Columbus, Ohio · Chauffeured airport transfers
Columbus Airport (CMH) Car Service & Chauffeured Transportation
Level one for arrivals, level two for departures, and a permitted car at both.
John Glenn Columbus International is the busiest field in Ohio’s capital and it runs its terminal front accordingly: commercial vehicles work under permit, and nobody leaves a car waiting outside. Executive Transportation drives it as a booked, prearranged transfer, terminal or FBO, with a uniformed chauffeur at your door first.
- 2004Chauffeured since
- 24/7Dispatch line
- Two FBOsOn the field here
- One quoteCovers the vehicle
Why riders book Executive Transportation
Chauffeured since 2004Dispatch answers at any hourUniformed chauffeursSedans through 35-passenger coaches
Know the airport
What to know about John Glenn Columbus International
John Glenn Columbus International Airport, code CMH, splits its terminal by level: arrivals and the ground transportation area on level one, departures above. Each concourse has its own security checkpoint, which changes where you can meet somebody. Private and charter flights use the general aviation side, where two fixed base operators work the field.
Arrivals are level one, and so is the ground transportation area
The airport is precise about the walk out. It tells rideshare passengers to go to the arrivals level, level one of the terminal, cross the Arrivals drive to the ground transportation area, and stand between the columns to the right. Taxis work the same ground transportation level. Knowing that before you land saves the lap of the building that everybody else does.
Nobody leaves a car waiting outside the terminal
Columbus states that parking is not permitted outside the terminal doors, that cars are subject to tickets or tow, and that vehicle owners must remain with their vehicles at all times. A booked transfer satisfies that by design: the vehicle sits where the airport puts ground transportation while your chauffeur meets you inside at baggage claim, which a relative circling in a family car cannot manage.
Meeting somebody inside is allowed, in two places
The airport says visitors can greet passengers outside the security checkpoint for each concourse, or down in baggage claim. There is a food court near Concourse B if a flight is running late and somebody is genuinely waiting rather than circling.
Commercial vehicles here work under permit
Columbus permits its ground transportation operators rather than letting anybody pull up: yearly permits open on November 1, expire on December 31 of the year issued, and an operator without one needs a temporary permit with a fee per vehicle. It is worth booking a company that already works the airport rather than finding out at the terminal door.
Terminal level, pickup, permit and parking details checked on the Columbus Regional Airport Authority’s own site, flycolumbus.com, on September 17, 2026. The authority revises these pages, so confirm anything time sensitive before you travel.
CMH airport transportation
Departures and arrivals at Columbus
Upstairs on the way out, level one and across the Arrivals drive on the way back in.
Departures
Your door to the CMH departures level
- Give us the flightThe carrier, the number on the ticket and the scheduled departure time. Each concourse has its own checkpoint here, so the airline is the detail that matters on the drop.
- The pickup time works back from your departureThe drop time is your airline’s own arrival window, then the run itself, then a cushion. This is the far edge of the radius we drive, so the cushion is generous by design.
- Bags at your doorThe chauffeur has the trunk open and the cases loaded before you reach it, at home, at an office or under a hotel portico.
- Departures level, and awayColumbus does not allow cars to park at the terminal doors and asks that nobody leaves a vehicle. You are dropped at your airline’s door, the bags come out, you go in, and the car moves. That is the whole transaction the airport wants at the front of the building.
Arrivals
Level one back to your door
- The inbound flight goes on the reservationThe booking needs the flight number and the scheduled arrival, and a call if either changes. Somebody answers the phone at any hour, which is what an inbound from the West Coast needs.
- Claim your bags on level oneBaggage claim is downstairs from the concourses, and the airport allows greeters to meet you there, which is where your chauffeur is standing with your name.
- Walk out together to the ground transportation areaThe airport sends passengers out on the arrivals level, across the Arrivals drive, to the ground transportation area. Your chauffeur takes the bags at the carousel and walks you across, so you are not reading column numbers with a bag in each hand.
- Straight into the vehicleNobody is parked and waiting at the terminal doors, because the airport does not allow it. The car is positioned where ground transportation belongs and the chauffeur walks you to it.
Private jets and charter
Private jet and charter flights at John Glenn Columbus International
Columbus carries a great deal of corporate and fractional flying, and two fixed base operators share the field to handle it. Executive Transportation drives that side of the airport with the same vehicles and the same uniformed chauffeurs as the terminal work.
- 01
Pickup at the FBO door
Name the operator on the booking and the car waits at that entrance. There are two on this field, so the tail number and the FBO save the phone call you would otherwise make on the ramp.
- 02
Luggage loaded plane-side
Where the operator and the ramp allow it, the bags go between the aircraft and the trunk with nobody carrying anything. Where they do not, it happens at the FBO door with the car already there.
- 03
Hotel for the crew, meeting for the cabin
The crew is going to a hotel and the passengers to a meeting, and both usually leave inside the same twenty minutes. Both ride on a single reservation, in one vehicle or two.
- 04
A Sprinter for the delegation
A board flying in together, or a group whose luggage will not fit two SUVs, takes one Sprinter with a stand-up aisle. Beyond that it is a coach, and the quote still covers the vehicle.
Where general aviation runs at CMH
- Lane Aviation4389 Intl. Gateway, Columbus, Ohio 43219The airport says Lane has been serving CMH since 1935, with line service and fueling, parts and maintenance, and Customs clearance. Its ground support line is answered around the clock.
- Signature Aviation4130 E 5th Avenue, Columbus, Ohio 43219The other operator the airport names. Signature says the Columbus facility is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week, which is what a late charter needs from the ramp.
Put the tail number, the operator and the scheduled arrival on the booking, and call dispatch if anything shifts. Somebody is on the dispatch line whatever time the slot lands. We prefer 72 hours’ notice, but call anytime. Short-notice trips depend on availability.
Executive Transportation is a ground transportation company. We drive to the aircraft, we do not charter it.
Request a QuoteCall (217) 523-5466Private jet shuttle
Why be driven
Four reasons to be driven to CMH
Columbus is the longest airport run on our board, which changes what a chauffeur is worth. Almost none of the value is at the terminal, and almost all of it is before you get there.
A number that covers the car
The vehicle and chauffeur are quoted by the hour, with the minimum stated up front, and a coordinator builds the hours around the weather and traffic a run this long meets. Six colleagues on one flight divide a single figure instead of buying six seats.
A permitted operator, met at baggage claim
Columbus permits its ground transportation companies and does not allow cars to wait at the terminal doors. A booked transfer parks where the airport puts ground transportation, and the chauffeur meets you inside.
The longest leg becomes the most useful
This is a full working day of driving if you do it yourself. In the back of a sedan it is a day of calls, reading and sleep, and you arrive able to work.
Uniformed chauffeurs since 2004
Executive Transportation has been running long-distance airport work since 2004. Chauffeurs arrive uniformed and early, and they confirm the spot with you before you come out of the building.
We prefer 72 hours’ notice, but call anytime. Short-notice trips depend on availability.
The fleet
Fleet for this run
Every Columbus transfer is quoted by the hour for the whole vehicle. On a leg this long the comfort of the vehicle matters more than it does on a short one, so tell a coordinator the headcount and the bag count.
Executive Sedan
One or two travelers with carry-ons, and a quiet back seat for the whole way out.
View vehicle
Luxury SUV
Five or six people with checked bags and cases, with room to spread out on a long leg.
View vehicle
Sprinter Van
Fourteen seats, standing room while the luggage goes in, and one quote for the vehicle rather than a seat each.
View vehicle
Groups of 15 to 35
Conference groups, training cohorts and association boards. Shuttle coaches seat 22 to 35, limousine coaches 25 to 30.
Shuttle CoachLimousine CoachA uniformed chauffeur is part of the booking, whichever of these goes out. A stretch limousine seats 8 to 10 when the arrival at the other end is meant to be seen.
See the full fleetRequest a QuoteCities we connect to CMH
Where our Columbus runs start
Columbus sits at the outer edge of the radius Executive Transportation drives, so this list is deliberately short. Champaign-Urbana is the origin that falls comfortably inside the window, and it is where most of our CMH work starts.
Everywhere else we serve is quoted on request rather than listed here, because a run this long deserves a real conversation about the departure time rather than a figure on a card. Give dispatch the flight and the pickup address and a coordinator will price it.
A calibrated clear-road figure, checked against Travelmath. Treat it as the floor. Danville and the eastern edge of our territory sit closer still, and everywhere else is quoted by the hour on request.
Wherever the run begins, the quote is written for the vehicle.
Park or be driven
Park at Columbus, or be driven to it
Columbus publishes its rates by the 24-hour period, which makes the arithmetic of a week away unusually easy to do in your head. The mileage to get there is the bigger number.
- Cheapest official lot$9Per 24-hour period in the Green Lot, which also carries a one-hour grace period at no charge.
- Terminal Garage$24Per 24-hour period on the long-term levels, or $30 for the short-term levels and for valet.
- The drive itself$474.24A Champaign-Urbana round trip of 624 miles at the IRS business rate of 76 cents a mile, before anything is parked.
Five days in the Green Lot on top of that mileage is about $519, and none of it counts the ten hours of driving. See what shapes an hourly quote.
Get a quote for the whole vehicleParking rates from flycolumbus.com, checked September 17, 2026. The drive figure applies the irs.gov business rate, 76 cents a mile from July 1 to December 31, 2026, to the Champaign-Urbana round trip. A Columbus transfer is quoted by the hour with the minimum stated up front, so the figure for your run comes from a coordinator.
Book your CMH transfer
Book Columbus with a uniformed chauffeur.
Hand a coordinator the flight, the pickup address and the headcount. They set the vehicle, name the chauffeur and fix the time, and the price is written for the car rather than the seats.
(217) 523-5466We prefer 72 hours’ notice, but call anytime. Short-notice trips depend on availability.
Airport to airport
Popular transfers between Columbus and other airports
Three Ohio and Indiana fields sit inside an easy drive of Columbus, which makes the fare comparison worth doing. When the onward flight leaves from one of them, we drive the gap in one vehicle.
Each card is the drive between Columbus and the airport named, in either direction. Put both flight numbers and both scheduled times on the booking, and phone dispatch when either one changes.
Clear-road figures. Treat them as the floor and give dispatch the connection, not the drive.
Both fields sit on a single booking, and the quote is for the vehicle.
What riders say
Three riders, three different runs
Executive Transportation saved the day after another bus company fell through last minute.
The scheduling process was seamless, and the timely pickup from Bloomington airport made my journey stress-free.
Our group of 7 needed a ride from Chicago O’Hare to Springfield. The vehicle was clean and comfortable.
A Columbus run is usually booked because the whole party needs to arrive together and on time: a board, a conference block or a state association meeting. Corporate airport transfers can be booked for one date or for a whole season of them.
Agency staff and visiting delegations book their Columbus runs through our government travel service.
Columbus questions
What people ask before booking a CMH car
The answers below use the Columbus Regional Airport Authority’s own published guidance, checked on flycolumbus.com in September 2026, plus the calibrated drive time we quote from.
How far ahead should I book a car service to Columbus?
Executive Transportation prefers 72 hours’ notice for a Columbus transfer, and closer to a week when the party needs a coach. This is the longest run on our board, so the earlier the better: give a coordinator the flight, the address and how many are riding, and the vehicle is held.
Call (217) 523-5466 or request a quote.
Where does the chauffeur meet you at John Glenn Columbus International?
Executive Transportation meets arriving passengers inside at baggage claim, takes the luggage, and walks you out. The airport sends passengers to the arrivals level, level one of the terminal, across the Arrivals drive to the ground transportation area, and that is where the vehicle waits, so nobody is counting columns with luggage.
See how airport transportation works.
Can a car wait for me outside the terminal at Columbus?
No. The airport states that parking is not permitted outside the terminal doors, that cars are subject to tickets or tow, and that vehicle owners must remain with their vehicles at all times. It offers a cell phone lot instead, or the Green Lot with a one-hour grace period, which is why a booked transfer with the chauffeur inside at baggage claim is simpler.
Book a prearranged pickup at (217) 523-5466 instead.
What happens if my flight into Columbus is late?
Executive Transportation wants that call the moment the airline tells you. Your booking pins the vehicle to the flight number and scheduled arrival you gave us, not to a board we watch, so a call is what shifts it. Somebody answers 24 hours a day, which is the only useful kind of dispatch line.
Call (217) 523-5466 to move a booked pickup.
How is the price for a Columbus car service set?
Executive Transportation quotes a Columbus run by the hour, vehicle and chauffeur as one figure, with the minimum hours written into the quote up front. The length of the run sets most of the hours, then the pickup time and whether the return leg goes on the same booking, and the vehicle class sets the rate. One quote covers the whole vehicle, so six people split it rather than buying six seats.
Request a Quote with your dates.
Which vehicle should a group book for Columbus?
Executive Transportation runs executive sedans for two to three passengers, luxury SUVs for five to six, Sprinter vans for fourteen and coaches for parties up to thirty-five. On the longest run we drive, comfort and luggage room matter more than headcount, so tell a coordinator both.
Compare the full fleet.
Do you pick up from private jets and charter flights at Columbus?
Executive Transportation drives the general aviation side of John Glenn Columbus International as well as the terminal. Two fixed base operators work the field, Lane Aviation and Signature Aviation, so name yours on the booking and the car waits at that door. The flight crew and the cabin travel on a single reservation.
Send the tail number when you book the chauffeur.
Do car services need a permit to pick up at Columbus?
They do. The airport authority permits its commercial ground transportation operators, opens yearly applications on November 1, expires every permit on December 31 of the year issued, and charges a temporary permit fee per vehicle for anybody without one. Book a company that already works the airport.
Ask a coordinator anything before you book, at (217) 523-5466.
Keep reading
More on Columbus and the fields around it
Reading on cost and group logistics, plus the fields and services near this one.
From the blog
Cost and logistics reading for a long haul.
- How Much Does a Car Service Cost? A Booking GuideHow a per-trip number gets built for a long run.
- Conference Transportation: An Event Planner’s PlaybookMoving a board or a cohort without losing anybody.
- How Much Does a Charter Bus Cost in Illinois?The cost of a coach once a Sprinter stops being big enough.
- Indianapolis Airport Parking Cost vs. Being DrivenThe parking arithmetic worked out at a nearer hub.
Airports near CMH
When the fare is better an hour or two away.
- DAYDayton InternationalWest on I-70, and the shortest hop from here.
- CVGCincinnati/Northern KentuckySouthwest, on the river.
- FWAFort Wayne InternationalNorthwest into Indiana.
- INDIndianapolis InternationalThe hub most of our eastbound work uses.
- SPIAbraham Lincoln CapitalSpringfield, Illinois, at the other end of the run.
Service and corporate
The services a Columbus booking sits inside.
Book the ride
Request your CMH ride
Three things riders tell us made the difference on a Columbus run.
The long leg, one written figure
The vehicle and chauffeur are quoted by the hour, with the minimum stated in the quote, and the hours allow for weather on a long leg. Six travelers divide one figure.
A permitted car, met at baggage claim
Columbus does not allow cars to wait at the terminal doors and permits its ground transportation operators. A booked transfer meets you inside and walks you to where the airport puts them.
Dispatch answers day and night
The longest runs start earliest and finish latest, and somebody picks up the phone at either end of them.
Photo credits
- The departures level ticketing hall at John Glenn Columbus International Airport, via Wikimedia Commons. Photo by Analogue Kid, CC BY-SA 4.0, source.