Travelers hit CLT for first holiday rush after completed Terminal Lobby Expansion
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Travelers will head to Charlotte Douglas International Airport during a major holiday for the first time since the airport completed its $608 million Terminal Lobby Expansion project.
Why it matters: While this means all of Charlotte's checkpoints will be open, airports are still navigating the aftermath of the longest government shutdown in U.S. history.
Yes, but: CLT is seeing fewer flight cancelations this week, according to flight tracking website FlightAware. There were no cancelations at CLT as of 3pm Wednesday or on Tuesday. Delays on Wednesday had dropped to 25.
State of play: While Nov. 29 through Dec. 1 are expected to be the busiest days for the airport, airport officials anticipate Nov. 30 will see the most traffic with 178,000 total travelers.
By the numbers: Roughly 1.9 million people will arrive and depart CLT between Thursday and Dec. 2. That's about a 10% drop from last year's record, according to airport officials.
- Also, fewer people will be going through security — 430,000 or 2.5% less than in 2024.
The intrigue: American Airlines, which operates 90% of CLT's daily flights, is focusing on the growth of its other hubs, which may be one factor contributing to the dip in expected CLT traffic this Thanksgiving.
- "Charlotte, we've taken a little bit of a break in terms of our growth there," American CEO Robert Isom said in October. "We definitely need to make sure that that operates efficiently and runs well."
Zoom in: American Airlines expects to operate 8,000 flights from Charlotte Douglas International Airport over the Thanksgiving travel period. Sunday, Nov. 30, is scheduled to be the airline's busiest day at CLT with more than 670 departures.
Between the lines: If you're flying on Thanksgiving Day, a holiday meal will be served at Brookwood Farms in the Atrium and PZA in Concourse E.
Zoom out: Concourses D and E are underway. Concourse D is expected be complete in 2026, and Concourse E is scheduled to finish in 2027.
The big picture: This will be the first holiday season where travelers need to bring their REAL ID or other acceptable form of identification.
The bottom line: As always, give yourself plenty of time to get to the airport and to get through security.
Go deeper: Charlotte airport guide
Editor's note: This story was originally published on Nov. 19 and was updated with new travel data on Nov. 25.