CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Officials at Charlotte Douglas International Airport told WCNC Charlotte they expect the busiest summer travel season ever and Memorial Day weekend will bring many passengers through Charlotte to usher in its unofficial start.
The Thursday and Friday of Memorial Day weekend are expected to be the two busiest days.
On Thursday, travelers told WCNC Charlotte's Austin Walker it was organized chaos. Traffic was backed up quite a bit and there was an influx of people inside, but security ran smoothly.
Rachel Carter said she was worried about heading through the Charlotte airport.
"It’s really big it can be hard to navigate," Carter said.
The Mother and Daughter duo of Katie and Carolina Porter said they too expected large crowds so they planned ahead.
Charlotte Douglas officials assured WCNC Charlotte that checkpoints will be open but also warned travelers it'll take some extra time. Carter and the Porters said it took them less than 156 minutes to get through security around 5:30 p.m. on Thursday.
The airport suggests arriving two hours before your flight leaves if you are traveling within the United States and three hours if you are traveling internationally.
Contact Austin Walker at awalker@wcnc.com and follow him on Facebook, X and Instagram.