$0 parking while you wait for arrivals
The Cell Phone Waiting Lot at PBI is a free short-stay lot meant for pickup drivers waiting on arriving passengers. You stay with your car, watch flight status, and roll to the Main terminal curb only after you get the “bags in hand” text. It’s marked on the airport’s official parking map as the dedicated arrivals waiting area.
This lot charges $0 per day, so you avoid starting the clock in Short-Term or Premium for a pickup that might take only 5–10 minutes at the curb. It is strictly for active waiting, not overnight parking, and it’s intended as a staging point rather than a place to leave the vehicle unattended.
Regulars in Palm Beach use the Cell Phone Waiting Lot instead of pulling into the Main terminal parking garage for quick pickups. They sit in the car with their phone, wait for the text that their group has bags from baggage claim, then drive the couple of minutes to the arrivals curb and load up. That avoids paying for a full parking interval just to sit for 20–30 minutes.
There are no published time limits listed on PBI’s site, but the airport is clear that the lot is for arrivals only and for drivers who remain with their vehicle. No trailers, no long-term parking, and no sleeping in the car. Treat it like a holding pattern: stay ready to move as soon as your passenger says they are at the curb.
Tip: Have your passenger text from baggage claim in Main once they see their bags on the carousel; that gives you just enough time to leave the lot and reach the curb without getting waved along by airport police.