Dec. 20. 2023 - Charlotte Douglas International Airport is preparing to welcome winter holiday travelers.
Following CLT’s busiest Thanksgiving travel season ever, enhancements have been made to support continued record-breaking numbers. As more travelers are choosing CLT, the surge in people going to and from the Airport has sparked improvements for the winter holidays.
Thanksgiving Look Back
Local passenger traffic during the Thanksgiving holiday was 18% higher than 2022 and 29% higher than 2019.
The Transportation Security Administration screened 929,840 travelers at CLT in November. That’s nearly 14% higher than last year and 19% higher than 2019, before the pandemic curtailed travel.
Combined with people who connect through CLT, enplanements went up more than 9% over last year and 11% over 2019. In fact, American Airlines had its highest recorded daily enplanements the Sunday after Thanksgiving with 80,277 passengers.
“These passenger increases are unprecedented,” said CLT Chief Operating Officer Jerome Woodard. “Additionally, roadway traffic was at a level never seen, and in response the Airport has implemented changes and is evaluating longer term solutions.”
Once people were inside the terminal, Woodard said the passenger experience went very well.
“It was the best holiday terminal experience I’ve ever seen at CLT.” Woodard pointed to the larger, expanded terminal lobby and the new, highly efficient automate screening technology at Checkpoint 1, which helped process people through security quickly.
Preparations for the Winter Holidays
CLT estimates 1.6 million local and connecting passengers will depart from the Airport during the 21-day winter holiday travel season. That is a 13% increase over last year and 9% above 2019.
The Airport is working on implementing several changes to support smoother traveling.
- Traffic control: CLT is collaborating with the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police Department, the N.C. Department of Transportation and the Charlotte Department of Transportation on enhanced traffic management and optimizing traffic signals.
- Curbside staffing: CLT will reallocate personnel curbside in arrivals and departures to assist customers.
- Bus routing: During peak traffic times, some Airport shuttle buses, to include employee buses, will be re-routed to reduce roadway congestion.
- Communications: Digital signage along Josh Birmingham Parkway will be updated to communicate approximate travel times and other important Airport information. Additionally, CLT will share more operational updates via social media during high traffic periods.
Passengers can also expect to see enhancements inside the terminal.
- Checkpoint 1: The Airport’s newest TSA Security checkpoint, located on the terminal’s west side opened just before Thanksgiving and incorporates some of the industry’s best practices in checkpoint design.
- Food and beverage and Retail: New offerings along with old favorites can be found in the terminal, including the Airport’s first full-service, pre-security sit down restaurant, Queen Charlotte’s Kitchen, located on the Baggage Claim level. Find more at Shop, Dine & Relax on cltairport.com.
- Mobile ordering: Walk right up and grab your food from select locations found on the website and app.
- Holiday décor: Be on the lookout for like the bright orange caution cone tree near Checkpoint E, peace doves near Checkpoint E and the two 25-foot reindeer (named Wilbur and Orville) in the Atrium.
What travelers should know
- CLT is making immediate changes for the winter holidays based on Thanksgiving and evaluating long-term solutions to mitigate traffic congestion and continue to improve the passenger experience.
- Arrive in the Departures/Ticket lobby two hours before scheduled departure for domestic travel, and three hours in advance for international travel.
- Plan ahead by booking parking in advance at parkclt.com or on the Airport app to guarantee your spot and receive the best available pricing. View shuttle bus wait times, security wait times and even order food in advance.
- The Airport will put important updates on its website, the CLT Airport app and on Facebook and X (formerly known as Twitter).