TSA
I flew from Chicago to Columbus recently for work, through Austin Straubel International Airport, O’Hare International Airport, and John Glenn Columbus International Airport. Despite seeming to be a rather large airport, it seems they still require electronics to be taken out of bags and placed individually in trays at TSA. Now, I travel with… hang on. iPad, Kindle, Tablet, and laptop. Four large electronics. This required 3 trays- they consolidated my Kindle with my Tablet. Of course, I also travel with a backpack and a messenger back and my main luggage. So I ended up with 7 different things on the belt that TSA and I (mostly I) had to take care of. This is in contrast to Green Bay, where I only had two trays to put through TSA: my backpack and my messenger bag, along with my jacket and sweater; and, my luggage. I’m sure eventually TSA will standardize this stuff, right?
Priority Pass
This is one of the few airports where I was able to use my Priority Pass. I get it complimentary, but I’ll only mention where if they pay me. Anyway, the Escape Lounge is nice. I was overheating, and was able to take off my sweater and jacket to cool down. The food was not bad; think ‘hotel breakfast buffet,’ if you need a comparison. The orange juice was not the abysmal Sunny D/Dole kind (which I drink anyway), and they had danishes, cinnamon rolls, and a few other items I didn’t touch. They advertise free and fast wifi, but my phone is almost always using my unlimited data. I’m not sure this is the case at Columbus, but many airports I’ve found to have free wifi nowadays anyway. Overall, it’s nice when it’s free. But I would not pay 32 bucks to enter. Get it complimentary or just sit somewhere else while you wait for your flight.
Food
The selection of food and drinks in the airport is not sparse. There are a number of different places, like Wolfgang Puck and a few convenience stores. Eating at airport restaurants is up there in terms of what I like to do while waiting for my flight, but I was there between 9:30 and 11:30, and already ate breakfast. I just grabbed a lemon tea.
Navigation
Navigating the airport is simple and easy. There are enough signs that you know where to go. I was a little confused when exiting and trying to find the rental shuttle bus, but it only took a few moments for me to realize where it was. The drive back in with the rental was also simple, and the shuttle doesn’t actually need to go very far.
Conclusion
In terms of what you need to know, I covered the TSA above. It took less than 30 minutes to get through, even with all my crap. There were also very few people in line. But, this is unfortunately one of those airports where the concourses are separated in such a way that you’ll need to exit security and go through it again if you go to the wrong one. So definitely check your gate before you try to enter. I was also asked my flight number by the tsa agent, so it helps to have that handy or memorized.
I’ll be covering the town I stayed in next, as well as the hotel.