Flying through Charlotte this summer? Here’s what to know

Charlotte Douglas International Airport is bracing for a busy Memorial Day weekend, but rising jet fuel costs and the recent shutdown of Spirit Airlines could make cheap flights harder to find this summer.

Here are tips and key facts travelers should know before heading to CLT.

• Expect crowds: About 1.05 million passengers will move through CLT between Wednesday and Monday, with Thursday, Friday and Monday projected as the busiest travel days. Build in extra time at the airport.
• Be flexible on price: Jet fuel is 70% more expensive than before the war in Iran, and airlines are passing those costs on. Analyst Henry Harteveldt says bargains still exist for travelers willing to shift dates or destinations.
• Book strategically: Some travelers are booking closer to their vacation dates in hopes of catching better fares, while others are swapping international trips for destinations closer to home.
• Plan around fewer options: Spirit Airlines shut down in early May after its bid for a government bailout fell through, leaving travelers with one less low-cost choice. Other carriers are already announcing plans to add flights on routes Spirit abandoned.
• Know your hub: American Airlines, which uses CLT as its second-largest hub, has more than 3,800 departures planned over the holiday weekend and 70,000 flights scheduled for the summer.

FULL STORY: Charlotte airport expects busy Memorial Day amid fuel price bumps, Spirit exiting

This report was produced with the assistance of a proprietary tool powered by artificial intelligence and using our own originally reported, written and published content. It was reviewed and edited by our journalists. To learn more about how The Charlotte Observer is using AI in our newsroom, see our policy here.