If you’re driving to pick someone up at John Glenn Columbus International Airport this holiday season, here’s some good news: there’s a new, more convenient place to wait.
The Columbus Regional Airport Authority has opened a second cell-phone waiting lot tucked between the terminal and the air-traffic control tower. It’s free, close, and easy to access once you’re on International Gateway.
That matters, especially now.
With the holidays around the corner, traffic and arrivals pick up, but curbside waiting is still not allowed, so this new lot solves a serious pickup headache.
Last year, John Glenn Columbus International and Rickenbacker International Airports saw over 200,000 passengers depart between Dec. 20 and Jan. 2., so to say that it’s about to get very busy would be a bit of an understatement.
With the additional lot, your traveler can call to say that they’re ready, and you can jump in and get them fast.
Update, Sept. 3, 2026: the airport says the temporary cell phone lot between the John Glenn Columbus sign and the rental car center closes Sept. 9, when traffic shifts onto the new permanent roadway in front of the new terminal. The cell phone lot in front of Lane Aviation stays open, and the Green Lot still lets you exit free within an hour of entry. Whether you’re grabbing someone late-night or during peak holiday hours, this is a smart move.
You can check out a map of the airport below, and get more tips about traveling in and out of Columbus airports by heading over to flycolumbus.com.
