Air Travel At Near Pre-Pandemic Levels, Patience Requested

CHARLOTTE, NC — Expect 31,000 passengers to start their Wednesday by traversing through Charlotte-Douglas International Airport as they head out to enjoy Thanksgiving with friends and family across the country.

Saturday, Sunday and Monday are expected to be slammed as well with travelers making their return trips.

According to CLT, they're functioning at about 84 percent of their pre-pandemic numbers. A CLT spokesperson provided this advice: "Due to the high traffic during the holidays, travelers should arrive at the Airport at least two hours before their departure time. Security wait times are listed on CLT’s website (cltairport.com) and app. The Airport will have extra staff in the ticket lobby and on the curbside to assist passengers."

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CLT has 21,000 parking spaces, but it's first come, first serve, so arrive early and make sure to have a plan by using parkCLT.com and booking online 12 hours before you need to be there.

If you're picking someone up, the airport encourages using the hourly deck. It will lessen the congestion at arrival and departure and that first hour is free.

More than anything, airports and staff are urging one thing: patience. Multiple incidents have happened across the country and CLT seeks to avoid any future problems.

Masks are still mandatory.