Here’s what you can expect at the Charlotte airport over peak Christmas travel time
The Charlotte Douglas International Airport will see thousands of holiday travelers over the next two weeks.
And that could mean long lines and crowded security checkpoints for passengers.
End-of-year travel this year is expected to hit nearly pre-pandemic levels, with 1.4 million passengers flying out of CLT between Friday Dec. 17 and Jan. 7, airport officials said Friday.
That’s a huge increase from the 943,000 passengers departing the Charlotte airport during that time last year.
In 2019, before the pandemic hit North Carolina, the airport saw a record-breaking 1.6 million departing passengers during the same holiday period.
The airport’s busiest days of the next three weeks are expected to be Dec. 17, Dec. 19 through Dec. 23, Dec. 26 through Dec. 30, Jan. 2 through Jan. 3 and Jan. 6 through Jan. 7 with roughly 66,000 to 70,000 daily departing passengers.
Last year, in the height of the coronavirus pandemic and before COVID-19 vaccine were widely available, the airport saw between 50,000 to 54,000 daily departing customers on peak travel days.
And in 2019, before the pandemic hit NC, the airport saw between 75,000 and 80,000 departing passengers on peak days.
Christmas and New Year’s is the second busiest time of year for CLT, according to the airport.
That’s because Christmas travel is typically more spread out than Thanksgiving travel, airport officials have said previously.
Tips for navigating a busy CLT airport
Thousands of holiday travelers will mean long lines and busy parking lots. But CLT has a number of online tools to help busy travelers navigate the airport.
The airport has about 21,000 public parking spaces, airport chief operating officer Jack Christine told reporters recently. Those spots usually fill up quickly over holiday travel weeks.
Airport travelers can book parking spots with the airport online for a discount. Those spots must be booked at least 12 hours before arrival.
Parking rates at CLT were increased in July. The new rates are: $24 maximum daily charge for the hourly deck, $16 daily charge for the express deck, $12 for the daily deck and $10 daily charge for long-term lots.
Other companies offer airport parking spots too, like the Parking Spot, at 6210 Wilkinson Blvd. The company provides a shuttle service with 24/7 pickup.
The online parking tool is just one of the ways CLT travelers can plan their trip ahead of time. The airport also offers a real-time look at security checkpoint wait times.
And Uber launched a new pickup feature in October for travelers at more than 20 airports, including at CLT.
The ride share company launched Uber Reserve last year, allowing customers to book trips in advance. With the newest feature, the app will allow customers to book up to 30 days in advance and submit flight information so drivers can adjust their arrival based on the customer’s flight information.
This story was originally published December 17, 2021 at 4:20 PM.
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