Austin Airport Cell Phone Lot

Stop circling the airport and park in this cool new waiting lot. Some shaded areas, restrooms, and charging station powered by solar panels. 60 minutes or fewer are free. Exit right before the pick-​up exit.

It is nice for an airport to have one of these so people aren’t parked where they shouldn’t be or are circling like buzzards around the loop. Spots are usually pretty full even at 11PM at night. There are a few rules like not letting your car idle for more than 5 minutes I think? Sorry but if it’s 95 out my car is gonna idle indefinitely. Think of sitting in traffic (same diff). Anyway, haven’t used the facilities, just sat and stared at the surroundings while waiting to pickup.

This is a pretty convenient idea I wish other airports would adopt. It’s particularly necessary here because there is no parking, not even sitting in the car with the motor running at the curb by the luggage. I’ve seen people get ticketed for just idling in the spot for too long. So it’s become a necessary convenience to me since I’ve become the, «Sure I’ll pick you up at the airport,» person.
Basically it’s a big parking lot. There are slightly covered areas that seem to be solar panels that probably provide the power for the small building in the middle with bathrooms and flight monitors. It’s a lot like highway rest areas without the picnic tables.
I don’t try to follow the monitors. We all have cellphones, more likely smartphones with more up-​to-​date information than the monitors. I thought the people braving the monsoon rain to go look at the monitors the other night were just adorable. Mostly it’s just a good spot to park my car and play with my phone until I get a text that the person I’m picking up has gotten their luggage.

Was running a couple minutes late picking my wife up from the Airport, and with SX folks fleeing the city Sunday afternoon when she arrived, I texted her from this lot to see if she wanted me to try and find short term parking, or just wait until she had her bags and pick her up curbside.
What I like about this lot, compared to others I’ve visited is that it is HUGE, relative to the airport’s size. I counted 50 nice and wide parking spots (and I probably missed a few), with plenty of room to negotiate. The one in San Antonio seems half that size, for a larger airport. The water fountains and bathrooms are also handy.
Unless I missed it, though, the plane arrival info is on one monitor in one spot that you have to walk up to and read. I mean, come on. My local sports bar has 20 monitors larger than this. This might not be as fun in the rain, or heat of the summer. At other cell phone lots, I’ve seen boards you can read from your car (that look more like scoreboards, not televisions that folks might want to steal).
But either way, with always being under the watchful eye of security when you try and cruise the terminal and time a pickup perfectly, it’s always a plus to have this available and avoid the judgment eyes of the airport security.
NOTE: Access this lot via the «Spirit of Texas» highway exit from Hwy 71, which is the exit WEST of the main airport highway exit. When you leave the cell phone lot, you are straight in the main lanes of the airport entrance, and can be to the baggage claim curbside in about 2 – 3 minutes in normal traffic.
PROS: Proximity to the airport, size of lot, bathrooms
CONS: Only one TV to check for arrivals (which is fine, because I’ve probably already been tracking the flight using FlightAware, or directly from the airline)
3.75 stars