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The airport at Charlotte Douglas International Airport is reportedly preparing for its biggest travel day since the COVID-19 pandemic began in March.  Airport and airline officials are preparing for a very busy several days which started Saturday, November 21st. Even though, the CDC has urged Americans not to travel for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Holiday Travel Will Reach 60 Percent of Last Year’s Level

The Charlotte-based American Airlines has estimated holiday travel will reach about 60 percent of last year’s level. It is huge considering we’re still in the middle of a perceived worsening pandemic.

Already by Saturday, November 21st, parking lots at Charlotte-Douglas International were starting to fill up.  It is estimated that tens of thousands of people are expected to fly out of Charlotte over the next several days.

Airport Travelers Continue to Arrive

On Sunday, November 22nd, travelers continued to arrive. This occurred for departures even as North Carolina reported a record high of 4,514 new coronavirus cases in a one single day.

17,000 Travelers Expected Per Day

An estimated 17,000 travelers are expected each today. Charlotte airport officials says the busiest days will be Tuesday, November 24th and Wednesday, November 25th. In fact, that’s on top of tens of thousands of passengers thought to be connecting through the Queen City.

The Airport is Starting to Be a Very Busy Place

The airport is already a fairy busy place considering where we are in relation to recovery from the pandemic, said Charlotte Douglas’ Chief Operating Officer Jack Christine. Christine said this is going to be a very busy place over the Thanksgiving holiday.

After Thanksgiving, the Airport will Have Even More Traffic

Some of 22,000 people are expected to fly in and out of Charlotte. The Sunday after Thanksgiving could be even busier. Expected to fly in and out of Charlotte are 22,000 people.

The Travel Numbers were Higher Per Day in 2019

On those same days, last year, the travel numbers were around 33,000 per day. Though the anticipated travel numbers are down a bit from last year, but not nearly where it would be if people were listening to CDC guidance. Oh boy, here we go again! Be Afraid, Be very afraid.