--- iata: CAE name: Columbia Metropolitan Airport city: Columbia country: United States lastUpdated: '2026-09-13' officialWebsite: 'https://flycae.com/' sources: - 'https://flycae.com/' - 'https://flycae.com/before-you-fly/airlines/' - 'https://flycae.com/travel-inspo/' - 'https://flycae.com/tsa-airport-security/' - 'https://flycae.com/airport/amenities/' - 'https://flycae.com/airport/parking/' - 'https://flycae.com/airport/ground-transportation/' - 'https://flycae.com/airport/faqs/' - 'https://flycae.com/airport/terminal/' - 'https://flycae.com/about/our-team/' - 'https://flycae.com/about/airport-commission/' - >- https://flycae.com/back-to-back-record-breaking-years-cae-saw-record-breaking-passenger-traffic-in-2025/ - 'https://flycae.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/December-2025.pdf' - >- https://flycae.com/american-airlines-announces-return-of-ord-service-from-cae-beginning-may-2026/ - >- https://flycae.com/new-u-s-customs-border-protection-facility-opening-soon-at-cae/ - >- https://flycae.com/with-new-blended-lane-system-tsa-precheck-will-now-always-be-available-at-cae/ - >- https://flycae.com/chris-white-named-president-ceo-of-columbia-metropolitan-airport-2/ - 'https://flycae.com/aviation-services/' - 'https://www.airnav.com/airport/KCAE' - >- https://www.faa.gov/airports/planning_capacity/passenger_allcargo_stats/passenger/arp-cy2025-commercial-service-enplanements-preliminary.pdf - 'https://aviationdb.com/Aviation/OTP/Destination-OTP-2025.shtm' - 'https://catchthecometsc.gov/passes-fares/' - 'https://catchthecometsc.gov/routes/' - 'https://escapelounges.com/us/locations/' - 'https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Columbia_Metropolitan_Airport' - >- https://www.wistv.com/2026/04/16/allegiant-leaving-columbia-metropolitan-airport-may/ - >- https://www.wistv.com/2025/12/09/sneak-peek-wis-tours-new-lounges-checkpoint-expansion-cae/ quickFacts: - >- Official December 2025 activity PDF: **1,370,479** total passengers (enplaned **675,081** / deplaned leftover on the monthly cells). Jan 29 2026 press reprints **1,371,977** vs 2024 **1,362,374** — do not mix the press total with the PDF. FAA prelim CY 2025 enplanements **662,756** (rank **126**, +1.27% vs **654,460**) are boardings only — do not mix. Wikipedia reprints the PDF **1,370,479** / **675,081** and freight **79,232,000 lbs**. - >- Owner / operator **Richland-Lexington Airport District** (special-purpose district of South Carolina; 12 commissioners). Live commission page (13 Sep 2026): Chairwoman **Elizabeth Taylor**; Lexington **Rod Dooley**, **Tripp Jones**, **Mark Weber**, **Dawn Wetherley**; Richland **Chappelle Broome-Stevenson**, **LaJoia Broughton**, **Duane Cooper**, **Johnny Folsom**, **Anton Gunn**; City cards still print **Mayor Stephen K. Benjamin** and **Curtis Dayson**. 2024 leftover docs still call **Anton Gunn** Chair — leftover. President & CEO / AirNav manager **Chris White, A.A.E.** (effective **5 Jan 2026**). VP Finance **Gregg Hornsby** (AirNav leftover still lists him as interim CEO). VP Marketing & Air Service **Kim Jamieson Crafton**. VP Facilities and Planning **Frank Murray**. VP Operations and Aviation Services **Ryan Kreulen, A.A.E.**, **803-822-7815**. Terminal / admin **3250 Airport Blvd, Suite 10, West Columbia, SC 29170**. Switchboard **803-822-5000**. AirNav manager line **803-822-5078**. Ops / PPR **803-822-5050**. FAQ leftover info@columbiaairport.com. Civil passenger terminal. Historical Lexington County Airport / Columbia Army Air Base names are gone as passenger branding; IATA stays **CAE**. **Do not create a second airport for KCAE or a Columbia AAB / McEntire JNGB page.** **Do not merge CHS, GSP, CLT, or CUB (Owens Field).** - >- One civil building, official terminal page: **single concourse**. Official TSA page: checkpoint **3:45 a.m.–8:00 p.m. daily**. Official TSA / homepage: arrive **2 hours** domestic / **3 hours** international leftover; same TSA page also prints **90 minutes to two hours** for domestic. Live official airlines page (13 Sep 2026), **three** names: **American, Delta, United**. **Do not invent Allegiant, Spirit, Southwest, jetBlue, Frontier, or Alaska as live.** Allegiant’s last CAE day was **4 May 2026**. Spirit exited in **2025**. **No scheduled international passenger airline.** - >- **No passenger lounge.** Official dining / amenities / FAQ / maps have no paid club. Live Escape Lounges US list does **not** include CAE. Aggregator **“The Club CAE / Escape CAE / Priority Pass Business Center / $25 LoungePair” is fiction.** The airside Business Center and the Nov 2025 free seating rooms are public rooms. USO is military. Empty `lounges: []`. **Do not seed a placeholder lounge row.** - >- `lib/airports.json`: IATA **CAE**, ICAO **KCAE**, 33.940358, −81.12075, America/New_York. AirNav elev **235.9 ft**, 5 mi SW of Columbia; 33.9388381, −81.1195356; ZIP **29170**. Wikipedia / FAA **2,600 acres**. AirNav RWY **11/29 8,601×150**, **5/23 8,001×150** (RWY 5 displaced **1,000 ft**), helipad **H1 50×50**. ARFF Index **B**. ATCT continuous. Customs landing-rights / new ~**8,000 sq ft** CBP FIS (ribbon **31 Jul 2026**, press “first weeks of August”). Official aviation-services card: customs **24/7 upon request** for cargo and business aviation — **not** a scheduled international passenger airline. bentoTips: - label: Timing title: 'Arrive 2 hours — TSA 3:45 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.' detail: >- Official pages show a wait-time widget but do not print a standing numeric tile in the HTML. American.com leftover counter 3:30 a.m.–8:00 p.m.; Delta 3:45 a.m.–8:00 p.m.; United 4:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. FAQ leftover Delta to 7:00 p.m. / United 4:30 a.m. is leftover. Experience CAE Guest Pass is 4:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. and cannot use PreCheck. summary: >- Official TSA page: checkpoint 3:45 a.m.–8:00 p.m. daily. Official clock is 2 hours domestic / 3 hours international leftover; the same page also prints 90 minutes to two hours. category: timing - label: Layout title: 'One concourse, one TSA, no second building' detail: >- Checkpoint modernization finished November 2025 (official SCAA award). WIS leftover: about $10 million, two added lanes, free seating rooms and an outdoor patio past TSA. July 2022 Commons interiors are pre-expansion. IATA is CAE — do not look for KCAE, CUB, or an Army Air Base hall. summary: >- Official terminal page: easy single-concourse civil building. Ticketing up; bags and rentals down. Official pages do not print a live gate-to-airline map. category: terminal - label: Food title: Eat after TSA — Runway Food Court is the named kitchen detail: >- Official pages do not print airside clock hours or a bottle price. Friendly Caterer To-Go phone orders 7:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. at 803-822-0015. Dining questions 803-822-5906. Paradies shops sit on both sides of TSA. summary: >- Official amenities: Runway Food Court past TSA (Jimmy John’s, Samuel Adams Columbia Brewhouse, Dunkin’). Red Eye Express is just past TSA. Landside is Friendly Caterer To-Go in the Grand Hall. category: food - label: Live checks title: Three airlines; no lounge; Surface Lot $12 detail: >- American ORD restart was 21 May 2026 (two daily E170s on the January press card). Miami is stamped seasonal. Allegiant left 4 May 2026. Homepage CBP card still says Opening Soon — the 31 Jul 2026 ribbon said first weeks of August for cargo / GA, not a scheduled international passenger airline. summary: >- Live official carriers are American, Delta, and United. Official pages have no club. Drive-up Surface Lot is $12/day; garage $17; valet $25. category: status lounges: [] waterOptions: - kind: purchase name: Runway Food Court bottled water zone: airside price: posted register price summary: >- Official named airside kitchen. Official pages do not print a bottle price or map a filler. Best purchase once you are through screening. location: >- Official amenities card — Jimmy John’s, Samuel Adams Columbia Brewhouse, and Dunkin’ beyond the checkpoint terminal: 'Main Terminal, airside' isBestValue: true isBestQuality: true - kind: purchase name: Red Eye Express bottled water zone: airside price: posted register price summary: >- Official named airside coffee. Official pages do not print a bottle price or clock hours. location: Official amenities card — coffee counter just past TSA terminal: 'Main Terminal, airside' - kind: purchase name: Friendly Caterer To-Go & Paradies bottled water zone: landside price: posted register price summary: >- Landside purchase before TSA. Friendly Caterer phone orders 7:00 a.m.–7:00 p.m. at 803-822-0015. Official pages do not map a landside filler. location: >- Official amenities card — Friendly Caterer To-Go in the Grand Hall before TSA; Paradies shops on both sides of the checkpoint terminal: 'Main Terminal, landside' airportistScore: 7 slug: cae region: North America --- > Markdown for [/airports/cae](/airports/cae). Append `.md` to any page URL (or send `Accept: text/markdown`) for an agent-readable copy. - [HTML page](/airports/cae) - [Lounge directory](/airports/cae/lounges.md) - [Sitemap](/sitemap.md) # Columbia Metropolitan Airport (CAE) Columbia, United States · North America A small single-concourse Midlands field that is easy once you respect the 3:45 a.m.–8:00 p.m. TSA clock — three hub airlines, no lounge, and $12 surface parking after Allegiant left in May 2026. ## Airportist Score **7.0 / 10** Weighted sum of the six published categories (no holistic fudge). - Ease of use (25%): 8.5 — Wayfinding, security wait, and layout. - Comfort & amenities (20%): 7.4 — Seating, Wi-Fi, cleanliness, and quiet. - Food & retail (15%): 7.0 — Food and retail quality and variety. - Ground access (15%): 7.2 — Transit, taxi, and parking to the city. - Reliability (15%): 7.0 — Delays, cancellations, and weather resilience. - Lounges (10%): 2.0 — Worth-it density and access quality. ## At a glance - Passengers: 1,370,479 - Terminals: 1 - Typical security: 15 min - On-time: 74% - Disruption: minor ## Best for - Columbia and Midlands travelers who would otherwise drive to CLT or CHS - American, Delta, or United hub connections from one concourse - Drivers who will use the $12 Surface Lot or pre-book the garage ## Watch out for - Official TSA clock is 2 hours / checkpoint closes 8:00 p.m. — not a 24-hour lane - No passenger lounge — the Business Center and Nov 2025 rooms are free public space, not Priority Pass - Official CAE pages do not print The COMET Route 91 number or $2 fare ## More intel - [Lounge directory](/airports/cae/lounges.md) (free) - [Getting there](/airports/cae/getting-there.md) (free) - [Amenities](/airports/cae/amenities.md) - [Traveler tips](/airports/cae/tips.md) - [Water](/airports/cae/water.md) - [Full guide](/airports/cae/guide.md) - [Disruptions](/airports/cae/disruptions.md) - [Reviews](/airports/cae/reviews.md) (free)