Summer travel season: Why CLT airport thinks it won’t be as busy as last year
Charlotte Douglas International Airport and its largest airline are expecting a busy summer season with Memorial Day weekend upon us. It just won’t be quite as busy as last year.
American Airlines is expecting to operate more than 72,000 flights at Charlotte, between May 16 and Sept. 2 after Labor Day, the company announced Thursday.
CLT’s summer travel season kicks off this weekend with fewer passengers expected than last year. It’s expected to be 7% lower this summer. Last year, 17.7 million total passengers (arriving and departing) traveled through CLT during the summer period, which was the Thursday before Memorial Day through the Wednesday after Labor Day.
Still, from Thursday, May 22, through next Tuesday, Charlotte Douglas is anticipating more than 970,000 passenger arrivals and departures, according to the airport. This is a 9% decrease from the same time last year, when there were approximately 1.06 million travelers.
The busiest remaining travel day will probably be Friday.
For Memorial Day weekend, American Airlines is expecting to operate close to 3,950 flights at CLT between Friday and next Wednesday. The airline is also predicting record-breaking travel to Europe.
Nonstop service between Charlotte and Athens starts June 5. Other nonstop destinations for Charlotte’s airport include Dublin, Frankfurt, London-Heathrow, Madrid, Munich, Paris and Rome.
Charlotte airport travel trends
The airport was one of the fastest recovering large hubs coming out of the pandemic and has experienced record growth over the past several years, Charlotte Douglas officials said in a statement to The Charlotte Observer.
During that recovery period, airlines concentrated their activity at hub airports, which contributed to robust passenger numbers at CLT. The passenger traffic in 2024 wasn’t forecasted to be achieved until fiscal year 2030, add according to airport officials.
CLT is forecasting a modest dip in passenger traffic in 2025, based on industry trends.
“When we see historic spikes in travel demand, it’s important to recognize that sustaining those levels indefinitely isn’t always realistic,” the airport said in a statement.
For fiscal year 2025, CLT is estimating passenger traffic to be 20% greater than fiscal year 2019 — a record-breaking year at the time. As the airport approaches 2026, CLT is forecasting a return to longer-term growth trends.
“CLT remains focused on delivering a world-class passenger experience and continuing to invest in the long-term growth of our airport and region,” airport officials states. “And we’re confident in the strength of the travel market.”
American Airlines testing to improve customer experience
American Airlines started testing this week with new, in-house technology for connecting passengers who might miss their flight.
If American can delay a flight without impacting the schedule, the airline will have a short hold to get connecting customers on board.
Charlotte Douglas is also part of a free Wi-Fi test starting this week and running through June 1 for American passengers. It will be available on more than 50 daily flights across the system.
The purpose is to have the Wi-Fi ready in 2026 for AAdvantage members, who earn points and credits for flying.
American also added a new U.S. Customs and Border Protection Enhanced Primary Processing system at CLT. It allowed citizens coming back to the U.S. to have their processing times cuts in half through the use of kiosks with technology, according to the airline.
Preparing for CLT
Although the airport is expecting lighter foot traffic, passengers should still be prepared for lines and wait times.
The airport is asking customers to reserve parking online in advance. Of the airport’s 25,000 parking spots, 15,000 were available for online booking before Memorial Day weekend.
The Royalty Program allows travelers to earn rewards with points earned by booking CLT Airport parking online at parkCLT.com or on the CLT Airport app.
Plan to reach a parking space 30 minutes before arrival time at the terminal. Passengers should be inside the terminal at least two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight.
TSA guidelines can be reviewed online at tsa.gov for up-to-date guidance on prohibited items and screening procedures. All concourses and aircraft gates are accessible from any security checkpoint.
CLT opened another security checkpoint in March to provide a faster experience for passengers. There are now three checkpoints with 21 lanes.
Real ID enforcement began on May 7. Passengers are required to have a compliant ID to travel. Real IDs are similar to driver’s licenses and ID cards, but they are marked with a star in the upper-right corner.
Passengers can still travel with an alternative ID.
This includes a U.S. passport or card, an ID from the U.S. Department of Defense, Global Entry card or a state-issued enhanced driver’s license, according to the Transportation Security Administration. A list of acceptable document are available online at tsa.gov/travel/security-screening/identification.
This story was originally published May 23, 2025 at 11:34 AM.
