Charlotte Airport

Customer Reviews

No Skytrax Rating
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Queuing Times 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Staff 12345
Customer rating from 200 reviews
3/10
No Skytrax Rating
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2/10

"delayed 90% of the time"

(United States)

Not Verified | In October I wrote a review on Charlotte's complete incapacity in routing aircraft on the ground. I switched back to Delta. And they left me in Atlanta 3 weeks in a row on a Friday night so I gave up on them. So I went back to American where I was executive platinum but I had a strategy I would avoid the airport closest to my house (Charlotte) since they are delayed 90% of the time. Alas schedules get changed and unlike Delta, American will put you on another flight and invariably those go through Charlotte in the east coast. So I am departing on my 3rd flight via Charlotte this month. And it is delayed 1 hour. My other two were delayed 30 and 45 minutes. In all 3 cases the planes landed ahead of schedule and sat in the taxiway for 45, 35, and 37 minutes. I am baffled. No other airport I visit (85 in the last 12 months) has this issue. Maybe they don’t care like Delta for their diamonds or maybe they really are incompetent. But I would think there is a public safety risk if they are this incompetent. Should the FAA investigate? I don’t know but what I do know is I will do everything I can to go through DFW to avoid the inevitable missed flight yet again since Delta is no longer an option because they disdain their frequent flyers.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitJanuary 2019
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
2/10

"Invest in one"

(United States)

Not Verified | It’s called a train/tram/dart/whatever you want to call it! Invest in one! Fast moving walkways can only get you places so fast. Every big airport like this one should have some kind of faster transit system. This isn’t cutting it. No sitting in terminal, especially when 9 are crammed into one tiny corner.
Experience At AirportTransit
Date VisitJanuary 2019
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages N/A
no
2/10

"no real variety in food options"

(United States)

This airport has a couple of chains and some stuff that looks local, but overall no real variety in food options. I was hoping to grab a bottle of water and some gum during my layover, so I stopped by one of those convenience stores, only to find out that a small water was $4.50 and a pack of gum was $3. I know airports are always a little more expensive but that’s excessive. I saw the same bottle of water in another terminal for $1.75, if that gives you an idea of how ridiculous these prices are. There’s also very little shopping that appealed to me, and if there’s a duty free store I must have missed it. Definitely going to avoid ever coming to this airport again. At least some gates have a lot of outlets (not all, of course!).
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitDecember 2018
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
3/10

"Always construction going on"

(United States)

Just advice to travellers. From the time you land until the time your plane actually gets to a gate and you are able to deplane is usually a minimum of 30-40 minutes. Time from boarding till wheels are up also averages about the same. Arrange connections accordingly. To get to the regional terminal from others is like a mile walk in the airport. They dont have shuttles between gates and way more traffic than the airport was designed for. Always construction going on.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitNovember 2018
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
2/10

"unfriendly and difficult TSA"

(United Kingdom)

Not Verified | Absolutely the most unfriendly and unnecessarily difficult TSA experience of any airport I have traveled. I travel several times per year and especially dislike Charlotte.
Experience At AirportDeparture Only
Date VisitNovember 2018
Type Of TravellerCouple Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages N/A
Wifi Connectivity 12345
no
1/10

"uncalled for and unacceptable"

(United States)

Trip Verified | I have been in several airports across the US and the Caribbean. I have never been in an airport that is so stressful upon arrival and departure. You have some of the meanest employees working outside. Travelers want to get loaded up and get in/out as fast as possible but they are rushed beyond a reasonable amount. Travelers were screamed at, berated, and essentially threatened by the staff outside. It's embarrassing to say that's my hometown airport. I can't imagine ever having that experience anywhere else and ever going back. It's uncalled for and unacceptable. Not to mention the fact that there isn't enough seating at the gates. We were forced to check a carryon at the entrance of the plane because "they were out of room". Then once we arrived at the baggage claim to get the bag we didn't want to have checked to begin with, we waited another 30 minutes on it to arrive! Then you go outside and continuously get screamed at to move to a certain location and they basically don't want any cars to stop. Almost as if they want you to load up with the car still moving and then get out as quickly as possible. It's just absurd. I wish I had video recorded the experience and had action 9 on it. No-one deserves to be treated that way especially paying customers!
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitNovember 2018
Type Of TravellerFamily Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
3/10

"Very crowded"

(United States)

Not Verified | Very crowded, slow walk to dreaded regional E gate. Slow taxi and open door even after kind crew acknowledging our lateness and the challenge to make connections. Will make my connection this time but missed it last time and one time before that. Love American but seriously considering Delta through Atlanta for future flights if Charlotte does not improve.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitOctober 2018
Type Of TravellerSolo Leisure
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"terminals dirty and disgusting"

(United States)

Trip Verified | This is absolutely the worst airport I have ever experienced. The terminals are dirty and disgusting. Flights are habitually overbooked, there isn’t enough seating for passengers in the gate areas, and they don’t have the infrastructure to handle the amount of flights they are trying to handle. Today my flight was delayed because there was a random fuel truck blocking the gate. I generally try to avoid this airport at all costs, but sometimes its inevitable that I get stuck here. CLT please fix these issues.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitOctober 2018
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
3/10

"a complete disaster"

(United States)

Not Verified | So I like American Airlines, they have new planes and treat their frequent flyers really well. I have been the highest status on United, Delta and American in the past five years and am currently highest on Delta and American. Needless to say I travel a lot. I will book about 250000 miles this year. Mostly domestic wth 10 international trips. I will go to 80 airports a year in average. Sadly Charlotte is the closest airport to my home and is the worst airport I travel through (yes, this includes JFK and CDG). The worst part is the staff are genuinely nice and really try hard but the airport operations are a complete disaster. I have gone through Charlotte 31 times this year and have averaged a 35 minute taxi time. I have missed 14 flights this year trying to go through Charlotte. I have driven home 11 times (I am 80 miles away). Yes, there is perpetual. construction but LaGuardia is much worse there. It is simply they don’t know how to route planes on the ground. I am literally typing this as I am taxiing (45 minutes so far). I am baffled that LaGuardia and JFK figured out how to move aircraft in the ground but Charlotte can’t. Maybe the air traffic team at Charlotte should benchmark any other airport in the world (I mean this literally) to understand how to move aircraft on the ground. This task is clearly beyond their comprehension. This is frankly confusing in the home of Nascar! It is a shame too because the services on the airport are actually pretty good. Yes, if you have a regional you have to do the march across the world to the E but people are genuinely friendly as you walk so it isn’t that bad. So Charlotte. Figure out how to move airplanes on the ground and you could actually be a good airport. But until you do you are not worth the hassle. I will go through Atlanta (bet you never thought you would hear that huh).
Experience At AirportTransit
Date VisitOctober 2018
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no
1/10

"i"ncompetence is staggering

(United States)

Trip Verified | Based on others' reviews, it is evident that the CLT site is fairly consistent in poor service, missed connections, and overall negative experiences. Our flight was delayed due to the President's visit and inclement weather. When we finally reached our gate after sitting on the tarmac for over an hour, we were delayed further due to a lack of staffing to park our aircraft. Once deplaned, we raced to our connection only to find the flight had closed (well outside of the 10-min window of departure time). The excuse provided for the lack of staffing at our arrival gate: lightning and staff safety. Yet, staff were evidently not in any danger to guide our departing flight out of the gate, a fact we found quite interesting. Many customers were left stranded and when trying to rebook flights, the responses from AA workers ranged from eye rolls to terse replies. Never did any employee of the airline or the airport acknowledge what every passenger was feeling. A simple, "We understand you are upset and we are doing what we can to make the rest of your trip as pleasant as possible." As we stood in a customer service line, one airline employee passed out customer service number tickets. When asked by several passengers where our luggage might be, she replied, "Whatever flight you were supposed to be on, that's where your luggage is." Many people informed her that our connections had already left before we arrived. Yet, she stuck with her (obviously incorrect) statement of next-flight luggage transport, absolutely clueless. We were able to rebook on a flight the next day (2 p.m.) but needed to find something earlier for work obligations. At 11:50 p.m. we left the main concourse, past the TSA area, and headed to the main ticketing counter. Unbeknownst to us (and hundreds others), TSA closes their gates at midnight. No signage, no verbal notice, no nothing. We were locked out of any food, beverages, seating, carpeting, etc. until the airport reopened at 4:30 a.m. We found a quiet place to sit (on the floor, with a locked door next to us) and charge our devices near the baggage carousel. Not long after settling in, an airport employee saunters up and says, "You gone hafta move from that do'." As we gather our things to move, the employee then says, "I don't know why you so upset. You know you can't sit in front of that do'." Our response: "Because this airport is horrible." His response: "Ain't nobody tole you to come heah." And this was the basic attitude of every single employee we encountered from our arrival until our eventual departure. We did attempt to make a purchase at the Starbucks at the ticket counter. True to CLT form, the oven was broken and they had run out of the one thing I cared to order. And passengers were due to arrive in less than 4 hours. To be served what remained to be seen. If the presence of a high-profile official and a brief storm delay can render this airport all but useless, an actual emergency will bring the entire city to its knees. There is clearly no plan to address the lack of airport personnel, availability of rental cars, hotel rooms, etc. and neither American Airlines nor the CLT airport gave any effort whatsoever to aid passengers in navigating such a challenging experience. I am committed to avoiding CLT at all costs. The level of incompetence is staggering. Since the airport is owned and operated by the City of Charlotte, I can only imagine what disasters occur throughout the city on a daily basis.
Experience At AirportArrival and Departure
Date VisitAugust 2018
Type Of TravellerBusiness
Queuing Times 12345
Terminal Cleanliness 12345
Terminal Seating 12345
Terminal Signs 12345
Food Beverages 12345
Airport Shopping 12345
Wifi Connectivity 12345
Airport Staff 12345
no