Waiting area coming soon to Spokane airport

Spokane may soon have its own free waiting area at Spokane International Airport.

The lot, where people can park for free and wait for arriving passengers to call them by cell phone, is in the works, although a particular location has yet to be selected, said airport spokesman Todd Woodard.

The idea is to prevent circling vehicles.

“It’s a frustrating thing for a lot of people. That’s why we set up the metered lots,” Woodard said.

But with hourlong limits, those meters are often full.

Mention of a cell phone lot at SeaTac Airport in last week’s Getting There column generated a lot of positive feedback from readers eager to see one here.

“For those of us who go often to the airport to pick up traveling husbands (or wives) or visiting family this would be such a help,” wrote Linda Jensen in an e-mail. “We can no longer idle outside baggage claim so it’s the endless driving around and around.”

Many readers offered suggestions about where a cell phone waiting area could be located.

Lisa Hussey suggested using a portion of the parking lot near the new terminal.

“There are never enough cars there,” Hussey said.

And Brian Jones said that many people already unofficially use the Ramada Inn’s parking lot to wait for arriving passengers.

Woodard said there are multiple locations under consideration. He added that it’s important that the lot be close, but not “too” close. If it were, people might leave their vehicles there and walk into the terminal.

SeaTac Airport Media Officer Bob Parker said drivers haven’t been abusing the rules at their 15-space cell phone waiting area, in part because it’s not within walking distance. It’s just a two-minute drive to baggage claim.

Up, up and away

Spokane International Airport business increased dramatically in 2004.

Almost 140,000 more people flew in or out of the airport than did in 2003 — an increase of 10 percent.

Southwest had the most passengers, followed by Horizon and Alaska.

Clean air award

The Spokane County Air Pollution Control Authority gave Avista Corporation the 2005 Clean Air Award for upgrading its equipment and for helping low-income Spokane residents improve their vehicle emissions.

Avista partnered with SCAPCA, the Department of Ecology, Spokane Neighborhood Action Programs and local auto shops to give low-income residents whose vehicles failed the state emissions test up to $500 in repairs or a subsidy to help them replace their vehicles with ones meeting the emission standards.

In three years the program has fixed or replaced almost 700 vehicles and, according to SCAPCA estimates, reduced pollution by 190 tons.

Xtreme road clearing

The Washington State Department of Transportation Incident Response Team unveiled its new IRxtreme truck last week near Snoqualmie Pass.

Though it doesn’t look too impressive, the high-powered truck has enough juice to push stalled semis out of the way and keep traffic flowing.

Road rage quiz

Ever wonder if it’s not the other drivers who are the menace? Maybe it’s you?

Dr. Driving, a Hawaii-based pair of driving behavior analysts, has just the quiz for you.

With just 10 short questions the test will rate you on a scale ranging from driving saint to someone who needs some serious medication and should never get behind the wheel. You can find the quiz at http://webhome.idirect.com/ ~kehamilt/rage.htm.

Too good to be true

There’s an e-mail making the rounds in which the author claims to have discovered a new way to rescue keys you’ve locked in your car.

The e-mail says that if you have a remote locking system, all you have to do is call someone at home on your cell phone and then get them to press the unlock button on your spare set while you hold your phone up to the car.

Ever hopeful, but also skeptical, Getting There decided to try this do-it-yourself OnStar technique. It didn’t work.

If you lock your keys in the car a lot, you’re better off with OnStar, a AAA membership or an understanding family member.