By Tony Moore
A map of the planned new pick-up area at Brisbane Domestic Airport.
Motorists arriving at Brisbane Airport's domestic terminal will soon get 20 minutes of free parking in a new short-term car park to wait and pick up passengers.
The aim is to take people arriving to collect family and friends out of the current pick-up zone and free up the space for drop-offs only.
Currently, people have just two minutes to drop off or collect passengers from the front of the domestic terminal.
The new plan - to take the congestion from the pick-up and drop-off zones in front of the domestic terminal - was confirmed by Brisbane Airport Corporation this week.
The new car park for public pick-ups is now being built beside the new long-term car park, about a seven-minute walk to the domestic terminal.
It has 221 car spaces and will be open from mid-September.
It is probably a fairly long walk, especially for the elderly people.
When the new area opens, the existing drop-off and pick-up road near the domestic terminal will become a drop-off-only zone.
Park Ridge father Denis Glacken, waiting in his car in the crowded "pick-up" road in front of the terminal to collect his wife, Christine, said he couldn't wait for the change.
He said the existing situation was awkward when incoming flights were delayed.
Travellers wait to be picked up at Brisbane Domestic Airport.Credit: Tony Moore
"My wife is running late now," Mr Glacken said.
"I am getting nervous with the guy [staff member] walking backwards and forwards watching me.
"I've been here about 10 minutes. He's walked past me a couple of times and I'm waiting for him to push me, but not yet.
"And this facility here, I thought it was going to be a lot bigger, with a lot more area where you can park."
Denis Glacken said the 20 minutes allotted for the new free parking area was a reasonable time.
"If the flights are on time, yes," Mr Glacken said.
"If so, 20 minutes should be fine.
"It is probably a fairly long walk, especially for the elderly people.
"I am just wondering how they might get those people across, that's going to be the interesting one."
A Brisbane Airport Corporation leaflet says when the new car park is open, most people will no longer be allowed to pick up passengers from the existing area, but an exception will be made for drivers collecting people with mobility limitations.
When Brisbane Airport Corporation first opened the new grid of roads - separating taxis from limousines and from commuters - commuters expected extra room to drop-off and collect.
Brisbane Airport Corporation faced criticism that it had not allowed enough room for commuters.
Acting CEO Tim Rothwell said he was confident the new setup would be popular.
"It will be a separate pick-up area where people can arrange to meet their families," Mr Rothwell said.
"So people will walk across the Skywalk, to the car park down to that location, where they will have 20 minutes [of] free parking," he said.
Mr Rothwell said he did not think the walk was too far for commuters.
"It's not a long way away, it's a relatively short walk and it will mean those people can wait without breaching regulations for their family and friends."
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