Red Long-Term Lot

$11 per day gets you the middle-ground Red Long-Term Lot

At CMH, the Red Long-Term Lot runs $11 per 24 hours, sitting between the cheaper Green economy lot and the more expensive long-term garage. It’s an on-airport economy option with a shuttle loop of about 15–18 minutes, so you get real savings versus the garage without driving all the way out to Green. If you care about price but still want something closer in, this is the sweet spot.

Shuttles run to Terminal T on the same loop that serves Blue and Green, but Red is physically closer than Green, which usually means a slightly shorter ride back to your car. Official guidance pegs the loop at around 15 minutes, though late at night some travelers report longer waits similar to Green. Build in an extra 20–25 minutes from locking your car in Red to walking into the T terminal.

CMH’s parking page calls out EV charging in the Red lot, a perk not listed for Green, and locals with electric cars plan around that. Regulars try to park as close as possible to the chargers so they can plug in immediately and come back to a full battery after a 3–4 day trip. If you drive an EV and don’t want off-airport hassle, Red is the on-site option that makes sense.

On busy weekends, especially around OSU football games and holidays, travelers say Red can fill and force a retreat to Green after you’ve already driven in and circled. Regulars now check the roadside electronic signs first and “target Red, fall back to Green” rather than commit to the farther lot. One practical move: if you’re leaving on a peak Friday, have a Plan B in mind before you pass the Red/Green decision point.

Tip: for trips under about 4 days, most locals use Red as their default, then switch to Green for true week-long parking to squeeze every dollar. If your return flight lands late, add 10–15 minutes buffer for a possible slower shuttle pickup from Red back to your car.