BlaakLane.com runs chauffeur service in Charleston, South Carolina, for CHS airport transfers, downtown peninsula hotels, weddings, Kiawah Island golf trips and business travel to North Charleston. The reservation engine shows a fixed fare for your address, time and vehicle before you book, with no surge. Trips are driven by a vetted local affiliate, and the confirmation names the operator and the chauffeur.
How booking works in Charleston
Enter a flight number, hotel or street address on this page or at /book/, choose a vehicle and confirm the fare on screen. That fare covers the chauffeur, fuel and included waiting; there is no meter. The Toronto dispatch desk, open 24/7, passes the trip to a Charleston affiliate who works to the BlaakLane.com written standard. Group weekends, a wedding with guest shuttles or a plant visit with several executives are planned by a coordinator and confirmed in writing.
Charleston International Airport (CHS)
CHS is about 12 miles northwest of the peninsula in North Charleston and shares its runways with Joint Base Charleston. The terminal has two concourses, A and B, feeding a single baggage claim hall. After collecting bags, follow the ground transportation signs toward the parking garage; pre-arranged cars wait at the designated commercial pickup area there, and the chauffeur texts the vehicle and spot. A name-board meet and greet at baggage claim is an add-on, and add-ons are only available in selected locations.
Flights are tracked, so the chauffeur works to the actual arrival. Waiting included: 60 minutes on international arrivals, 30 minutes on domestic flights and 15 minutes on other pickups, then 15-minute blocks. To the historic district the drive is typically 20 to 30 minutes on I-26, and closer to 45 at the afternoon peak when I-26 inbound slows at the Crosstown. The Charleston airport site posts terminal updates. General booking steps are on airport transfers.
Private aircraft use the FBO side of CHS or Charleston Executive Airport (JZI) on Johns Island, which is closer to Kiawah and Seabrook. Planeside pickups are arranged through our private aviation team where the FBO allows.
Neighbourhoods, islands and the hotels chauffeurs know
The peninsula is where most guests stay: South of Broad with its single houses, the French Quarter, King Street's shops and restaurants, and Upper King. Hotels include The Charleston Place, Hotel Bennett on Marion Square, The Dewberry, The Restoration, Zero George and the Planters Inn. East across the Ravenel Bridge is Mount Pleasant, then Sullivan's Island and the Isle of Palms with Wild Dunes. To the southwest lie West Ashley, James Island, Folly Beach and, 25 miles out, Kiawah Island and Seabrook. Daniel Island, between the Cooper and Wando rivers, has offices and the tennis stadium.
Summer evenings bring a second pattern: dinner on the peninsula, then a return to a beach house on Isle of Palms or Folly, a 25 to 35 minute drive each way. Booking the return in advance, or keeping the car on hourly service, avoids waiting for a ride at closing time on a busy King Street night.
Peninsula streets are narrow and many are one-way, so chauffeurs pull to the hotel entrance or the nearest legal curb, never double-parked on King Street.
Planning times
| Trip | Distance | Usual time |
|---|---|---|
| CHS to the peninsula | 12 miles | 20-30 min |
| CHS to Mount Pleasant | 18 miles | 25-35 min |
| CHS to Kiawah Island | 30 miles | 45-60 min |
| Peninsula to Isle of Palms / Wild Dunes | 15 miles | 25-35 min |
| Peninsula to Daniel Island | 10 miles | 15-25 min |
| Peninsula to the Charleston Area Convention Center | 10 miles | 15-25 min |
Business travel: North Charleston and the port
North Charleston holds much of the region's business traffic: the aircraft plant beside the airport runway, logistics firms around the port, and the Charleston Area Convention Center and North Charleston Coliseum on International Boulevard. Supplier audits and plant visits often combine an airport pickup, a morning on site and a dinner downtown, which is where hourly chauffeur service saves time. The terminals of the South Carolina Ports Authority at Wando Welch, North Charleston and the Hugh K. Leatherman Terminal generate crew movements, handled as shipping crew change.
Cruises from Charleston after January 2025
For years Charleston had a year-round homeported cruise ship at Union Pier. Carnival ended that homeport in January 2025, so there is no longer a regular weekly departure. Visiting ships still call, and occasional voyages begin or end here. When a ship is in port, cars stage near the terminal gate on the east side of the peninsula, and the chauffeur confirms the exact spot on the day. Our cruise lines and ports page explains how port transfers run.
The Charleston calendar
- February: the Southeastern Wildlife Exposition.
- March: Charleston Wine + Food.
- April: the Cooper River Bridge Run closes the Ravenel Bridge early on a Saturday morning, and the women's tennis tournament takes over Daniel Island.
- Late May to early June: Spoleto Festival USA fills theatres and churches downtown (Spoleto).
- Spring and autumn: weddings at plantation venues along Ashley River Road, on Kiawah and downtown.
Explore Charleston lists current dates.
Which vehicle for Charleston?
Two travellers with carry-ons fit a Standard Sedan. Golf bags for Kiawah or a family with luggage point to an executive SUV. A Standard Black SUV or Sprinter works for bridal parties and bachelor weekends, and minicoaches or motorcoaches shuttle wedding guests from peninsula hotels to a venue on Ashley River Road. Stretch and Rolls-Royce cars are supplied by partners. Browse the fleet; see wedding limousine and fare inclusions on rates.
Train travel
Amtrak's North Charleston station on Rivers Avenue is roughly 9 miles from the peninsula and 10 minutes from CHS, on the New York to Florida route. Late-evening arrivals are common; the chauffeur tracks the train.
Driving to other cities
- Savannah: about 110 miles, 2 hours.
- Myrtle Beach: about 95 miles up US-17, 2 hours.
- Charlotte: about 210 miles on I-26 and I-77, 3.5 hours.
- Hilton Head Island: about 95 miles, 1 hour 45 minutes to 2 hours.
- Columbia: about 115 miles on I-26, 2 hours.
One fixed fare per trip; see intercity transfers.
Local driving notes
Charleston drives on the right and has no tolls on the usual routes. The Ravenel Bridge, I-26 and the Crosstown are the pinch points. Heavy rain at high tide floods low streets on the peninsula, including parts of Market Street and Lockwood Drive, and the chauffeur reroutes rather than driving through water. Hurricane season runs June to November.
Cancellations
No charge more than 72 hours ahead; 10% at 72 hours or less; 50% at 48 hours or less; 100% at 24 hours or less or for a no-show.
