Phone & Wait Lot

Free 24/7 pickup hack, 2 minutes from the Main Terminal

The Phone & Wait Lot at TYS is a free, 24-hour holding area where you sit in your car until your passenger texts from baggage claim, then drive the last 2 minutes to the Main Terminal curb. It’s signed as a “Phone & Wait Lot” on airport property and costs $0 per day, so quick pickup runs don’t touch your parking budget.

This is a driver-only option: airport rules say vehicles in the Phone & Wait Lot “may not be left unattended,” so you can’t park here and walk into the terminal to meet someone. If you want to greet at the door or walk into baggage claim, you’ll need Short Term or the garage instead of this free lot by the Hilton.

The lot sits behind the Airport Hilton on Alcoa Highway (US-129), and locals use the Hilton as the landmark so they don’t overshoot the turn. One Google reviewer called it “super handy for pickup” and liked that it’s “just a minute or two” from the terminal entrance, which lines up with the quick drive into the Main Terminal curb lanes.

Regulars pull into the Phone & Wait Lot behind the Hilton, keep an eye on their passenger’s flight in an app, and only roll toward the arrivals curb once they get the “I’m outside” text. That habit avoids any Short Term charge, since you’re never inside the paid lots and the Phone & Wait area itself stays free 24/7.

Practical tip: as you approach TYS on Alcoa Highway, look for the Airport Hilton on your right and follow the posted “Phone & Wait Lot” signs early so you don’t miss the turn and have to loop back past the Main Terminal.