Weather worsens CLT airport delays during holiday travel weekend

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (QUEEN CITY NEWS) – Travelers flying through Charlotte Douglas International Airport over the Independence Day travel period said they anticipated big crowds but were disappointed wet weather in Charlotte and Texas further delayed their travel plans.

“We came here about three or four hours early to get on our flight, traffic was bad,” said traveler Jaimie McAllister. “We were at just a standstill.”

McAllister and Riley Dodson were both heading back to Washington but on separate flights.

“This morning, I got a notification that my flight was delayed and that I wasn’t going to be able to make my connecting flight,” said Dodson. “The direct flight was full so I am going through Dallas now and we’ll see if the hurricane makes me stay in Dallas for a full day and a half.”

Charlotte Douglas International was among the busiest travel hubs in the country on Sunday and had hundreds of delays and dozens of cancellations.

Of the 28 million passengers TSA officials expected its officers to screen 3 million flyers on July 7 alone.

Some passengers tried to make the most of the extra time. College friends Vinayak Grover and Lily Jenkins coincidentally both had extra time to meet in Charlotte on Sunday.

“This was the one day where we had literally two hours of downtime to catch up over three years of not seeing each other in person,” said Jenkins.

Grover said the crowds at the airport and fluctuating TSA screening wait times kept them close to their gates.

“We had planned to meet outside of the airport and then it quickly changed to the coffee shop downstairs by the bags,” he said.

They said they noticed a clear impact from Hurricane Beryl on the flight schedules and crowding in airports.

National Weather Service officials advise Texas visitors to travel home by Monday to avoid the heaviest expected rainfall from the storm.