Airports are a necessary evil. I try to spend as little time in them as possible when flying, and I try to waste as little time as possible near them when picking up or dropping off somebody. It’s a pain. That’s why I was thrilled to read about some sanity at the Minneapolis-St. Paul airport. From the article:

By Thanksgiving, drivers can park on a lot on airport grounds, free of charge, until they get a call from their visitor, on the ground and waiting for pickup.

Brilliant! The existing design forced cars into an automotive holding pattern, circling a mile-long loop until the arriving party was ready to be picked up. There was nowhere to park, and idling at the baggage-claim doors for more than a few seconds produced quick rebukes from the airport police. The loop was a huge waste of fuel, and the extra traffic of people circling about made for irksome congestion.

The new system sounds wonderful. No more mindless looping. No more fumbling with cell phones while driving. No more well-intentioned-but-very-annoying reminders that “the white zone is for immediate loading and unloading of passengers only.”

I applaud the airport commission for a move that makes tremendous sense.