Charlotte is home to one of the best airports in the country.
Why? It’s easy to navigate between concourses — no need for a shuttle. Parking is more affordable than most airports its size. And, most importantly, we have some of the shortest TSA wait times in the U.S.
Why it matters: Passenger traffic continues to rebound, and Memorial Day weekend kicks off summer travel.
By the numbers: AAA predicts 3.01 million Memorial Day weekend travelers, significantly higher than the 2.41 million travelers in 2021. For comparison, 2019 saw 3.22 million travelers.
- Last year, CLT saw more than 24,000 daily local passengers (a passenger whose trip started at CLT) and 100,000 daily connecting passengers.
- Friday was the busiest day during Memorial Day weekend at CLT between 2019-2021, a CLT spokesperson told Axios. May 24, 2019 saw approximately 33, 600 local passengers; roughly 4,500 on May 22, 2020 and around 26,100 on May 28, 2021.
Need to know: Whether it’s your first time flying or it’s just been a while, there are a few key things to know before a trip out of Charlotte Douglas International Airport.
- Airlines: CLT is an American Airlines hub, but also serves a number of other airlines, including Delta, Southwest, United, JetBlue, Frontier and Spirit.
- Location: The airport is located between Billy Graham Parkway, I-85 and I-485, so it’s accessible from Uptown in less than 15 minutes — about 6 miles west. The exact address is 5501 Josh Birmingham Pkwy.
- Hours: CLT is open 24/7, but security checkpoints are open 4am to about 9:30pm daily. The first flight out is usually around 5:30am and the last is around 10:30pm. Retailers are typically open about 6am-8pm.
- Map: There are five concourses — A, B, C, D and E — and a total of 122 gates. You can use any security checkpoint to access any gate. View the full map here.
- Construction: The airport is a work in progress, so expect possible delays and new additions upon each new visit. [Read more: Charlotte’s expanding airport]
https://charlotte.axios.com/297974/charlotte-clt-douglas-airport-food-skip-lines-guide/