How American Airlines plans to handle record crowds at CLT airport over July 4th holiday
Even as people are already ticked off about long check-in lines at Charlotte’s airport and anxious about missing flights, the busiest time of the summer is finally here.
American Airlines confirmed Thursday that it is expecting to break records at Charlotte Douglas International Airport for passengers catching flights over the Fourth of July travel period.
The holiday travel period for American Airlines began Thursday and will continue through July 7, according to spokeswoman Bri Harper. American is expecting to handle 775,800 CLT customers on 7,000 flights — more than 570 flights than last year.
Or look at it this way.American is going to see more travelers during this stretch than the combined population of Union, Cabarrus and Gaston counties.
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Many customers will be departing at the end of this week or next Wednesday and returning Sunday, July 7. American Airlines is expecting nearly 700 departures on July 7, making it the busiest travel day of the summer at Charlotte Douglas.
Airport officials said longer than usual lines is something passengers should expect for a busy summer. Last Sunday, the Transportation Security Administration broke a single-day record with about 3 million passengers screened at checkpoints.
In recent weeks, passengers took to social media to express their concerns. Those comments haven’t stopped coming.
One user on X said Thursday: “Note to self. Don’t check a bag at the (Charlotte Airport).The lines I saw walking in were something. #Carryononly.”
Jerry Jordan, founder of racing media outlet Kickin’ The Tires, posted pictures of lines and traffic on X. “Hey NASCAR peeps, if you’re going to (Charlotte Douglas) the line to get in parking is long and the (TSA PreCheck) line is ridiculous,” Jordan wrote on Thursday. “Leave early!”
Amercan preps for CLT rush of travelers
To prepare for the holiday, American Airlines spent several months hiring and training team workers, ensuring its vendors were ready and preparing aircraft, equipment and facilities, the company said in a news release.
The airline added new kiosks at CLT to speed up the ticketing process. A second bag drop to help with foot traffic during peak periods was also added.
American Airlines accounts for about 90% of all flights at the airport. CLT is the second-largest hub for the Fort Worth, Texas-based company.
A busy summer for American Airlines
This summer travel season, American Airlines is expecting to serve more than 8 million passengers in Charlotte between May 17 and Sept. 3 with 75,000 flights. Compared with last summer, this is a 12% increase and will surpass pre-pandemic levels of flying, according to American.
Company-wide, American Airlines is expecting to have more than 7.2 million customers on nearly 70,000 flights for the July Fourth travel period. This is an 8% increase compared to last year.
Along with CLT, July 7 will be the biggest travel day of the summer for American Airlines hubs with 6,500 flights. More than four American flights will be taking off every minute of the day, according to Harper.
The second and third largest days for American Airlines are Thursday, June 27 and Friday, June 28, with more than 6,300 flights on both days, systemwide.
CLT preps for holiday travel
Along with American Airlines, Charlotte Douglas is expected to break records from Tuesday through Monday, July 8 with 191,000 passengers on departing flights, the airport said in a news release.
The total is a 15.6% increase from the same period last year. Total passenger traffic is estimated to be 1.2 million — a 12% increase from 2023.
The increase mirrors trends as nationwide airports with terminals and aircraft operating at full capacity this summer, airport officials said.
CLT is ranked as the seventh-busiest airport worldwide for arrivals and departures, according to the Airport Council International’s preliminary rankings for 2022.
Ways for passengers to stay prepared
As always, American Airlines and CLT officials said passengers should arrive at the terminal at least two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight. They should also check traffic conditions or find alternate routes before going to the airport.
CLT customers can book parking in advance online at parkCLT.com.
Estimated wait times for security checkpoints are available on the airport’s website cltairport.com and through the app. TSA urges passengers to sign up for PreCheck, a program that allows U.S. citizens and lawful permanent residents to have an expedited screening.
