Get to the airport early. That’s the word from officials at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, who are warning people to prepare for big crowds during this holiday season.
And change is afoot: This is the first Christmas since US Airways and American Airlines merged their operations. It’s also the first since the airport’s new entrance roadway opened and traffic patterns shifted. Don’t expect bargain airfares: The average domestic airfare from Charlotte was almost $464 in the first quarter this year, the most recent quarter for which national data was available. That’s up 7 percent from the same quarter last year, and 19 percent higher than the national average of $388.
If you’re headed to the airport, here are five things you can do to cope with the rush: Allow extra time:
Give yourself two hours before your flight, officials suggested. Security lines are expected to be long, and the terminal will be crowded with groups and infrequent fliers who might not be familiar with security procedures. Airport officials wouldn’t discuss security procedure changes, but you can expect security to be heightened this year.
Be prepared for changes:
The airport’s entrance road is new, and many of this holiday's leisure travelers may not have driven on it since it opened this spring. The new traffic pattern is all one-way, with cars flowing in and out on a loop road that’s clearly marked and accessible from Wilkinson Boulevard, Interstate 85 and Billy Graham Parkway. The airport’s rental cars have moved into the hourly parking deck, which opened last year, which means fewer commercial shuttles will be on the road since customers can now walk to and from the car rental agencies.
Remember, US Airways is no more:
All travelers will be on American this year, instead of US Airways. The companies completed merging their operations in Fall of this year. No major problems have been reported so far with the integration, but small differences could still trip travelers up. For example, US Airways allowed customers to check in with their last name at kiosks. American uses a confirmation number, AAdvantage frequent flier number or a credit card.
Check your bags...twice!
Seriously. Law enforcement officials said most guns caught at checkpoints are in a bag someone forgot to go through before packing. Same goes for knives and other weapons. You can face criminal charges and civil penalties if you bring a weapon to the airport. It happens more than you might think: On a single day, Oct. 30, Transportation Security Administration found two handguns in carry-on bags at Charlotte Douglas.
Check parking online
Before you head out, check out
parking.charlotteairport.com, for a real time interactive parking map. Remember the lots are on a first-come, first-served basis, and the long-term lots – which are cheaper – will likely fill to capacity. The airport is reopening the Daily North lot for an additional 1,200 spaces, but the daily spaces are more expensive.
Parking costs are as follows: $5 per day in the long-term lots, $8 per day in the Daily North lot, $10 per day in the daily decks, $14 per day in the business valet deck, $20 per day in the hourly deck and $28 per day for curbside valet.
The first hour of parking is free in the hourly parking deck in front of the terminal, so you can park there and wait for or drop off travelers at the airport. There are also cellphone lots where you can wait for passengers near the terminal off the airport loop road.
If possible, the airport encourages people to use an alternate way to get to the airport, such as the Sprinter bus, a taxi or getting dropped off by someone. Check the Sprinter schedule at
charlottecentercity.org/transportation/sprinter/.
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Source: cltairport.com[/caption]