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I'd park at a nearby restaurant on Billy Graham PKWY (3-4 mins away).
Have the traveler call you AFTER they get their bag(s) from the claim.
This can take anywhere from 10-45 mins after the flight lands.
Then drive right on up to the lower Baggage Claim area and pickup your traveler who is waiting curbside.
It is a holiday, and the cell phone lot will be full with people circling for spots...
CLT is going to get busier and busier as the week moves along towards Thanksgiving. I would worry less about timing it right and just hit the cel phone lot and have her call when she's outside with her bags or park in short-term and pay the up to $1 to meet her in baggage claim.
Piece of advice for anyone picking up at the airport who does not go there often: People walking across the road between the terminal and the garage / shuttle stops have the right of way. Stop at crosswalks, be patient and just wait for them to cross; don't be a jerk and cut people off with your car.
Further to Tober's point about the crosswalks: Traffic enforcement is there ALL the time asking/telling you to move your car. They give you very little time, if any, to stop and pick-up your passenger.There are taxi only lanes for pick-ups...don't go into one of those.
In addittion, have your sister tell you what door she is coming out of when she calls you. When you leave the cell phone lot you don't want to pass her up b/c then you'll have a real problem. I would advise you tell her to come out about the center of the terminal, which is about in line with the baggage carousel.
Pink Caddy is right. They will rush you out of there if your sister is not standing outside waiting for you and it is VERY IMPORTANT for her to tell you which door she will be standing outside of. They are labeled inside as well. Especially with the crowds it would be easy to pass her by. I've used the cell phone lot numerous times and it's great but they may be right, depending on the timing it could be full.
flightstas.com gives u almost the right time of flight arrival even if the flight took off late.
i leave like 10 minutes before the flight touchdown and with the 20 min ride I am exactly there to pick someone up.. never had to wait..
once once since i had some other work close to airport, i went there and had to wait.. the cellphone lot was full, but since everyone is in the cars, you can just idle and wait until someone takes out.. just dont be in the way of anyone.
Timn--it's Tues nite. Did you pick her up??? I'm sitting here with my laptop in the cell lot awaiting the outcome of this thread. How long do you think I can stay here without something to eat?? C'mon give me a break. What happened??
Timn--it's Tues nite. Did you pick her up??? I'm sitting here with my laptop in the cell lot awaiting the outcome of this thread. How long do you think I can stay here without something to eat?? C'mon give me a break. What happened??
hahaha!
Sooo sorry to leave you hanging like that!
It went pretty perfectly. She called me at about 7:40 to say she was just getting off the flight. She called again at about 8 to say she had her bags and was about to go outside. I got that second call about three minutes before I pulled up to the Arrivals lineup. She had to wait for me for about ten minutes as I inched along with all the cars coming out of the cell phone lot. Not sure I could hope for it to go any smoother!
Then we went home and had a spinach, ricotta, and tomato pizza from Fuel while catching up and watching So You Think You Can Dance.
I love happy endings! Thanks for all the tips guys!
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