CLT Airport Guide

Charlotte Airport Guide (updated April 9. 2014)
Thank you Flyertalk for crowdsourcing the information and my friend Iztok for compiling it.

US Airways in CLT

US operates flights out of concourses B, C, D and E.
– All transatlantic flights out of CLT are at the far end of concourse D (Lufthansa included)
– Concourse E is US Airways Express concourse (regional flights – RJs, turboprops)
– B is usually used for flights to the West
– C is usually used for East coast flights. Republic operated flights fly out of C as well.
– D4(A and B) are also express gates (Piedmont operated flights.)
– Concourse A is used by other airlines: Air Canada, American Airlines,Delta, Southwest, United

Getting from concourse to concourse

There are several moving walkways at the airport. At the least at each beginning of the concourse there is a moving walkway, sometimes there are several (concourses A and E). There is also a moving walkway between A/B and C/D/E area. One does have to take stairs/escalator/elevator to go to concourse E as it is on the lower level.

There is no need to leave secure area to move from one concourse to another. Exceptions are arriving international flights. In such case one has to clear immigration and customs, reclaim bags and proceed through security. Keep in mind that if you purchased any liquids on the plane (duty free) you will have to follow the 3-1-1 rule and even check the bottles!

Security at CLT

Security wait times can vary widely both by time/day. Monday mornings can have long lines.

Security Checkpoint A – Mostly non-US airlines with an exception or two.
Security Checkpoint B – Pre-Check and Preferred (First/Envoy/*G …)
Security Checkpoint C-D – Regular US
Security Checkpoint E – International and regional jets

CLT doesn’t have Clear line.

Since all the checkpoints share the secure area behind it really doesn’t matter which one you use, they will all get you access to all the gates. Above is just general suggestion. Also, since all concourses are connected, if one check point is busy and the others are not, move to another check point. If you are on Delta you can still use B, C, D, or E.

Reasonable connection times in CLT

Most of the time CLT is really good in terms of on-time performance. However summer thunderstorms can drastically affect your travel experience.

Domestic Connections
A minimum 1 hour scheduled connection time should be sufficient for domestic connections.

I’m a non-US passport holder connecting in CLT from an international to a domestic flight. How long of a layover should I schedule?

You should schedule a minimum of 2 hours to be safe to accommodate CBP, claiming your bags and then rechecking. (ie: LGW-CLT-PHX)

{reader input would be helpful for domestic-to-international, and international-to-international connections}

Parking at CLT

Parking info can be found at this link.

What are the current parking rates?

Hourly Parking Closed: Free for the first 30 minutes,
$3 hourly
$17 daily maximum

Daily Parking:
$10 daily maximum

Daily North: $10 per day

Long Term Parking: $5 per day

Overflow Parking: $10 flat fee

Curbside Valet Parking:
$28 daily maximum rate

Business Valet:
$14 per day

Park’N Go Self Parking: $4.95 per day (not airport affiliated)

Cell Phone Lot: Park for free while waiting for arriving flights at CLT’s Cell Phone Lot. All drivers are required to remain with their vehicles. Parking is provided on a first come, first served basis as space is available.

Rental Cars
All vehicle rental counters are located on the lower Baggage Claim Level. You will have to take a shuttle to the respective car agency. There is no consolidated shuttle.

More info.

Where to eat in the airport

Good map.

Atrium

Brookwood Farms BBQ
Burger King
Chili’s (sit-down)
Chili’s To Go
Cinnabon
First In Flight Bar
Freshens Frozen Treats
Manchu Wok
Mrs. Fields Cookies
Pizza Hut
Quizno’s
Salsarita’s
Starbucks
Tequileria (sit-down)
Yovana
Hisso Sushi

Concourse A

Restaurants
Cinnabon
Wendy’s
Uptown Bar (sit-down)

Concourse B

Bojangles’
California Pizza Kitchen
California Pizza Kitchen To Go
Freshens Frozen Treats
Great American Bagel
Pino Gelato
Starbucks
Stock Car Café
Taste of Carolina Bar (sit-down)

Concourse C

Bad Daddy’s Burger Bar (sit-down, local Charlotte establishment)
Carolina Sports Bar
Fresh Attractions
Nathan’s
Phillips Famous Seafood (sit-down)
Sbarro
Starbucks
TCBY

Concourse D

Carolina Beer Co.
Coca Cola 600 Café
Freschetta Pizza
Great American Bagel

Concourse E

Brioche Doree
Burger King
Cinnabon/Edy’s Ice Cream
Fox Skybox (sit-down)
Fresh Attractions Kiosk
Salsarita’s
Speedway Grill
Wolfgang Puck Gourmet Express
Zia

D/E Connector

Jamba Juice
Starbucks
Yadkin Valley Wine Bar

Baggage Claim

Charlotte Bistro

Ticketing

Starbucks (OPEN 24 HOURS!!)

Shops

Atrium

Brookstone Kiosk
CD Main Gifts & News
Iacon Sunglass Design
Brighton
Queen City Gifts & News
Simply Books
The Body Shop
Time to Write
World Passage – (Duty Free)

Concourse A

Charlotte’s Landing Gifts & News
Executive Shoeshine

Concourse B

Daily News
Lids
The Gathering
The News Connection

Concourse C

Bijoux Terner
Brookstone Store
Erwin Pearl
Mind Works
The News Connection
Via Gifts & News

Concourse D

D Cart News Stand
World Passage – (Duty Free)

Concourse E

Charlotte Daily News
Charlotte News Connection

D/E Connector

Airport Wireless
Destinations Gifts & News
Erwin Pearl Forever Silver
Executive Shoeshine
Harley-Davidson
Johnston & Murphy
Lids
Rocky Mountain Chocolate
Terminal Getaway Spa

Baggage Claim

Charlotte’s Landing II Gifts & News

CLT lounges

US Airways has two Clubs in CLT. Bigger one between concourses C and D and smaller one in concourse B.

The USO Lounge is located in the upper level Atrium. Access via stairway or elevator located inside The Airport Business Center.

There are no showers in any of the US Clubs (or any in the airport that I know of)

Currency Exchange
There is a currency exchange outside the security area and in the atrium. Will you get a better deal with Travelex or your ATM card? Probably your ATM card…but that’s really for you to determine. Currency Exchange seems to keep odd hours and doesn’t have a large assortment of currency types.

Wireless in CLT
CLT offers free Wi-Fi around the airport (CLTNET). However if you are in US Club this might not be the case. US Club is now providing free access for club members independently (through T-Mobile).

Do I have time to go into Charlotte?
You could take a cab or the Cats Airport Sprinter ($2) which connects the airport to the Charlotte Transit Center near the Epicenter uptown. I would venture to town only if there is more than 3 hours to kill and there is nothing you can do at the airport.
Unfortunately, there are no lockers in CLT so you can’t store your carry-on for a couple of hours while you hit the town.

What to do in Charlotte?
Charlotte’s got a lot!.

How to get to Charlotte?

You can take a bus. ($2 – exact change is needed.)

Taxi is another option unless you want to rent a car or have someone meet you. There is a flat rate of $25 (plus $1 fuel surcharge plus tip) to go to Charlotte within I-277 loop (AKA uptown)

Charlotte also has Lyft, Uber, and SideCar. (note: Uber and Lyft are referral links)

Looking for some cool bars or restaurants?

Good info can be found here.

Where can I smoke at the airport?

Charlotte Douglas International is a smoke- free facility. Smoking is prohibited in all public areas, which includes all restaurants and bars.

Smokers on the front curb of the terminal are encouraged to cross to the bridge that used to lead to hourly parking since that is the designated smoking area. There are places to purchase cigarettes in the airport, but I’m not sure about pricing.

CLT Fast Facts

Rankings, 2008
(Source: Airports Council International)
8th Nationwide in Operations
14th Nationwide in Passengers
34th Nationwide in Cargo

Passenger Stats, 2008
International: 2,176,273
Air Carrier: 20,554,559
Regional: 12,088,188
Total: 34,739,020

Cargo, 2008 (tons)
Airfreight/express: 99,742
Air mail: 15,174
International: 17,093
Total: 132,009

Daily Departures
655 Daily Departures (April 2009)

Cities Served
Non-stop service to 134 Destinations

Terminal
One terminal with five concourses totalling over
1.7 million square feet

Runways
•18C/36C (north/south): 10,000 ft
•18L/36R (north/south): 8,676 ft
•18R/36L (north/south): 9,000ft
•5/23 (crosswind): 7,500 ft

Aircraft Gates
•Concourse A: 12 gates
•Concourse B: 16 gates
•Concourse C: 18 gates
•Concourse D: 13 gates
•Concourse E: 32 gates