft paper products. Gate area equipped with mini kids playground and decorated with gorgeous, birds of paradise tropical flower planters. It also features a stunning living wall with 8000 plants. Rocking chairs in front of huge windows are fun way to watch aircrafts. This airport puts HML Honolulu airport to shame!!!

The glamour of air travel. Sure. BHM is a very up-to-date facility. Man I wish I owned the Chik-fil-A franchise. They have about 20 of these big vending machines that dish out everything from socks to pizza. In all honesty, the Illy coffee is quite good and relatively cheap.

I recently visited Birmingham; the city is clean, charming, nice and BHM is great. I stayed in Downtown Birmingham and it was a nice 10 minute drive to the airport. Traveling in and out was very smooth. There were no lines going through TSA and the staff was very friendly and welcoming, I even chatted with one of the officers for a few minutes. The airport itself is small, nice, clean and easy to navigate, not crowded at all. They have plenty of places to relax and charge your phone, good scenery and cute rocking chairs everywhere. The bathrooms are spacious and clean. Lots of little stores and places to eat, drink or grab a snack. I like the bits of history displayed throughout the airport showing Birmingham's history and culture. My absolutely favorite part was the live plant wall (see pics) named "Earth, wind and water" is 105 feet long and according to the description it's maintained with love, care and hard work...I mean so cute! Awesome airport, great service, you will have a great time at BHM.

My husband and I love to travel and we have seen a lot of airports! Birmingham- Shuttlesworth is always nice to fly out of and come home to. Clean, updated and easy to navigate, this airport offers good service and little excitement, which is a very good thing when you're flying.

We met some friends in Birmingham for a birthday celebration and we flew in to this airport. Its smaller than the ones we are used to but they were very efficient with service.. There were no long lines or throngs of people and we are able to get in get our bags and get out in record time. When we returned home things were ultra smooth. I don't remember if there is another airport there but if you can choose this one,

Art and a travel means? Ok! It was my first time through. It won't be my last. Only one star removed care/of some miscommunication with plane maintenance. Our flight attendants had great stories. Your airline app keeps things handy. TSA - remember to have your IDs ready. Their luggage scanning devices looked like MRIs. That's what you get when your town is centered on space discovery. Clean and easy to navigate. No Admirals Club but flights tend be pretty cut and dry. Also, they have convenience stores/food retail available for purchase. Lots of graphic art / art installations to witness upon walking by. Ample rental car selection. Note, each car venue has their own system. Happy traveling.

Small but clean. The TSA agent was rude AF after I told her I wanted to opt out of their scan. I'll continue opting out because who knows what they're doing with the scans of your face! She scrutinized my "real ID."You'll asked for all this BS just to make us do more!

It's a very convenient airport--not too big. It's easy to get into and quickly out of. I am a native but have been away for over 20 years. I visit often, but I hear that there are fewer flights to the rest of the lower 48. Atlanta has taken over, and that is unfortunate. It's pretty close to downtown. There are chain hotels in the area. There is a flight curfew, so there are no red eyes. Lots There are numerous non-stop flights to Vegas, though! It is a pretty awesome airport in an amazing town.

Sweet Home, Alabama! Here was my experience. AMBIANCE: The place is relatively simple. The merch really supports the local football teams. Therer's plenty of history about planes and cars here to keep you busy or educated. PARKING: N/A - There's a parking structure and the car rental area is walking distance. CUSTOMER SERVICE: Great! Friendly and helpful people. Great from leaving the plane to renting a car. TL;DR OVERALL: 4 Stars. Relatively a simple airport, this is a football state and people travel around. Other than that, this was a pretty neat airport. Tips: * Remember to come early!

Clean, easy to get around, friendly staff. Was surprised at the low traffic. But not upset

Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport (BHM) offers a convenient and efficient experience from start to finish. Smaller in size, the airport still is well-equipped with modern facilities and amenities to meet the needs of passengers. The layout is straightforward and easy to navigate, with clear signage guiding travelers to their check-in, security and gate destinations. Check-in and security procedures are typically smooth and efficient I have TSA Pre-Check and im usually though security in less than 10 minutes. While dining and shopping options are limited compared to larger airports, BHM still offers a few restaurants and shops where travelers can grab a bite to eat or pick up last-minute essentials before your flight. The only negative is knowing which door to go out of to the parking garage when you return, if you pick the wrong one you will be doing a lot of walking searching for your car, the signage for that needs to be improved as it seems you enter and exit on different floors which does cause confusion in finding your car when you get back home. Overall, Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport provides a pleasant and stress-free travel experience, making it a convenient choice for both business and leisure travelers in the central Alabama area.

I love this airport! During my time as a student at the University of Alabama, I visited this airport many of times. Dropping off and picking up passengers is always easy, as the signs are very clear on directions. The daily parking garage is attached to the airport itself, meaning you do not have to use a shuttle to get to and from your car when you come for a visit. The airport itself is very clean, always smells nice, and is rarely packed. The workers at TSA have always been polite with me and made me feel welcomed. My only complaint would be about some of the workers at the food counters in the airport. Sometimes they have attitudes, make it seem as though you are inconveniencing them, or take what feels as though way longer than necessary to make your food. This is not a huge problem, but often does deter me from getting food while I am Birmingham. Overall though, I enjoy each visit to this airport and do not dread the times I have to pass through.

Flying today can be stressful with all the delays, cancellations, and TSA requirements, but despite that, Birmingham Airport is one of my favorites. For the most part, it's quiet, and the lines are not that long, and the people that work there are usually always friendly and greet you with a smile. They have added some rocking chairs by a beautiful fern wall that overlook the outside. It is a calm area where you can sit and watch airplanes take off. Great place to relax before a flight.

I've traveled through this airport several times visiting family. It is typically clean and seems to run efficiently. Some say it's a medium-sized airport, but I see it on the smaller side. Make sure to grab snacks or something to eat before you arrive because there are very limited places to eat. I see only concourse A and B. I typically fly delta but I believe both American and Southwest also fly from here. You will most likely have to connect to a major airport from here but BHM will be an easy start to your day.

Valet Parking Service damaged my car and won't take responsibility! I waited over two weeks for a person in Vancouver BC named Kate Shaw told me they would not take care of the damage that happened while my car was in their care. BEWARE OF DAMAGE OR DON'T USE THIS VALET SERVICE!!

Hate this airport. Takes FOREVER to get luggage anytime I travel through here. Zero customer service at this airport.

Nice little airport. With TSA Precheck, everything was nice quick and smooth. Staff at the American Airlines desk was very friendly and helpful. The airport is clean and easy to get around. Definitely don't mind flying in and out of here.

I must say, for a medium size airport (medium to me is having a variety of airlines fly in and out of it, has a decent amount of food options, and you can easily access the airport without having to ride a tram to get to each gate) it's pretty decent! We got lost trying to get to the departure area, but found it eventually! It would be good to have terminal signs further out. TSA was a breeze to get though. No complaints there. I do love all of the art installations in the airport. It was great to learn about the local history in Birmingham. Overall, this is a decent airport! If you like Starbucks, there are two, one of each side of the airport.

The airport is easy to get and out of. Clean bathrooms. They just don't keep the AC on and it's so hot!!!there is a kid play area in c6. Checking in is a breeze and leaving is easy.

Burger King, chic fil a or a run of the mill bagel shop is all your going to get at this small airport. Unfortunately today we are stuck here for 12 hours due an accident that closed the road and led to us missing our 6 am flight. I already had a frozen bagel from the bagel place, a whopper with cheese and I'm wondering what will be next , I guess chic fil a is my other option. The operation of the airport is fantastic, easy rental car pickup and return, easy in and out , quick TSA checking and it's very clean! Love this airport even though the food is limited.

I really don't know what you could complain about at this airport except maybe the fact that there aren't you many places you can fly direct and the International in the name is laughable. It's a small airport and it has a couple of restaurants that you can sit down and eat. There's a Starbucks, two newsstands/ local shops and of course, a chik fil A. The new security is great. Didn't have to take stuff out of my bags. Very nice. The seats at the gates have charging stations. Quick and easy to get in and out of here.

Work is what brought me to Birmingham to begin with, I originally drove in from Dallas and that 10 hour drive was a so that was not an option going back. Flight was at 610AM. I arrived at 530AM due to ignorant Uber driver who cancelled ride after missing turn. Had to wait 30 more minutes but anyways that another review right. Thankfully they had it together and I quickly passed through tsa and still had time to kill. They have your typical stores and limited food options just hope you don't get stock where cause you will finish what have tried everything if you stay longer that 4 days.

Smaller airport easy to navigate. Has enough food options to get you through until boarding. Parking is easy and the price is great compared to other airports.

Nice and clean airport. Limited choices of shops. Same size as LGA airport in NY

Clean and organized airport, please add more choice for food and coffee. The TSA was at time enthusiastic about the mission of keeping us safe.

I recently was here to pickup a friend. I really enjoyed utilizing the cellphone waiting parking lot. There is adequate parking spots available. Also , there is a display board that lists all the arriving flights. This certainly takes the stress off of coming to the airport to pickup someone. Don't worry ..... it's free!!! I know there has been several upgrades and enchantments to the airport but this designated parking area , has to be one of the best ideas!! Clear signage is posted to guide you right to this lot so you can't miss it!!

CATCHING FLIGHTS NOT FEELINGS. Very small and easy airport. Only a few terminals. But it covers a lot of ground. It is honestly the perfect sized airport for the area. Once you get through security, there are some places to eat and relax before your flight. Not as stressful as most airports!

I appreciate that the airport is clean and feels modernized, complete with tons of windows and cool displays, but it didn't feel useful enough overall. TSA is definitely not as surly or rude as it is at other airports, thank goodness! Weirdly enough, the precheck line funneled into the standard line. We got through a smaller line, which was great, but it was awkward because we then basically had to cut across the standard line, and I felt like a line jumper :( After that, the scanning baggage process started, which is often relatively efficient. I understand that you don't want to rush safety, I really do, but this was hilariously slow, like 10 minutes of waiting; it would make sense for this to be happening with multiple flagged suitcases, but there was really just one that got pulled anyway. It felt like the sloth DMV scene from Zootopia. It is also frustrating that there are very - and I mean very! - few places to eat. I am not sitting here saying it needs O'Hare or JFK amounts of restaurants, since it doesn't have that level of traffic. Even so, you could count on one hand which options you had, if that. I went to my gate and then saw the Talladega Grille. I noticed people at the bar and didn't know if I could pick up food. The very sweet bartender, who called me sugar, mentioned the drink availability, which would be nice for a less rushed occasion, but I then asked if I could pick up food there, and she said the restaurant wasn't serving food that day, just drinks. ??? After that, I went across the terminal all over again to a Burger King that was friendly but hilariously inefficient. (To be fair, the woman at BK offered me free fries for waiting so long, which I thanked her for but declined. Again, not efficient, but friendly and warm, which definitely is good to experience!)

Can't complain too much here. It's a decent sized airport for our area. It's only really busy if you don't plan for the rush times /days. Security agents are easy enough to deal with - never had anyone be rude, and the line is never too long. There are only a few options for food, including a BBQ place, Chick Fil A, a bagel place, and a few others I'm probably forgetting. But the terminals are kept clean, and the bathrooms are (normally) working and clean as well. I do wish they'd put in more charging terminals in the seats and tables. Overall, a decent enough airport - not the best, but far from the worst I've been at on my travels.

Boy, I probably haven't flown through this airport since 1987 or 1988 and I don't remember it being that great at the time, but now I find this is a very convenient and efficient airport to use. It's not that big, so even though I arrived at the very last gate, I was out of the main terminal and walking toward the rental cars in just a few minutes. It is nice that the rental cars are located in the parking garage just across from the terminal, although if you rent from Budget, that is a bit of a walk. Departing was very easy, too. There was no line at TSA PreCheck so I was through security fast. From the time I dropped off the car until I was at my gate was no more than 10 minutes total. There are a few restaurants and newsstands available so you can get a drink or a snack. The gates in concourse A were bright and roomy and very clean. There were not a lot of plugs for charging phones, but I was happy to have a spacious, comfortable and tidy place to sit. When I come back, I'm definitely going to fly in here rather than Atlanta.

27 minutes and still waiting for luggage. I have flown in and out of many airports and this is the absolute slowest and it's small. I know there are multiple complaints but they do nothing about.

In the last several months, work has brought me to Birmingham a handful of times and I have to say that I've been impressed with how together this airport has it. It's one of those convenient smaller airports that makes you really traveling out of the larger airports in the nation like Dallas-Fort Worth. TSA is nice and efficient here. They are a little lacking in the food choice department but it's clean and laid out well, so I won't hold that against them too much.

It's alright. It's not anything amazing, but it's an airport in Birmingham. You don't have to go all the way to Atlanta or Nashville, and you get to fly to several various destinations. Yes, it could be better, but it could also be much, much worse. There is some food available at a small handful of restaurants. There are also snacks, drinks, and other sundries available at the couple of newsstands within the terminal.

Just an FYI, security doesn't open until 4 am. So if you have an early flight, the soonest you can get through to your gate is after 4 am. And the line waiting is LONG. The bathrooms are questionable on if they will be clean or stocked on any given day. There are limited charging points and places to grab food, so be sure to plan ahead. The curbside and desk agents are always professional and helpful. Just the airport itself leaves a lot to be desired.

I travel a lot and this is one of the worst small C- Class airports in the nation. First, all the people who work at the Resturant's (only two fast food and BBQ joint) have near zero urgency. Average weight for luggage regardless of arrival is 35 minutes. Then it's another 30 minute wait if you do valet. It does not matter if it's 10 people or 30 on the airplane. If I could give a negative 5 star I would. The only positive thing that earns this airport one star is that it's clean.

This is a relatively small airport, but still very, very clean. It spans about 2,170 acres and was built in 1973, with many millions of dollars worth of renovations between then and now. The Airport changed it name from the Birmingham International Airport to the Birmingham Shuttlesworth International Airport to honor Civil Rights leader Fred Shuttlesworth in 2008. The airport has your standard amenities like a cell phone lot, on site car rental companies, ATMs, free wifi, a few restaurants (and I mean, just a few), a small play area (terminal B), off site parking companies, gift/snack shops and shuttle service. As I mentioned the renal cars on onsite so you don't have to take a tram or shuttle to pickup/drop off your car. The airport has 3 small terminals, A, B, and C. You can walk from one end to the other in less than 15 minutes. The airport also has some unique features. It has a small museum exhibit dedicated to Birmingham Civill Rights leader Reverend Fred Shuttlesworth that is located between the two baggage claim areas. It is very nice and well put together. The airport also has some intriguing art all over from the Birmingham Art Museum. There are also a few lounge areas and bar area at the gates where you can sit, plug in and recharge. The seats at the gates or your standard row seats, but they do not have any built in power outlets like you see popping up all over the place. Even though the airline that I was flying sucked. This airport made it a bit more bearable. The airport does not have many flights in/out so if your flight is delayed then you will probably miss you connection, so be prepared. All and all in really like this airport and enjoy transiting through here.

My Alaska Vacation Flight was cancelled at 4 am in the morning. They would not put us on alternate flight or airline. My family of 3 only needed 3 seats. He kept looking for over an hour seemed like with others in line, but would not give us alternate flight. We had hotel reservations, lost the reservations. We had a schedule for a cruise, we had to drive at 2 am to 3 am for hours and back home and then back to the airport the next day, hoping we would get a flight, with cruise reservations and hotel prepaid for. Also, they kept my wallet at the security screen drop and never called it out on another trip. I had to go back and get it just before my flight boarding, with my I.D. in it!

Totally shocked I'm how clean this airport was today. Kudos to the cleaning staff . There wasn't too many restrictions on being close to anyone but they did have signs up for Covid-19. There were a few cafes open as well as a Starbucks. Impressive for sure

Sabrina at the front to let counter was in a bad mood and rude. I was her first customer of the day I can't imagine how her attitude will be by the time the end of her shift gets here!

Sunday afternoon after a long flight and not a single place to eat Get rid of Chick-FIL-A.

I will start this off by stating I travel 100+ days a year all over the country, exclusively by air (Delta). Here's the deal, until they brought in CLEAR for the security section this review would have been a 1 Star. The TSA experience, although much better, is one of the worst in the country. The whole setup is just not thought out. Dedicating originally nearly a 50/50 split between PreCHECK and regular passengers was comical when we all know the real statistic is nowhere near that. Then there is still the fact that there is NOT a Priority (First Class/Business, SkyPrority, Elite, etc...) for passengers who cannot have TSA PreCHECK. There are airports with 1/3 the traffic at BHM who have a dedicated priority lane outside their PreCHECK lane. Second, not a single lounge in the entire airport. How did that happen? There was a SkyClub here years ago. There's no haven for your elite business travelers and typically that causes them to use other airports, I know I do. Lastly, airline service coverage is a joke. BHM is the largest metro in the country without a direct flight to California. The BHM airport is so comically underserved with what seems to be zero help from the leadership in attracting new air service. Delta, American, United are all guilt of pushing the additional passengers each year through their giant hubs at ATL, DFW, ORD, CLT while non-stop route coverage dwindles from all the airlines. If I had to guess, the leadership at BHM almost is comfortable with their airport hemorrhaging potential passengers to ATL, HSV, BNA rather than attracting them.

I checked in for my flight to IAD yesterday morning about 7am. There were hand sanitizer stations were everywhere, AND all empty. Travelers checking in for flights and in security checks we're the only people asked to wear masks. Respect of distance was also ignored. Prepare to take care of Yourselfs

Small airport vibes with poor customer service. Should be a smoother operation when there's less business

I find that how efficiently and friendly an airport is has a big deal to do with how they treat the disabled and limited mobility passengers. The passengers that fall under ADA who travel often with conditions that can make their travel very difficult and their mobility very limited. Now, I'm not going to get into some of the concessions we are granted because quite often there isn't a legal way for an airline and/or an airport to verify our medical issues so that they can ensure the right folks are being allowed the appropriate accommodations. Clearly that means there are people that likely abuse this, which is very sad. Anyway, I've been to many airports and travel often. One of the rudest and worst airports I have been to for this is Birmingham, Alabama. I don't even know where to begin with this so I'll just start at the beginning. I was supposed to have a wheel chair and asked both the Delta and Southwest folks that were in charge of the wheelchairs where I should go for United. Neither of them knew. I was so frustrated at this point that I just decided to use my cane and I went through the ADA line for security which was not appropriately labeled. Those lines are for limited mobility not just for wheel chairs. If they are denying anyone going through that line that is using an assisted walking device the airport can be sued. Anyway, I stood there for 10min waiting for someone to remove the rope so I could go through security but it wasn't until this horribly rude employee came through and tried to jump in front of me with a wheel chair bound passenger that someone came over. I told this man that I had been waiting and he responded with "I don't see your wheelchair". Right there could have been a law suit or a very serious complaint. I said "I'm using a cane because no one was helpful enough to tell me where I could get my wheel chair." Then he cuts in front of me anyway, mind you this is an employee, and now I'm furious. I ask the person running the security line why this employee felt the need to cut in front of someone and the security line person tells me that the line was for wheel chairs only. This is another potential lawsuit, I'd be training my staff better. I instructed him that they are not allowed to make a wheel chair specific line unless there is another line for limited mobility as it violates ADA policy and could be a potential lawsuit. He didn't seem to much care. I just left it alone after that. What an absolutely garbage experience at this airport and I have to come here about 2-3x a year. Do better Magic City, do better.

We didn't spend a ton of time here, everything went smoothly as far as I know. Arrived in the afternoon and the airport signage was clear and led us properly to the luggage and also the pick up area. Decently clean. Staff treated us respectfully. Not too much traffic really at all. Beware of the cops on the large Segway type machines in the pick up lanes, they zoom around fast and sometimes are a bit unpredictable. On the way home, security was fine, just doing their jobs, my carry on was flagged, but it was just my Polaroid camera and it was quickly tested and we were sent on our way. No issues at all! People were nice as well during this experience. I wouldn't mind using this airport if I'm nearby in the future.

What a smooth airport process! As a mildly-frequent traveler, I've experienced a number of airports and BHM was by far, one of the best yet. I flew out on a Sunday and feared that BHM would be filled with folks heading back into Alabama but it was so smooth! I was able to walk right up to my airline, drop my bags and get through TSA within 25 minutes or so! Southern hospitality is so real at BHM, as every staff member I encountered greeted me and were incredibly helpful! I flew out before 830 am and most airports struggle to have businesses open but not at BHM! There were numerous restaurants open for an early breakfast along with the high-priced convenience stores, of course. A small airport with a big personality, I'm happy to know that BHM offers such a smooth process!

BHM airport, you've come a long way baby! Airports are sometimes a visitor's first impression of a city, and I am very proud of the renovated airport. It is modern, clean, and inviting. I love the local representation. The Alabama Sports Hall of Fame shop spotlights Alabama sports legends, the living wall illustrates the natural beauty of the city, and the Barber racing exhibits are just cool. Jim n Nicks and Good People add more local flavor. The airport is relatively low stress. There are no shuttles or trams, and getting where you need to be is pretty straight forward. The airport is usually not overly crowded or hectic. Service can sometimes be a bit slow, but this is the south. In my best Morgan Freeman voice "Welcome to Birmingham".