CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Charlotte Douglas International Airport is already one of the busiest airports in the world, and today was no exception. The combination of spring break and Easter weekend saw a large number of passengers coming in and out of CLT on Thursday.
About 150,000 passengers are expected to take the CLT from Thursday through the weekend, causing long lines and travel headaches. For some, like Belmont resident Tom Chapman, it was downright awful.
“My bag tag didn't work today,” Chapman said. “I know it's Easter and I know there's a lot going on, but we had plenty of time.”
More than three-quarters of the flights we saw this afternoon were experiencing some sort of delay. One man we spoke to missed his flight back to West Virginia by just a few minutes yesterday due to weather delays in Florida.
“We had to spend the night,” he says. “The Americans let us stay overnight, so we're coming back tonight on the 9 o'clock flight, so we'll be arriving in a day.''
For some, the road lines were worse than the security lines.
“I go with a group of people from my school,” says Don Reimkuler. “We're just waiting for everyone to come.”
Lime Cooler is traveling to Greece for spring break.
“Five people are still missing because there are so many people…The traffic is so bad.”
And some people just grin and try to bear it.
“The worst is yet to come,” said Mint Hill resident Barry Lee. “It's when you're coming down the A gate, B gate, C gate to get on the plane. And everyone is there to get on the plane.”
More than 43,000 passengers are expected to pass through Charlotte Douglas Airport on Thursday, which would set an all-time daily record.
