Here’s everything you need to know about flying out of Charlotte for the holidays
Charlotte Douglas International Airport is kicking off the holiday travel season with construction updates and the announcement of a new American Airlines international destination.
Airport officials have several tips for dealing with the crowded lines and parking lots between now and Jan. 2. The biggest tip for holiday travel: come early, airport Chief Operating Officer Jack Christine says.
Here’s everything else airport officials want you to know before taking to the air during the upcoming holidays.
Security
In the last four weeks, police have charged four people in connection with making bomb threats or other “wild comments” in line at the airport, Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department Capt. Nathan King said Wednesday.
“They simply didn’t think they should have to wait in line,” King said. “That’s ridiculous.”
King said the people who have been charged ranged in age and “levels of intoxication.”
The number of arrests is unusually high, King said. That may be in part due to the holiday rush, King said.
Busy days
CLT predicted its busiest day for travel would be Thursday, Dec. 19, with more than 34,000 people starting their trips at the Charlotte airport. That’s in addition to the roughly 100,000 people who connect through Charlotte every day, according to the airport.
And the airport expects more busy days ahead.
Airports across the country will see an increase in travel, Airlines for America predicted. The trade group expects 47.5 million passengers to fly nationwide between Dec. 19-Jan. 5, a 3% increase from last year.
Charlotte Douglas officials also expect to see over 30,000 people starting their travel at the airport on Dec. 20, 21, 22, 26 and 27.
Christine said domestic passengers plan to get to the airport two hours before boarding.
The Charlotte airport serves a lot of frequent business travelers, he said. But over holiday travel seasons, many people will fly through the airport who aren’t used to traveling.
That could mean longer lines, he said.
And parking spaces will be in high demand at the airport between now and Jan. 2, Christine said.
Travelers can check the airport’s parking website for real-time updates on availability.
Construction
The airport wrapped up several construction projects this year, but kicked off its biggest project this month.
Its $600 million lobby expansion project is the most expensive single project in the airport’s ongoing renovation program, Destination CLT. Lobby construction is expected to be finished in 2025.
Christine said lobby renovations will not have any impact on travelers before January.
“We will be starting that work in earnest right after the first of the year,” Christine said. “So once we get into 2020, you will start to see changes at the front door.”
So far, the airport has wrapped up three Destination CLT projects — the $50-million roadway project, the $200-million Concourse A Phase I expansion, and a $39-million food court addition that includes Shake Shack and Bojangles’.
American Airlines
American Airlines introduced a new destination flying directly from Charlotte Douglas starting Dec. 21.
The airline will now offer Saturday flights between Charlotte and Grenada on an Airbus A319 with 128 seats.
The airline already offers daily flights to Grenada from Miami.
This story was originally published December 23, 2019 at 5:30 AM.
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