CHARLOTTE AIRPORT review : 15 December 2008 : by S Egan

Customer Rating : 2/5

Unlike the other reviewers here, we had a very bad experience that might be specific to certain days of the week at CLT and/or elsewhere. We arrived in CLT on a Saturday from Mexico and went through customs around 6 pm. At that point, there were maybe 2 planes full of people ahead of us and only 6 customs officers screening people. It took well over an hour for us to get through customs. While waiting, 3 additional flights arrived and were queued behind us. We heard later that it took many people over 2 hours to get through and that many missed connecting flights as a result. What makes this experience especially unfortunate is that it is really unnecessary: a TSA agent told us that this is a recurring situation on Saturday nights - which means the Dept. of Homeland Security at Charlotte could have planned ahead, knowing the number of international flights coming in on weekends. Instead, it appears they assigned more people to herd us and/or tell people to put away cellphones and cameras than there were US customs agents. Signage in the airport is mediocre at best, requiring people to direct travelers at times. On the positive side, we found the selection of restaurants to be excellent and the airport clean and modern-looking.

CHARLOTTE AIRPORT review : 10 October 2008 : by G McGowan

Customer Rating : 4/5

CLT is compact, well-signed, easy to navigate and most importantly-not overcrowded. Only negative- my flight waited on the tarmac for 15-20 minutes for a gate to become available (not sure whether or not this occurrs frequently). Excellent alternative to transiting through Atlanta.

CHARLOTTE AIRPORT review : 30 July 2008 : by Tony Tosca

Customer Rating : 4/5

Chic and comfortable. I didn't notice any decent restaurants - all they seem to have is fast food. But if there's one major complaint I have is this: how could you call yourselves an "international" airport and don't have facilities dedicated for currency exchange! And don't direct me to the bank - it was closed. Driving out of the airport was a nightmare, but I will allow that traffic that particular day or time may just happened to be awful. Fix those little items and CLT is one of the best airports in the country.

CHARLOTTE AIRPORT review : 11 July 2008 : by P Guidali

Customer Rating : 4/5

Arrived to CLT from Munich, the immigration was so fast that I have been waiting for luggage 10 minutes. Then everything was easy and fast to get a car. For sure a good entry point for that area of the US.

CHARLOTTE AIRPORT review : 7 July 2008 : by P Littlefair

Customer Rating : 5/5

Any US airport that can get a UK citizen travelling in Y class into a rental car and on the Interstate in under an hour from touchdown gets my vote. CLT was presentable and not too crowded. Immigration and all other staff were friendly, with the possible exception of the Hertz desk clerk, who was a bit curt. I agree with the comment about car return, but computer routing to/from the West always seems to take you down Little Rock Road, which is a bit of a tradesman’s entrance thus not well signed, rather than the more official Interstate route. Be warned!

Charlotte Airport by J Edvardsson

13 January 2008   Customer Rating :

I agree with the other reviewers about the Charlotte airport. It's a gem once you get inside. However, if you are returning with a rental car, I suggest you give yourself plenty of time. The rental return signage is the worst I've seen in 20 years of air travel. I've been there 5 times and it still takes me a extra time (and a u-turn or two) to find the rental car lot (I use Hertz, but they all have the same problem). If you're an airport manager or city planner for Charlotte, please see what you can do to improve this one glaring defect. Oh and by the way this Hertz airport rental operation is not the smoothest either. They use one or two big shuttle buses, so the wait for a pick-up can be long. On the inbound, they didn't have my car ready for me although my arrival was on time (and they forgot the nav system). On the return, the bus driver almost ran over me when I tried to board the bus. I'm not kidding. Happy travels.

Charlotte Airport by Robert Clark

18 May 2006   Customer Rating : n/a

CLT is a very nice airport with an easy-to-understand approach. It is also the airport of choice if you are supposed to be heading to any location in South Carolina like CAE (Columbia) or GSP (Greenville- Spartanburg). Taking that next leg is quite expensive so land at CLT and rent a vehicle. The parking garage is simple and very close to the main building. I'd recommend CLT as a good portcall for anyone entering the USA as their customs are efficient.

Charlotte Airport by Jon Burgon

6 May 2006

I have connected through SFO, LAX, EWR, MIA, BOS etc etc and this was my first time in North Carolina. I have to say this little gem wins hands down every time. More akin to a European hub than the hellholes of Los Angeles and Boston and especially user friendly if you have children. Plenty of shops and things for kids to look at and do and just a general feeling of Southern Friendliness, Id go back anytime! Definitely doing something right!

Charlotte Airport by Dag Solheim

20 February 2006

I have only used CLT airport twice (once on arrival and once on departure to/from the US), but what an experience. Based on the other comments, I may have arrived on a bad day, because it took me at least 90 minutes to get through immigration! I had to run for my connecting flight, but I was stopped and selected for an extra security check by personnel that was in no hurry to expedite this check, and I did of course loose my connecting flight. I have never experienced anything similar to this. I have been a Star Alliance Gold member since 1998, so I do travel some. Although the time needed to get through immigration may vary, I have never on my numerous visits to the US (approximately 3-5 times a year since the mid 90s) had to wait as long as at CLT. Please observe that I always try to get a seat making me one of the first out of the plane just to get a head start for immigration.

Charlotte Airport by David C. Brown

6 January 2006

My wife and I connected through CLT on our journey from Nashville (BNA) to London Gatwick (LGW) this past December and found this airport to be far superior to Atlanta for connecting flights. Courteous people everywhere you turn along with an excellent airport layout made our journey both easy and pleasant. I can't really offer an opinion on the restaurants there but the numerous Starbucks were noted. US Airways has really made a believer out of me as far as their friendly employees and pleasant flights. I have been to London on nine previous occasions by four different carriers and US Air overall has been the best way to fly. Upon return from Gatwick into Charlotte the journey through US Customs was far quicker than Atlanta, Dallas-Ft Worth, Houston, or Chicago O'Hare. The big difference is in the sheer volume of passengers that are processed at the larger airports that result in the long lines of tired, grouchy people. Baggage transfer and the distance to departing domestic gates are well laid out and the use of moving passenger walkways makes your connection a breeze. If you don't mind going through the smaller Gatwick airport for your trip to London I don't believe that you can beat Charlotte International and US Airways.

Charlotte Airport by Corey Shreffler

16 September 2005

I have used CLT for connecting flights several times. It is a very "pretty" airport and at times reminds me of a smaller-scale O'Hare (due mainly to the greenhouse-like windows in certain areas). Each time I have gone it has been rather crowded, but the facilities are more than adequate to handle the traffic. In addition, the signage is quite prominent and the layout does not leave you scratching your head. When I arrived at CLT for the first time I had to walk a few terminals over for my connecting flight. It was quite a trek, but with the aid of moving sidewalks it was just a 10-minute walk.

Charlotte Airport by John Nolley

2 March 2005

Just returned from Miami to London with a connection in Charlotte - found this airport to be very user-friendly, with several restaurants and shops. Not too busy and, bliss, smoking allowed in the restaurants! Would use again.

Charlotte Airport by John Nolley

30 September 2004

I have connected through Charlotte many times on US Air, and though it is far from my favorite airport, I'll take it over Atlanta for connections any day--it tends to be far less hectic. My chief complaints with the facilities include: the lack of decent eateries (be prepared to pay $8 for a cold sandwich and drink); the sparseness of some of the terminals (can't recall WHICH, but I've flown into one a few times that seemed to consist almost wholly of gates; very few stores or eateries); poor transport within / between the terminals (moving walkways only, which are often off or filled by people who don't understand the concept of standing to the right to let those of us running to catch a tight connection by); poor seating at the gates (including sparse power outlets for those of us who'd charge our phones or use laptops while we wait); and the lack of free wireless networking. Also, it's often cheaper to connect through Charlotte than it is to originate there-- I've seen differences (involving the same connecting flight) of several hundred $$s before, which strikes me as very odd given the extra flight leg involved when not originating in Charlotte. Still, Charlotte doesn't seem to experience as many weather-related delays as Atlanta, and it is much more sedate in terms of sheer volume of people.

Charlotte Airport by John Logie

30 August 2004

We connected at Charlotte with US Air on our way from Gatwick to Orlando. Unfortunately we didn't get to chance to experience any of its facilities as immigration was staffed by 2 immigration officers which meant that it took us a ridiculous 75 minutes to clear immigration. We then ordered by the US Air reps to sprint to the gate for our connecting flight which ended up feeling like more of a marathon than a sprint. Seemed nice and clean, but hey it's hard to tell when your running as fast as you can with hand luggage etc. Our recommendation is to make sure your at the front of the line when getting off your plane so you don't end up at the back of a line of over 300 people being serviced by 2 surly immigration officials.

Charlotte Airport by Jahan Salehi

15 December 2003

I've used CLT for inbound, outbound, and connecting flights for seven years and it's one of my favorite airports. Well-designed system with easy access to all but the new C terminal which was still in construction as of Sept. 2003 and had incomplete sidewalks. The USAir Clubs are spacious, and comfortable, and my only criticism (made by another contributor) is that there is no decent restaurant in the whole terminal. Cheap fast food, but no good food.

Charlotte Airport by Glyn Jones

8 October 2003

Just used Charlotte for the first time with US Airways and was most impressed on both accounts. The airport is an excellent hub for anyone travelling from the UK, only draw back is that you have to go from Gatwick. Charlotte is a bright, clean and friendly place and I would thoroughly recommend it to anyone from the UK wishing to enter the US.

Charlotte Airport by Norman Clark

28 July 2003

Charlotte pioneered the big comfortable white rocking chairs in the main concourse, and they symbolize what the airport management has tried to create: a comfortable connections airport where you can sit and relax, even in the midst of one of the busiest airports in the U.S. Unlike many airports, where the dominant carrier seems to cause most of the problems, U.S. Airways has done an excellent job contributing to Charlotte's good reputation. Their staff are friendly and helpful. The US Airways clubs are comfortable and never appear overcrowded. Although I have gone through Charlotte at least 100 times in the past five years, I have never had a bad experience there. Planes have arrived and departed more or less on time, and I have never had a single piece of luggage go missing or miss a connection, including some very close ones where I didn't expect my bags to get transferred in time. The only negatives are: (1) the lack of a good restaurant, although there are plenty of coffee bars (Starbucks is everywhere) and fast food outlets charging reasonable prices; (2) relatively Spartan waiting areas at the gates, with never quite enough seats; and (3) the very real danger of getting run over by one of US Airways carts, which zip up and down the concourses as if they were at Le Mans. If you have a choice between Atlanta and Charlotte, pick Charlotte. As airports go in the U.S., Charlotte is one of the better ones. It is clearly the best transfers airport in the southeastern US. Go there and "set a spell."

Charlotte Airport by Jeffrey D Sarver

25 May 2003

Flew through CLT for the first time. I will choose CLT over ATL in future because of the smaller size and extremely pleasant environment. Excellent shops and numerous food stalls of a higher calibre than is usually encountered in airports. The only snag is the insufficient seating. Many passengers are left standing around leaning against pillars etc when all the gates are occupied.

Charlotte Airport by Matthew Morris

31 July 2002

A well organised airport. Well run. Good facilities, clean and unlike LHR a nice cool temperature. Makes for a good gateway to the US with lots of onward connections.