’Safe, convenient’ way to wait: Winnipeg airport unveils cellphone lot

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This article was published 05/02/2024 (603 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg’s international airport now has a free parking lot for chaperones picking up travellers.

“Ask, and you shall receive!” an announcement post on the airport’s social media reads. The Winnipeg Airports Authority unveiled the space, which is called a cellphone lot, online Feb. 2.

The WAA advises users to wait in the lot until they receive a text or call from a traveller; from there, the two parties can determine where along the arrivals curb they’ll meet.

It’s been a long time coming, noted Michel Rosset, spokesman for the airport authority.

“The demand has kind of grown over the last couple years as our recovery continues,” he said Monday.

In creating the wait space, Winnipeg follows similar moves by airports including Toronto, Vancouver and Montreal and at least 50 more in the United States.

Winnipeg’s designated cellphone lot was formerly a taxi and ride-hailing/ride-sharing waiting area.

“(We) essentially split it in half,” Rosset said.

Some 30 parking spaces are now saved for the cellphone lot, while the other half remains for taxis and ride-hailing vehicles. There’s signage on Wellington Avenue pointing to the lot, which is east of the Wellington terminal and near the Canada Post building.

Cellphone lot users are expected to stay in their vehicles while waiting.

“If (there are) unattended vehicles that we notice or our security notice, then they’ll probably be towed away,” Rosset said.

Security patrols the area, he added.

Those wanting to greet travellers inside the terminal on the Hug Rug can still park in short-term parking for a fee.

The new cellphone lot is a “safe, convenient” option for pick-ups, Rosset said.

Airport officials have repeatedly watched vehicles circle the airport loop while waiting for travellers. “Or they’re parking in places that may not be safe on the side of the road when there’s high traffic coming through,” Rosset added.

Although the WAA officially announced the opening of the space Feb. 2, it’s been available for a couple weeks. During peak times — when many flights are arriving — the lot seems to be near -capacity, Rosset said.

The response has been “really, really positive.”

Los Angeles International and Seattle-Tacoma International were the first United States airports with cellphone lots, creating them in 2004.

gabrielle.piche@winnipegfreepress.com