Wait times at CLT airport security lines could double or triple this year, staff warn
Expect longer lines and double or triple the wait time to go through security at Charlotte Douglas International Airport during peak travel times this spring and summer.
Airport staff are warning travelers to prepare for those delays, as CLT closes a security checkpoint March 17 to make way for ongoing construction.
The closure is part of the long-term terminal lobby expansion project, expected to wrap up in fall 2025. The renovated terminal is the crux of Destination CLT, a $3.1 billion dollar project aimed at increasing the airport’s capacity as passenger volumes rise.
Here’s what you need to know.
What’s changing at the airport?
Security checkpoint B, one of five in the terminal, will close March 17. That’ll mean four fewer lanes for getting travelers through TSA security.
The checkpoint will reopen before the winter holiday season with new technology and a new name: Checkpoint 1, part of the airport’s plan to condense the five existing checkpoints into three. No date for the reopening has been announced yet.
Those consolidated checkpoints will have greater capacity to get travelers through security faster, said Jack Christine, the airport’s chief infrastructure and development officer.
How will that impact passengers?
Meanwhile, the closure could create bottlenecks for local passengers, especially during the busy summer travel months, Christine said.
Expect longer wait times at security checkpoints and lines that snake through the terminal, he said — though they’ll likely move quickly.
“This is the tough part. We always knew we were going to get here,” Christine said. ““It’ll look very, very busy all the time.”
Current security line wait times at Charlotte Douglas average about 10 to 20 minutes, he said. When Checkpoint B closes, that could increase to about 35 to 45 minutes at peak times.
The changes are coming as the airport anticipates a return to spring and summer travel that matches or exceeds even pre-pandemic passenger numbers, according to a news release from the airport.
But Christine said airport leaders knew the project would impact at least one busy travel season, be it the warmer months or the winter holidays.
“We can manage this better over a summer push, rather than the super peaks that we see during the holidays,” he said.
How can I prepare for CLT delays?
One of the best ways to prepare for delays is planning to arrive at the terminal two hours before a domestic flight, airport staff advised. Those flying internationally should arrive three hours ahead of departure.
It’s also possible to check current security wait times on the airport’s app or website, Christine said. Even if lines look long, he said, the app can provide an accurate, updated estimate of actual wait time.
Travelers can also save time by enrolling in TSA PreCheck, and booking airport parking at the same time they book their flight.
“We’re asking you to not fly by the seat of your pants,” Christine said. “We want you to be thinking ahead before you come to the airport, and come early.”
Why is the airport expanding the lobby?
The terminal lobby at Charlotte Douglas has been relatively unchanged since the airport opened in 1982. That year, the airport served about 2.7 million local passengers, Christine said.
In 2019, that number was closer to 13 million, he said, and the airport doesn’t have enough space to efficiently accommodate an ever-growing number of flyers.
“We knew the lobby was too small,” Christine said. “Everything you see getting built is because we have a need for it.”
The expansion will increase terminal lobby space by 175,000 square feet and includes renovations for another 191,000 square feet. The project is about halfway done.
Long-term Charlotteans may wonder: will the airport ever not be under construction?
“I hope not,” Christine said.
“I hope we don’t ever fully finish construction, because if we do, that means we stopped growing,” he told reporters. “The growth of this airport is directly tied to the growth of this region, and its economic impact… that doesn’t just help the airport. That helps everybody.”
This story was originally published February 23, 2023 at 3:41 PM.
