CHARLOTTE, N.C. — It’s labor day weekend and airports across the nation and here in Charlotte are seeing the first surge of passengers since the pandemic began. At Charlotte Douglass International Airport, crowds have more than quintupled since April.
That’s according to airport officials, who predict 13 thousand local passengers will come through the Friday and Monday of Labor Day weekend, Charlotte’s largest number of air travelers since mid-March.
Many venturing out for the first time since the pandemic began. Trusting the safety measures airports and airlines have put in place. At Charlotte Douglass that includes protective shields and state of the art 24/7 sanitization.
In fact, the airport received praise by US Surgeon General Jermone Adam ahead of the RNC.
Adam said, “shout out to CLT airport…definitely made me feel safer than in some other airports I've been in.”
And many of these changes will likely be around for the long haul. The TSA developing new bag scan technology that reduces the need for hand checks and touchless check-in and ID scanners are being installed nationwide.
United’s CEO said they’re planning on changing protocols long term.
“We're modeling it as if we're not back to normal. We're not back to 2019 levels until 2024. But that's just a guess.”
Still, some concerns about how this weekend’s peak in travel might affect the nation’s handle on the pandemic. State DHHS Secretary Mandy Cohen warning that we could see a significant setback if people don’t continue to take the pandemic, and CDC recommendations, seriously.
"Pubic health experts believe memorial day weekend last spring likely expanded viral spread due to large gatherings and travel."