Charlotte airport expects long lines for Labor Day. Here’s what you need to know
Despite a surge in COVID-19 cases locally and across the country, Charlotte Douglas International Airport is expecting Labor Day weekend to bring crowds in a busy wrap-up to the summer travel season.
The airport expects to see more than 200,000 passengers traveling to, from and through CLT over Labor Day weekend.
Earlier this week, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention issued a warning asking unvaccinated people to avoid traveling during Labor Day weekend. And local doctors echoed that recommendation Thursday, issuing a dire warning that Charlotte-area hospitals are filling up.
Still, thousands of people are scheduled to fly through the Charlotte airport this weekend.
The biggest crowds of local customers traveling from Charlotte are expected on Friday, with around 27,800 people, and Monday, with more than 24,000 travelers.
That’s a little short of pre-pandemic Labor Day numbers, when Charlotte saw between 28,000 and 31,000 daily local customers flying out of CLT.
Passengers may see longer lines at security checkpoints and stores in the airport due to labor shortages, according to the airport.
CLT recommends passengers arrive at the airport three hours before their departure time. Masks are required at the airport, regardless of vaccination status.
And passengers can book parking online to save time and get a discounted rate.
Pandemic air travel
Passenger traffic at the Charlotte airport took a deep dive early last year as the coronavirus pandemic hit North Carolina.
Now, airport traffic is back to nearly pre-pandemic levels, according to airport officials.
In fact, in July — the most recent month of passenger data available — passengers boarding planes at the Charlotte airport surpassed 2019 levels for the first time since the pandemic hit NC early last year.
More than 2.2 million people boarded planes at CLT in July this year, compared to just under 2.2 million in 2019.
And the Charlotte airport was the third busiest airport in North America for most of 2021, according to OAG, a flight data website.
What’s more, CLT has ranked in the top five busiest airports worldwide in number of flights for most of the year, according to flight statistics website Information Design.
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