---
title: "Picking someone up at ATL: the free cell phone lot and decks"
description: "ATL's cell phone lot is free. Hourly decks cap the first day at $50 (Domestic) and $70 (International)."
url: "https://atlairportguide.com/guides/picking-someone-up-at-atlanta-airport/"
updated: "2026-11-15"
airport: "ATL"
type: "guide"
---

> Independent guide, not the official ATL website. All pages: https://atlairportguide.com/llms.txt

# Picking someone up at ATL: the free cell phone lot, hourly decks and where to meet

ATL's cell phone lot is free. Hourly decks cap the first day at $50 (Domestic) and $70 (International). Where to wait, which terminal and where to meet your passenger.

Published November 15, 2026

![The arched end of the white steel lattice canopy over the pickup roadway at the Domestic Terminal of Atlanta airport, seen from the road just outside it.](https://atlairportguide.com/images/atl/north-arrivals-door-n4-v6.webp)

The canopy over the Domestic Terminal pickup roadway at Atlanta airport

[Every way into town, compared](https://atlairportguide.com/to/): Pick where you are going: time, cost, and the first and last departure for each way.

Drivers can wait for free at the [cell phone lot](https://atlairportguide.com/parking/cell-phone-lot/) at 1920 Autoport Drive, College Park, which ATL calls the Park and Wait Lot. Ask your passenger to text once they have their bags, and drive to the terminal then. ATL can’t page anyone for you, so agree on that text before the flight lands.

## Which terminal your passenger comes out of

A passenger on a domestic flight comes out at the Domestic Terminal. One arriving from abroad comes out at the International Terminal, which has its own entrance off Interstate 75.

| | Domestic Terminal | International Terminal |
| --- | --- | --- |
| Address for your map app | 6000 North Terminal Parkway, Atlanta, GA 30320 | 2600 Maynard H. Jackson Jr. Blvd., Atlanta, GA 30354 |
| From downtown Atlanta | I-75/85 South to I-85, then signs to Domestic | I-75 to Exit 239, then signs to International |
| Where passengers come out | North or South baggage claim | The Arrivals hall, past passport control and baggage claim |

If your passenger comes out at the International Terminal but you are waiting at the Domestic Terminal, they can cross on ATL’s free shuttle. It leaves from the curb outside the International Terminal and stops at the west end of the Domestic Terminal, and the Plane Train links the two as well. ATL’s ground transportation page says the shuttle also runs from the Domestic Terminal to the International Terminal, about every 15 minutes. Our [International Terminal shuttle page](https://atlairportguide.com/transport/international-terminal-shuttle/) shows where the shuttle boards on the Domestic side.

## Free lot or hourly deck

ATL says the cell phone lot is a safe, well-lit place for a short wait while a traveler arrives. The hourly decks charge, and they put you at the terminal.

| | Cell phone lot | Domestic hourly decks | International hourly deck |
| --- | --- | --- | --- |
| Cost | Free | $50 cap for the first day, then $75 a day | $70 cap for the first day, then $100 a day |
| Where | Signed from the airport roadways | North Hourly and South Hourly, on the north and south sides of the Domestic Terminal | International Hourly, directly in front of the International Terminal |
| Shown in ATL’s live lot status | No | Yes | Yes |

The parking page prints a first-day maximum and a daily rate for each deck, and no per-hour rate, so it doesn’t say what a 30-minute stop in a deck costs. Pay for a deck if you want to be inside when your passenger comes through the doors. Otherwise the lot costs nothing.

## Getting to the cell phone lot

Permanent signs and message boards along the airport roadways point to the lot. ATL’s parking page gives these routes.

| Coming from | Route |
| --- | --- |
| I-85 North | Take the Domestic Terminal exit and turn onto Autoport Drive at the first available right. Follow the signs to the lot. |
| I-85 South | Take the Domestic Terminal exit and follow the signs to ATL West Parking/Rental Car Center. At Rental Car Center Parkway and Crosswinds Road, stay in the far-right lane and follow the signs to the lot. |
| Camp Creek Parkway | Take the Atlanta Airport exit, then follow the same signs and far-right lane as from I-85 South. |

The parking page gives routes from I-85 and Camp Creek Parkway only, with no route from the International Terminal, no opening hours, no time limit beyond “only a brief period” and no drive time to either terminal.

## After landing, what your passenger still has to do

For a domestic flight, Concourse T adjoins the Domestic Terminal. Concourses A through E are separate buildings out on the airfield, so passengers from those ride the Plane Train or walk the pedestrian walkway back before they follow signs to baggage claim.

International arrivals on Concourse E or F take more steps:

- A corridor from the aircraft leads to escalators down to the Arrivals level.
- Passengers clear passport control in the U.S. Customs and Border Protection hall.
- They collect bags in baggage claim.
- Past baggage claim, Atlanta-bound passengers turn right into the Arrivals hall.

## Where to meet your passenger

### Domestic Terminal: baggage claim, then a numbered door

North and South baggage claim sit on either side of the MARTA station at the west end of the terminal. The exit doors are numbered N1 to N7 and S1 to S6, so agree on a door number, not only a side. To wait indoors, [TGI Fridays](https://atlairportguide.com/venues/tgi-fridays-domestic-terminal/) is across from North Terminal Baggage Claim 3, daily 7:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. [Piedmont Park Travel Mart](https://atlairportguide.com/venues/piedmont-park-travel-mart/) is across from South Terminal Baggage Claim 3, daily 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. / last flight, as the airport’s map prints it.

The ground transportation page gives each commercial service its own spot, including rideshare, limousines, taxis and shuttles. It names no curb, level or time limit for a friend in a private car. The waiting rule ATL does state, on its rideshare page, bars rideshare drivers from parking and waiting at the pickup spots. It doesn’t say whether the same holds for a private car at the curb, which is one more reason to keep the long wait in the lot.

### International Terminal: the Arrivals hall

ATL’s FAQ says family and friends can wait in the Arrivals hall to meet Atlanta-bound passengers arriving aboard international flights at Concourses E and F. The ground transportation area and the passenger pickup area are just outside it. ATL’s maps page puts international passenger pickup on the lower-level outer curb, so agree on a meeting point with your passenger inside the hall. ATL’s directory lists an information desk at International Arrivals if you need to ask.

## When the plan slips

ATL’s FAQ names the airline as the best source for flight status, so check there before you leave the lot. If the bag doesn’t come out, ATL tells passengers to contact their airline, and our [baggage services page](https://atlairportguide.com/amenities/baggage-claim/) lists a bag services location on the International Terminal’s arrivals level.

If you can’t make the pickup at all, a passenger who landed at the Domestic Terminal can ride MARTA from the station between the two baggage claims. MARTA ends at the Domestic Terminal, so a passenger who landed at the International Terminal takes the free shuttle across first. The standard fare is $2.50, with up to four free transfers within three hours, and our [MARTA guide](https://atlairportguide.com/guides/marta-from-atlanta-airport-fares-stops-last-train/) has the last trains.

The other option is rideshare. At the Domestic Terminal, pickup is in the North Economy lot, about a five-minute walk from baggage claim. At the International Terminal, ATL’s ground transportation page puts rideshare pickup on the arrival-level outer curb, out door A1 or A2 and across the crosswalk, though one other line on that page says Inner Curb.

### Sources

- Our [cell phone lot page](https://atlairportguide.com/parking/cell-phone-lot/), [baggage services page](https://atlairportguide.com/amenities/baggage-claim/), [International Terminal shuttle page](https://atlairportguide.com/transport/international-terminal-shuttle/), [North Hourly](https://atlairportguide.com/parking/terminal-north-hourly/), [South Hourly](https://atlairportguide.com/parking/south-hourly/) and [International Hourly](https://atlairportguide.com/parking/international-terminal-hourly-parking/) pages
- ATL’s parking page
- ATL’s FAQ
- ATL’s ground transportation page
- ATL’s maps and directions page
- ATL’s rideshare page