Long lines, some airport parking full at Charlotte airport over July 4th weekend

Hannah Smoot
·2 min read
Long lines, some airport parking full at Charlotte airport over July 4th weekend
Melissa Melvin-Rodriguez/mrodriguez@charlotteobserver.com

One of Charlotte Douglas International Airport’s busiest travel weekends since the coronavirus pandemic hit is now underway.

In fact, traveler numbers for Friday are expected to surpass even pre-pandemic numbers, TSA spokesman Mark Howell told reporters at the airport.

Airport travelers should expect long lines at the airport all weekend, he said.

The busiest days of the weekend are expected to be Thursday, Friday, Saturday and Tuesday, according to CLT.

And parking is expected to be in high demand. As of Friday at about noon, parking decks Daily Deck West, Express Deck and Long Term 2 still had some spots available. Long Term 1, Daily North, and Overflow Lots 2 and 3 were full.

Passengers can check out real-time parking availability through the airport’s online parking map.

CLT offers several other online tools for passengers heading to the airport, including a site for customers to reserve parking ahead of time for a discounted rate online.

Travelers can also check security wait times online.

TSA travel tips

Howell said passengers anticipating long lines should make sure to get to the airport at least two hours before their flight’s scheduled departure.

And passengers should double-check their carry-on bags for prohibited items before heading to the airport.

Any prohibited items found in carry-on bags will slow down the entire TSA security checkpoint line, he said.

As of Friday morning, TSA agents at the Charlotte airport have found 52 firearms at airport security checkpoints this year, Howell said.

That’s roughly on pace with last year’s total of 106 firearms — a record for the Charlotte airport.

And last year’s total was an almost 40% increase from the previous record of 76 firearms found in 2018.

Howell and Donny Rizzo, a TSA explosive detection K-9 handler, demonstrated one of TSA’s layers of checkpoints for reporters Friday.

Rizzo has worked with Aaron, an 8-year-old German Shorthaired Pointer, for six years at the Charlotte airport.

Rizzo and Aaron monitored Checkpoint A at the Charlotte airport Friday morning. Rizzo and Aaron are one of seven K-9 teams working at the Charlotte airport.

Aaron is trained to identify a wide range of explosive components, Howell said.

Rizzo and Aaron and other K-9 teams are just one layer of protections at the Charlotte Douglas airport. Because of that extra layer of security check, passengers who go through the checkpoint monitored by Aaron on Friday will be able to leave their shoes on and electronics in their bags, Howell said.

It’s important to listen to TSA agents, he said, because those instructions could change from checkpoint to checkpoint.

And airport workers will also direct passenger traffic to different checkpoints to control lines, he said.

“Just listen to the advice that folks are giving you,” Howell said. “They’re trying to get you through as quickly as possible.”

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