No longer will people have to drive 10 miles per hour — at sometimes for an hour — to circle around Reagan National Airport while waiting to scoop up passengers.
Airport officials opened a new, 34-space “Cell Phone Waiting Area” on Wednesday where people can wait for a call from arriving passengers.
The first-come, first-serve spaces do have some limitations. Drivers must remain with the vehicle at all times and can only stay for one hour. Also, no commercial vehicles are allowed in the area.
“This is a great new resource for our customers who drive to Reagan National,” said James Bennett, President/CEO of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, which operates Reagan and Dulles international airports.
“With the new security measures in place prohibiting motorists from waiting at the terminal curbside, this new area provides them another option.
“Giving motorists a free place to pull over and wait, rather than circle the airport, will improve safety and reduce congestion on the airport roadways.”
The new waiting area runs along the roadway that carries traffic from the front of Terminal B/C on the north end of the airport. Airport officials said they are mobilizing electronic message boards to inform customers of the new service before permanent signage around the Airport’s roadway system is installed.
Airport security officials have strongly enforced the pick-up lanes directly outside of the airports since the attacks of Sept. 11, officials said.
