Footlongs and salads without leaving Main Terminal security
Subway sits past security in the Main Terminal at Birmingham-Shuttlesworth, so you can grab a sandwich after TSA instead of hunting outside the checkpoint. It’s the same build-your-own format you know: 6-inch and footlong subs, basic salads, chips, and fountain drinks. Compared with sit-down options in BHM, this is often the fastest way to get something filling before a morning Southwest or Delta departure.
Pricing runs higher than street-side stores: expect around $8–$10 for a 6-inch combo and $12–$15 for a footlong with chips and a drink. Standard menu items show up here: Italian B.M.T., Meatball Marinara, Tuna, and a rotating “Sub of the Day” depending on corporate promos. Cookies usually sit by the register at about $1–$2 each, and you can still ask for double meat if you want more protein before a 2–3 hour flight.
Hours roughly track the first and last bank of flights, so early birds catching a 5–6 a.m. departure should find it open, and it tends to close after the late-evening arrivals wrap up. If you’re landing on a 10 p.m. arrival, don’t count on it. Lines spike around the 11 a.m.–1 p.m. and 4–6 p.m. banks, when multiple Main Terminal gates board at once.
Ordering is standard: pick bread, cheese, toppings, and sauces along the line. You can usually get a veggie-heavy 6-inch in under 5 minutes if only one or two people are ahead of you, but a full queue of 8–10 passengers can push wait times closer to 15 minutes. Drinks are fountain self-serve, so refills are easy while you watch for boarding on nearby Main Terminal displays.
Tip: If your connection or pre-flight window is under 20 minutes, order a cold sub and skip to-go toasting so you’re not stuck waiting when your Main Terminal gate starts pre-boarding.