Travel Good: CLT Labor Day Ideas

Labor Day is usually the final hurrah for a lot of earlier than summer time journey season ends and preparation for sweater climate begins. This vacation weekend, Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) is anticipating greater than 856,000 passengers Thursday, Aug. 28, by means of Tuesday, Sept. 2. That’s an 6.6% lower in comparison with final 12 months, however in keeping with 2023 numbers.

Approximately 204,000 passengers will go by means of TSA safety checkpoints at CLT throughout that timeframe, which is simply 2.4% beneath final 12 months’s record-high, however virtually 14% above 2023.

Don’t Wing It – Prepare to Fly

With the elevated site visitors, passengers are inspired to comply with the following tips to assist guarantee a easy journey expertise.

• Reserve parking on-line upfront. Of the Airport’s 25,000 parking spots, 15,000 can be found for on-line reserving. The Royalty Program permits vacationers to earn rewards with factors earned by reserving CLT Airport parking on-line at parkCLT.com or on the CLT Airport app. Download the free, all-in-one CLT Airport app on the App Store or on Google Play.

• Be contained in the terminal at the least two hours earlier than a home flight and three hours earlier than a world flight.

• Plan to achieve your parking house thirty minutes earlier than your required arrival time on the terminal.

Recent Airport Changes

If you haven’t flown out of CLT in a couple of months, pay attention to these latest adjustments.

• Checkpoint 2 turned totally operational on March 26 and is the brand-new Primary TSA Pre-Check location. An estimated 204,000 passengers will bear screening at CLT’s safety checkpoints this vacation weekend.

• The Transportation Security Administration (TSA) now not requires vacationers to take away their sneakers throughout the usual screening course of, ending an almost two-decade-old coverage in any respect home airports.

• TSA has partnered with CLT to launch a brand new program known as “Serve with Honor, Travel with Ease,” which gives expedited entry for the U.S. Military at CLT’s TSA PreCheck (at Checkpoint 2). It consists of front-of-the-line TSA screening. Service members should present a legitimate navy ID. (Co-travelers can accompany them to the entrance of the checkpoint.)

• TSA additionally gives two devoted household lanes at Checkpoint 1 for these touring with youngsters 12 and beneath, as a part of its “Families on the Fly” marketing campaign.

• REAL ID enforcement started for home air journey on May 7. Without one, you possibly can face delays and enhanced screening at TSA checkpoints. If you should not have a REAL ID, take a look at an inventory of different acceptable IDs, reminiscent of a U.S. passport.

• When exiting the terminal’s secured space (areas past the TSA checkpoints) to enter Ticketing or Baggage Claim, passengers now have extra choices. Three new exit lanes have opened: Exit Lane 2 (close to Chick-fil-A), Exit Lane 3 (close to Jersey Mike’s) and Exit Lane 4 (situated within the D/E Connector). Exit Lane 1 (west of Checkpoint 1) will open in early September.

• Uber and Lyft ride-share providers have relocated from the lower-level Arrivals/Baggage Claim space to the inside lane of the upper-level Departures/Ticketing space for each drop-offs and pick-ups.

Construction Projects to Note:

To the delight of many (CLT particularly), the Terminal Lobby Expansion is scheduled for completion in September. The challenge provides 175,000 sq. toes of latest house and 191,000 sq. toes of renovated house to the terminal foyer.

Renovations are underway on Concourses D and E. Both are receiving new terrazzo flooring, ceiling tiles, lighting fixtures, signage, HVAC models, powered gate seating, contemporary paint and up to date restrooms. Concourse D upgrades will wrap up in 2026, and Concourse E will end in early 2027.

New Concessions to Explore

While you’re at CLT, seize a chew to eat and decide up a couple of journey necessities. The Airport has practically 150 concessions. Below are the most recent terminal openings to buy and dine.

• The Waterman Fish Bar (Concourse C)

• Sammy Hagar’s Beach Bar & Grill (Concourse D)

• Great American Bagel (Concourse D)

• Dunkin’ (Ticketing Lobby)

• Charlotte News & Gifts (Atrium)

• Catawba Trade (Atrium)

•iStore Express (Concourse C)

Provisions by Admirals Club Lounge

American Airlines not too long ago opened Provisions by Admirals Club℠ lounge on Concourse A (subsequent to Gate A1). According to American, the house is “tailored to meet the needs of today’s traveler, offering quick access to personalized service and fresh food and beverage options, all within an intuitive, efficient layout.”

Flights Arriving Soon

While planning upcoming journeys for this 12 months and 2026, listed below are a couple of extra locations to guide.

American Airlines begins 10-day service to Albuquerque, N.M. (Oct. 3 – 13) for the Albuquerque International Balloon Fiesta. The airline additionally will provide the next routes: Vail, Colo. (Dec. 18 – Jan. 5), Aspen, Colo. (Dec. 19 – March), Palm Springs, Calif. (Dec. 20 – April, Saturdays solely) and Green Bay, Wis. (Nov. 2) for Panthers/Packers soccer recreation.

Frontier Airlines not too long ago introduced three-weekly flights to Fort Lauderdale beginning Nov. 21 and twice-weekly service to Detroit launching Nov. 23.

Flights to Abu Dhabi start subsequent 12 months by Etihad Airways on May 4.

Remember to take a look at the 189 nonstop flights that CLT at present gives as nicely.

Stay Connected

The newest Airport information is often posted on CLT’s newsroom web page and social media platforms. Stay within the know. Follow the Airport on Facebook, X, Instagram and YouTube.