Charlotte Douglas International Airport and its largest provider for flights are expecting to break Labor Day weekend travel records as the summer travel season comes to an end.
More than 1.14 million people will use CLT for arriving and departing flights from Thursday through Sept. 4, according to airport predictions. The estimate is a 19% increase (216,600 more passengers) from last year for the holiday period.
In the upcoming days, the Transportation Security Administration is forecasting to screen 235,000 local passengers at Charlotte Douglas checkpoints before they step on planes — around 37,600 more people (a 15.8% rise) compared to 2023.
More than 17 million people will be screened nationwide during the Labor Day travel period, according to a TSA news release .
Busy weekend underway for American Airlines
American Airlines , which takes up the bulk of CLT flights, is expecting to surpass 2023 Labor Day totals, according to the company. It will serve more than 418,000 customers on about 4,000 flights from Thursday through Tuesday — which is expected to be the largest travel day.
Compared to 2023, this is a 17% increase (71,060 more passengers).
American Airlines accounts for about 87% of the flights at the airport. Charlotte Douglas is the second largest hub for the Fort Worth, Texas-based company.
The airline will use 15,000 workers for operations, according to Ralph Lopez Massas, senior vice president of CLT operations.
In May, American announced that it would serve more than 8 million passengers in Charlotte between May 17 and Sept. 3 on about 75,000 flights for the summer. This is a 12% increase compared to last summer and will surpass pre-pandemic levels of flying, according to the airline.
How is everything going so far?
Passengers headed to Charlotte Douglas should prepare to deal with a baggage claim matter, TSA confirmed.
CLT experienced a technical issue in one of the baggage screening systems due to current construction at the airport, according to TSA spokesman Daniel Velez.
TSA is working on the problem and it’s expected to be fixed by Tuesday.
“We do not expect system impacts to overall operational capacity or to passengers since we have fully operational systems in other areas,” the airport said in a statement.
Delta Airlines advised its passengers to arrive two and a half hours before scheduled departures if they are checking bags.
As of Thursday morning, there were 29 flights delayed at CLT, according to Flight Aware , a website providing real-time information. Another 23 flights coming to Charlotte were also pushed back.
There were no reported flights canceled early Thursday.
Staying prepared
As always, airport officials encourage passengers to add extra time to their schedules to avoid traffic problems, while also looking at road conditions.
Passengers should arrive at the terminal at least two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight, officials said.
Estimated wait times for security checkpoints are available on the airport’s website at www.cltairport.com and through the app. Airport officials also suggest customers book parking in advance online at parkCLT.com .
Local News
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