Columbia airport (CAE)

Columbia Metropolitan Airport, opened in 1940, is one of the busiest in South Carolina and serves Lexington County. It mostly operates with domestic flights.

Official Website: columbiaairport.com
Number of Terminals - 1 - Open 24 hours a day.
Annual passenger traffic: 1.1 million passengers went through it in 2017.
Tel: +1 803 822 5000. E-mail: info@flycae.com. Information desk on the upper level, available from 6:30 am to 10:30 pm.

 Location

The airport is located in West Columbia, 8 km (5 miles) southwest from the city centre.

What services does Columbia airport (CAE) facilities include

The airport has ATMs and Wi-Fi access free of charge. On the lower level there is a business center with a conference room, internet, fax and photocopiers. The USO Lounge is located in the atrium of the terminal and opens Mondays through Fridays between 8:00 am and 9:00 pm and weekends from 8:00 am to 8:00 pm; it offers food and beverages, TV, entertainment, plugs for electronic devices, fax, computers, printers, air conditioning (accessible for military and their families).

Food and Drinks- There are restaurants both before and after the security checkpoint.
Shopping- Souvenirs stands, books, sweets, newsagents.
Baggage- Porter service available next to the terminal entrances. For enquiries about lost property, call the central information desk (Tel +1 803 822 5000) between 8:00 am and 9:00 pm.
Other Services- Chapel.

Public and private transportation

Bus - Route 28 from The Comet (Tel +1 803 255 7100) departs from Midlands Technical College, located close to the airport, to the city centre. It operates from Monday to Friday between 5:55 am and 7:55 pm and Saturdays from 9:55 am to 5:55 pm. Journey time is 30 minutes and the fare is USD1.50. More information

Taxi - Metered cabs available outside the baggage reclaim area, on the lower level. The trip to Fort Jackson has a fixed fare of USD32.00 and to McCrady Training Center it is USD49.00, and the trip to the city centre takes around 20 minutes.

Car rental agencies

There are car rental counters in the baggage reclaim hall.

Alamo/National (Tel +1 803 822 5180 - 8:00 am to 0:00 am)
Avis (Tel +1 803 822 5100 - Mondays through Fridays from 7:00 am to 0:30 am, Saturday from 8:00 am to 11:00 pm, Sunday from 8:00 am to 0:30 am)
Budget (Tel +1 803 822 8346 - Mondays through Fridays from 7:00 am to 0:30 am, Saturday from 8:00 am to 11:00 pm, Sunday from 8:00 am to 0:30 am)
Dollar/Thrifty (Tel +1 803 822 2300 / 217 0270 - Sunday to Friday from 7:00 am to 0:00 am, Saturday from 7:00 am to 11:00 pm)
Enterprise (Tel +1 803 822 2262 - 8:00 am to 0:00 am)
Hertz (Tel +1 803 926 5297 - Sunday to Friday from 7:00 am to 0:30 am, Saturday from 7:00 am to 0:00 am)

Parking services at Columbia airport (CAE)

Short- and long-term parking in front of the terminal, open 24 hours a day. Valet parking service on the upper level, next to the boarding gates. There is also a passenger pick-up zone (Cell Phone Lot) next to the access road. More information: Tel +1 803 822 8474. Rates

Garage - Multi-storey facility with covered spaces. The first 20 minutes are free.
Surface Lot - Outdoor area.
Premier Parking - Premium bays adjacent to the main building.

Facilities for passengers with special needs

Ramps, lifts, reserved parking spaces and Braille signage are available. Passengers requiring special assistance should notify their airline about their particular needs in advance.