The effects of operation conditions (the vibration intensity and gas flow rate) on the gas holdup in a 16.6 cm i.d. two-phase reciprocating plate column (RPC) were studied. Distilled water and aqueous solutions of carboxymethyl-cellulose of different concentration were used as the liquid phase and air as the gas phase in this investigation. The gas holdup was measured after the gas flow and the reciprocating action had been stopped. An empirical correlation which correlates the gas holdup with the specific power consumption and the superficial gas velocity showed that the aeration intensity had a greater influence on the gas holdup than the intensity of agitation. Because the gas holdup was approximately the same in RPC's of different diameters, an equation relating the gas holdup with the specific power consumption and the superficial gas velocity was derived. The correlation could be used in the scaling up of reciprocating plate columns.