Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is considering opening cell phone waiting lots for customers waiting to pick up passengers.
It’s an amenity offered at many other airports but not yet at Atlanta's, the world’s busiest airport. Cell phone lots allow people to park and wait for free at a remote lot, often for a limited amount of time, until they receive a call from friends or family ready to be picked up at the curb.
Such lots have popped up at airports large and small since post-9/11 increased security led to restrictions on cars waiting at the curbside.
In Atlanta, many have taken to circling the main terminal while awaiting pick-ups..
Cell phone lots are "really popular," said Hartsfield-Jackson general manager Louis Miller, who is looking at the possibility. The airport will study the issue and a decision may come in a few months. "I think it'll help the curbside congestion," he said.
Airports Council International-North America found that 47 of 89 airports it surveyed last year have cell phone lots, including Charleston, Birmingham, Savannah/Hilton Head, New York-John F. Kennedy, Washington Dulles, Miami and many others. Some lots offer wi-fi coverage or flight information displays.
One constraint for airports such as Atlanta's is the availability of nearby land. And there are costs to establish it in an existing lot or elsewhere, any surveillance or other operational costs and the potential to cut into the airport's parking garage revenue.
But Airports Council International-North America executive vice president Debby McElroy said the reduction of emissions from circling cars and the benefits of reduced congestion outweigh the costs for many airports.
"It provides better service," McElroy said.
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