John Glenn Columbus Airport

[TiggerTrigger]

Anyone have any experience flying out of here? I usually like to allow plenty of time for flights (especially in unfamiliar places), but I'm in a situation this Sunday where I've got no choice but to be pressed for time. I have something in Athens, OH that's scheduled to end at 4:30pm and a 7:58pm flight departure out of Columbus. Right now, it's saying the drive is about 1 hour and 10-19 minutes to the rental car center at the airport, but it's probably going to be closer to 4:45-5 when we hit the road due to some post event musts and we must check a bag due to TSA requirements for DD's sports equipment. I originally thought we'd fly back on Monday but DD doesn't want to miss any more school so she can still qualify to exempt some of her finals. The event also was originally scheduled to end at 4, but they added 30 minutes on the confirm I received today. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. TIA

 

[fla4fun]

Anyone have any experience flying out of here? I usually like to allow plenty of time for flights (especially in unfamiliar places), but I'm in a situation this Sunday where I've got no choice but to be pressed for time. I have something in Athens, OH that's scheduled to end at 4:30pm and a 7:58pm flight departure out of Columbus. Right now, it's saying the drive is about 1 hour and 10-19 minutes to the rental car center at the airport, but it's probably going to be closer to 4:45-5 when we hit the road due to some post event musts and we must check a bag due to TSA requirements for DD's sports equipment. I originally thought we'd fly back on Monday but DD doesn't want to miss any more school so she can still qualify to exempt some of her finals. The event also was originally scheduled to end at 4, but they added 30 minutes on the confirm I received today. Any thoughts or suggestions would be greatly appreciated. TIA

First, is there any way to change to a later flight or are you on the last flight of the day?

If not, it’s going to be a tight connection. I used to live in a suburb of Columbus and visit family in Athens. Route 33 is going to be your best bet. There are no interstate highways between the two cities and nothing much in the way of an alternate route if there is a problem on the road. If you are leaving Athens at 5:00, and have to turn in a rental car, you would be doing well to make the drive and finish that by 6:30. The earlier you can get on the road, the better. How late will your airline allow you to check in luggage?

I know you mentioned some post event musts, but it may come down to either participating in those or making your flight so she can meet the exam exemption deadline. I would be discussing that with her now because the odds are good that she will need to make that choice, especially if the event itself runs later than expected.

As far as the airport, it’s usually not bad to get through, but I understand that there is some construction going on to upgrade the terminal that could cause issues moving around the airport. I would visit the airport website and familiarize yourself with where you need to go to return the car, check in the baggage, and where your gate is located.

 

[Mommb]

My daughter had a 9 pm flight out of Columbus on Southwest this past Sunday, and was through security in under 15 minutes.

The construction of a new terminal building is causing changes to the lanes around the airport, but the signs are good. The inside of the airport is unaffected. Once you enter the airport, there are 3 terminals, each with its own security checkpoint. The terminal to the right is mostly Southwest, the terminal to the left is mostly Delta, and the middle (and longest) terminal is for other airlines. Even the farthest gates are less than 10 minutes from the security checkpoint.

If you're arriving at the airport later than 6:30, you may want to drop off your daughter to check luggage, then return the rental car, just to be safe. I have picked people up from the rental area but never dropped off a car and then gone into the airport, so I'm not sure how long that would take.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

First, is there any way to change to a later flight or are you on the last flight of the day?

If not, it’s going to be a tight connection. I used to live in a suburb of Columbus and visit family in Athens. Route 33 is going to be your best bet. There are no interstate highways between the two cities and nothing much in the way of an alternate route if there is a problem on the road. If you are leaving Athens at 5:00, and have to turn in a rental car, you would be doing well to make the drive and finish that by 6:30. The earlier you can get on the road, the better. How late will your airline allow you to check in luggage?

I know you mentioned some post event musts, but it may come down to either participating in those or making your flight so she can meet the exam exemption deadline. I would be discussing that with her now because the odds are good that she will need to make that choice, especially if the event itself runs later than expected.

As far as the airport, it’s usually not bad to get through, but I understand that there is some construction going on to upgrade the terminal that could cause issues moving around the airport. I would visit the airport website and familiarize yourself with where you need to go to return the car, check in the baggage, and where your gate is located.

Sadly, no. This is it. This is the latest. In fact, this was the only flight and only airline offering something this late out of Columbus. As it is, we will have to connect in Atlanta and will be landing in Houston just after midnight if all is on time. Before booking, I also checked Cincy, Pitt, etc. and this was the only option. Home is also too far to rent a car and make it back in time by road travel.

I am hoping the rental car return process will be speedy. I'm using Alamo and just rented from them in Phoenix a few weeks ago. It was fast, but Phoenix is also a major airport and sometimes these things are more streamlined at hubs like that vs. something smaller. It also doesn't look like a long distance between the return facility and the main terminal in Columbus, so maybe that will work in our favor. Delta is supposedly 45 minutes before the flight for checked bags, so we will be cutting it close. If they offer any kind of curbside bag check, even with an extra charge, I will likely seriously consider that. I know we've seen that at several airports of late. The alternative is dropping DD off at departures before returning the car and letting her check the bag, go through security and get to the gate on her own. I'd have to return the car and meet her on the other side of security...and if I don't make it, she should still be home on time. She's 17, so it's not like I'm sending a young child out into this mess.

I warned her that if the slightest thing is off with any of this, there is a good chance we will be bumped to the next day and she's going to be taking all of her finals. Her grades are great but I know exemption plotting has been part of her strategy as she's pushing to keep climbing in class rank. Exiting the event early is also not an option since this is a college prospect event and it's a really bad look to step out before the official ending. The only possible way around this if we both miss the flight is if I take her to the doctor that Monday. Not that I want her sick, but she has been nursing some sniffles and she may just have to have added sinus pressure from flying with a possible sinus infection so I can get her a doctor's note. That would be an excused absence that won't count against her finals. No, it's not the route I want to go but it may be my only option.

Yup...I have been on their site as well as playing with the Google Maps aerials and the preferred route as of right now to see where we're going to need to go. Of course, doing it live is a different story since I may get disoriented with all of the little twists and turns.

I appreciate your suggestions and insights.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

My daughter had a 9 pm flight out of Columbus on Southwest this past Sunday, and was through security in under 15 minutes.

The construction of a new terminal building is causing changes to the lanes around the airport, but the signs are good. The inside of the airport is unaffected. Once you enter the airport, there are 3 terminals, each with its own security checkpoint. The terminal to the right is mostly Southwest, the terminal to the left is mostly Delta, and the middle (and longest) terminal is for other airlines. Even the farthest gates are less than 10 minutes from the security checkpoint.

If you're arriving at the airport later than 6:30, you may want to drop off your daughter to check luggage, then return the rental car, just to be safe. I have picked people up from the rental area but never dropped off a car and then gone into the airport, so I'm not sure how long that would take.

Thank you! We're flying Delta, so this at least tells me I need to go left. That's what it looked like from the satellite image, but this is now confirmation. I was also thinking about dropping off my daughter. It seems like the best plan to ensure the bag gets checked and at least she makes it. I have Monday as a vacation day for me at work, so I have a safety net in place for myself if I get stuck. It also sounds like things run pretty quickly if those are the times your daughter experienced with peak Thanksgiving weekend travel. Whew! Thanks again!

 

[TiggerTrigger]

A coworker also recommended having DD do all of the bag check/TSA stuff on her own when we fly to OH on Saturday so she gets some live experience doing this on her own in case she winds up in this scenario flying back on Sunday. Same goes for navigating Atlanta for the connection. Obviously, every airport is different and can be different on any given day, but it'll empower her to navigate and problem solve in case there are issues.

 

[Micca]

Isn't that the airport where they have to circle three times before landing?

 

[gmi3804]

It’s 5PM now, and the drive time from Athens, OH, to the car rental center right now is 1:17. You have almost three hours before the flight and it’s a small airport. I don’t see a problem with timing.

 

[sam_gordon]

Most people would probably advise against this, but I would prepay the gas for the rental (I think there's an option for them to just charge for the needed gallons, not the whole tank).

Otherwise you'll need to stop and fill up and that will add 10 minutes.

Having your DD check the bags is a good plan, I wouldn't push her to go through security unless the line is long. She can wait for you at the entrance to TSA, and if you're longer getting back from returning the car, then go herself.

Having her do all the check in and airport navigation on your trip there is a great plan, even if you didn't have a tight connection.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Isn't that the airport where they have to circle three times before landing?

Part of me hates that but I guess it can’t be any worse than how we had to approach the Missoula airport over the summer. They make circle after circle, gradually descending into to valley before landing.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

It’s 5PM now, and the drive time from Athens, OH, to the car rental center right now is 1:17. You have almost three hours before the flight and it’s a small airport. I don’t see a problem with timing.

I’m trying to be optimistic. Lowest time I’ve seen is 1:12, which was over the weekend. So I’m hoping the timing is just right and we won’t have need for wiggle room.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Most people would probably advise against this, but I would prepay the gas for the rental (I think there's an option for them to just charge for the needed gallons, not the whole tank).

Otherwise you'll need to stop and fill up and that will add 10 minutes.

Having your DD check the bags is a good plan, I wouldn't push her to go through security unless the line is long. She can wait for you at the entrance to TSA, and if you're longer getting back from returning the car, then go herself.

Having her do all the check in and airport navigation on your trip there is a great plan, even if you didn't have a tight connection.

Honestly, excellent tip on the gas! I’ve even had a few instances where the rental price was cheaper than the nearby stations. Either way, it will be a time saver.

Yeah, I really don’t love having her go through security without me but it’s an option I want to give her just in case. At the very least, this will all be a good learning opportunity since most of her colleges of interest will require air travel. It’s a similar lesson I had to learn as a college freshman.

 

[leebee]

Cut all the corners you can (excellent idea to pre-pay the gas), but I think you'll make it. Does Delta offer a pre-tag for baggage? If you could print that out in advance, it might save time checking in. Definitely look into the option of curb-side check in for that sports equipment. Last month we missed Delta's baggage window by 5 minutes and had to be rebooked on a flight the next day. Your DD could still fly home, but you'd be stuck in Columbus (with her sports equipment). Good luck to her at the college event!

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Cut all the corners you can (excellent idea to pre-pay the gas), but I think you'll make it. Does Delta offer a pre-tag for baggage? If you could print that out in advance, it might save time checking in. Definitely look into the option of curb-side check in for that sports equipment. Last month we missed Delta's baggage window by 5 minutes and had to be rebooked on a flight the next day. Your DD could still fly home, but you'd be stuck in Columbus (with her sports equipment). Good luck to her at the college event!

I was just looking into this last night. It's my understanding that I can add the bag at check in, so that should be right at the 24 hour mark. I would still need to print a luggage tag at the airport, but this would shave some time off of the process. I've missed my 15 minute boarding window before due to delays involving connections but I have never missed bag the bag check window. Good to know they are serious about that 45 minute timeframe. DD and I spent a while last night discussing the options. She's not particularly fond of going it alone, especially when it comes to making the connection in Atlanta, but she liked the idea of being in charge on the way there to get a gauge on the process and her comfort levels. Thank you! She's excited about this one and it would be so great if things went well.

 

[sam_gordon]

Does Delta offer a pre-tag for baggage? If you could print that out in advance, it might save time checking in.

Are you referring to printing out the tag at home (or a hotel)? What airline offers that? How do you attach it to the bag?

You can absolutely add a bag and pay for it at check in 24 hours before (Delta). I just did that for my mother earlier this week. You'll still have to go to the counter/kiosk, get the bag tag, attach it, then drop off the bag. You MIGHT save 1-2 minutes max by doing it ahead of time (which I definitely would if I knew I was checking a bag), but it's not going to save a lot.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Are you referring to printing out the tag at home (or a hotel)? What airline offers that? How do you attach it to the bag?

You can absolutely add a bag and pay for it at check in 24 hours before (Delta). I just did that for my mother earlier this week. You'll still have to go to the counter/kiosk, get the bag tag, attach it, then drop off the bag. You MIGHT save 1-2 minutes max by doing it ahead of time (which I definitely would if I knew I was checking a bag), but it's not going to save a lot.

You never know. When we flew last month, Southwest's machines were being really glitchy with payment. I wasted an extra 10+ minutes both coming and going just trying to get it to accept payment.

 

[anrew]

i think it will wrk just fine. The airport is not too big. Airports tend to blend together unless you spend real time in them. Hearing personal experiences helps paint a clearer picture than official descriptions. Timing, layout, and staff all seem to matter more than size. This thread answers questions you don’t know you have yet. While thinking about connections, I checked iberia airlines reviews briefly. Useful insights for anyone passing through.

 

[leebee]

Let us know how it works out, @TiggerTrigger. Best of luck to your daughter!

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Let us know how it works out, @TiggerTrigger. Best of luck to your daughter!

Thanks for checking back on this

Everything inside the airport and rental center was exactly as it looked in the satellite images and people's descriptions. So, that truly helped with giving me a lot of familiarity with the setup. We made excellent time coming back from the camp even with the added 30 minutes and wait for coach photos and chat time. In fact, we got back to the airport with wiggle room to spare. So, I never had to leave DD at the terminal or anything like that. What ended up interfering with our plans was a far more common issue with air travel... FLIGHT DELAYS!

We were about 20 minutes out from the Columbus airport when I started receiving texts about our flights being delayed. The first flight (Columbus to Atlanta) was initially delayed something like 137 minutes, and that time increased the closer we got to Columbus. Our flight from Atlanta to Houston was also delayed, but only by a few minutes. The preliminary text from Delta also noted that we had the options of free rescheduling or a full refund, which usually means things are pretty bad. At this point, we had so much time that I decided to stick around in the rental car facility and check our flight options. DD had already done some preliminary research during the drive.

• The three flights ahead of us going from Columbus to Atlanta were also badly delayed.
• Our flight was now not scheduled to arrive in Atlanta until just before midnight. We would miss our scheduled connection. There were two flights from Atlanta to Houston after the connection I originally booked; however, both were taking off before our delayed flight from Columbus was scheduled to arrive. So, sticking with our original flight out of Columbus would strand us in Atlanta no matter what.
• Our only chance of making our scheduled connection in Atlanta OR either of the two options after that flight was getting onto a flight out of Columbus that was originally supposed to leave around 3:30 pm that was now departing at 7:45. It was also sold out and didn't appear to be accepting standby passengers. Similar issue with the ones after that that were also delayed.
• When we got to the rental car center, I sat down and looked at Monday flight options from Columbus but the first couple of flights of the day were already booked up...probably because of the Sunday delays we were experiencing. With some potential weather issues, it started to look like we could have issues getting out later in the day, so I was worried we might get stranded in Columbus if we went this route. I also saw nothing in Delta's offers about covering hotels for the night if we opted for this "solution."
  • The night before, I had research rental car prices and hotel prices near the Columbus airport...1. just to get an idea of what I'd be spending in either scenario 2. to gauge availability.
• We also were aware of some other bad delays that were having a domino effect on US air travel. One of our softball friends had a Team USA event in Vero Beach and was trying to fly back from Orlando. She was originally supposed to leave around 9pm but didn't take off until close to 2am. I think MCO as a whole was on a full ground hold, which was impacting planes everywhere for all airlines.

After considering the cost of a hotel and restaurant food if we stayed in Columbus, or the prospect of spending the night in the Atlanta airport and trying to recover DDs bats (we had an issue with them getting lost back in August after a connection and delay nightmare), we decided to just rent a car and drive. The cost of this (including gas and snacks on the road) was on par with getting a hotel in Columbus and actually a bit cheaper after factoring the cost of having at least one restaurant meal and airport priced snacks/meals. It also meant not risking the loss of her bats. I put an AirTag in with them, which helps, but last time they missed a connection...they were supposed to be delivered to our house and instead wound up at some unmarked warehouse on the other side of the city with some third party delivery company that I had to research and hunt down, because the airline had nothing.

We left the Columbus airport around 7pm ET on Sunday and made it home just after 3pm CT on Monday. The route took us through Cincinnati, Louisville, Nashville, Memphis, Little Rock, Texarkana, etc. I stopped 5x to nap since I had been up since about 6:15am CT on Sunday. It was pretty miserable and our second rental vehicle was not nearly as nice and comfy as our first, but we made it. I dropped off the rental at Bush Intercontinental Airport in Houston after dropping off our bags and DD at home. I took the rental car shuttle to one of the terminals and had DH pick me up at passenger pickup outside of baggage claim. Oh, and Delta gave us a full refund on the costs associated with our return travel itinerary, including refunding our checked baggage fees for all legs of our trip. I have a love/hate relationship with Delta for this reason. Their service always has been phenomenal for me (they were so awesome on our flights to Columbus)...upgraded my boarding group for free and a number of other little freebies just for good customer service), and even cancellation or rebooking was so easy, but everything goes through Atlanta...unless you're going to Atlanta and then you're probably good!

Probably not the story anyone was expecting, but I do appreciate the help and info everyone provided as it would have contributed greatly to our success had our flight not been delayed.

 

[TiggerTrigger]

Oh...and DD did really well at the camp. Not sure it's going to lead to anything, but it's never a bad thing when you hit an absolute moonshot of a home run at a prospect camp.