CHARLOTTE, N.C. -- The unofficial start to summer is less than a day away. AAA said more than 41 million Americans will travel during this Memorial Day weekend.
Of that number, Charlotte Douglas International Airport expects to see 32,000 passengers on Friday alone. In total, TSA estimates over 74,000 people will be screened at Charlotte Douglas airport from Friday to Sunday.
With that many people packing onto airplanes, safety is the top mind for passengers and airline officials. Especially after several mid-air emergencies already this year.
A woman was killed after she was partially sucked out of the window of a Southwest Airlines flight. Weeks later, another Southwest Airlines flight had to make an emergency landing after a window cracked while in mid-air. And most recently, a co-pilot of a plane was sucked halfway out of the plane after a windshield shattered.
Right now, thousands of maintenance technicians are working around the clock to make sure these planes fly safely.
As Wednesday marks the national, Aviation Maintenance Technician Day, NBC Charlotte Defender Mark Boyle got an exclusive look behind-the-scenes at the work going on.
These technicians are the guys who were out here in the middle the night working on the aircraft, making sure they are airworthy for the fleet launch in the morning.
NBC Charlotte was inside American Airlines' Charlotte hangar as technicians swapped out an older engine for a newer one on this Airbus 319.
Kevin Kramer has been a maintenance tech for 32 years and to say he's seen it all, is truly an understatement.
"It can be flight controls, engine change, hydraulics, electrical even cabin items which can be time-consuming," Kramer said.
Director of Maintenance for American Airlines Mike Annan said on top of the pop-up problems they deal with, there are scheduled check-ups for everything including these engine blades.
So when the time is due, we will bring an aircraft in and do what's called a 'fan lub,'" Annan said. "We take the entire fan out of the engine, we do a cleaning and inspection and put it all back together."
Like your car, things can break, cause delays and disrupt travel plans. But before your blood starts to boil or you begin to question what's triggering the delay, these folks are asking travelers to pack a little faith.
The more than 300 airplane techs based right here in Charlotte are working around the clock to get you on your way as quickly and safely as possible.
"The utmost priority is safety so if there is an issue at the gate, we try to address it as quickly as possible and ensure safety," Annan said.
Here's the general message: if there is a delay or if you see a maintenance technician boarding the plane, just keep in mind they don't want these plane sitting at the gate any longer than you do.