Charlotte Airport

For the most part CLT is a pretty run-of-the-mill domestic hub airport. However there are two things that really stand out. The first is the good selection of locally themed restaurants. The second are the rocking chairs under shade trees in the main terminal area complete with power ports (the free WiFi is an added bonus - if only they had more of the rocking chairs because finding an open one can be difficult). You definitely get the feeling of being home in North Carolina while transiting through the airport.

The sound system is terrible. The airport needs to seriously rethink the acoustics in the terminal as messages from gates are too loud and can be heard from gates away. The sound engineering needs a lot of work.

Transiting from London and to Washington DCA was a delight. A large number of immigration officers at their desks waiting for us to get off the plane courteous and friendly staff two people in front of me at the security check to get back into the airport. The terminal is adequate with the usual selection of shops and cafes. By far the best arrival experience I have had in the USA for decades.

Transited twice during recent trip - once on international to domestic and once domestic to international. Former went smoothly. I was worried our 2+ hr connection would be sufficient but Immigration and Customs were very quick processes and we didn't have to wait too long for our bags to arrive. On the return we were on a small plane (Dash-8) from GSP. As expected some of the larger carry-on bags were taken from us and put in the baggage hold and given tags to retrieve the bags upon landing. Upon arrival the unloading of bags on the tarmac seemed to take a long time and when a thunderstorm approached we all had to go inside. Finally the workers were allowed to get our bags and gradually put them in the terminal where we waited. The airport is quite big and can take a while to traverse with somewhat confusing signage though certainly nothing like some other airports such as ATL. Managed to find the larger of the two US Airways clubs so we were out of the crowds until it came time to board our next flight.

Transferred from a US flight to another US flight. My flight from FLL arrived at the B concourse and I had to transfer to the C concourse for my flight to LGA. It was the evening rush hour and it was very crowded. Transfer was painless with the moving walkways. The selection of restaurants and shops is excellent lots to choose from. The gate area was rather cramped and the ceilings were dilapidated as well as the windows were dirty. Overall a great airport with friendly staff not the best one but it was a good experience.

My wife just arrived at CLT with two small children enroute to PHX from PLS. The flight was 30 mins late. Customs took 2 hrs. She missed her connection. She asked if there were any special processing lines for small children like in MIA. The response "get into the back of the line like everyone else". Great treatment for a 5 yr old. Everyone in the airport and US Airways were rude and unhelpful. Avoid at all costs. We will continue to fly American through MIA.

While returning to Charlotte after a nice vacation we found we had a dead battery. There is an airport service that will help you with problems such as this we told the ticket attendant she radioed the service and within a few minutes he was there to boost our battery at no charge. Thanks Charlotte Too bad more people don't know that you offer such a service.

This was our first experience with the Charlotte airport having always used JFK or Atlanta what a pleasant difference CLT offers. Clean uncrowded (on a Saturday depart and Sunday return) and all staff being very friendly. Security check was quick polite and efficient. All in all the whole experience was very civilised and we would highly recommend this airport.

There is very little to make this otherwise nondescript airport stand out except for one unique redeeming quality: the availability of free wireless internet. When I used this airport a couple of years ago to visit family I regretted not having brought my laptop.

We transited CLT twice: going from Rio to San Francisco and going from Washington DC to Rio. Going through Immigration and Customs was a snap. There were plenty of shops and restaurants but we spent out waiting time in the larger US Airways club (sure wish they had showers). We didn't see much of the airport but all in all it seemed clean modern and relatively easy to navigate (less chaotic than say Atlanta Hartsfield).