Charlotte airport hopes this new traffic change will help ease congestion
Drivers for Uber, Lyft and other rideshare services heading to or from Charlotte’s airport will have to adjust to a new routine.
Starting at 5 a.m. Thursday, rideshares will be relocating to the inner lane of the upper-level departures areas for drop-offs and pick-ups, Charlotte Douglas International Airport announced Wednesday via X. CLT said it made the change to improve traffic flow, operations and make better use of available curb space, the airport tweeted.
Drivers using their own vehicles will use the outer lanes on both the upper and lower levels, the airport added.
Charlotte Douglas did not release any additional information about the rideshare relocation beyond the start time.
Getting to and from the airport has not been easy for drivers and passengers in recent years, especially around the holidays, spring break and other peak times.
The airport has worked to address this in a number of ways. It aimed to fix road congestion issues by opening three inner roadway lanes in late November on the departure level.
In July, the Charlotte airport opened two skybridges connecting the hourly parking deck to the terminal and the mezzanine in the lobby.
These bridges offer an alternative to avoid traffic congestion when dropping off passengers at the upper deck departures area. It’s also helps with traffic conditions with fewer people trying to cross on lower levels.
Pick-up, drop-off and other transportation directions are available online at cltairport.com under the “To & From” tab.
More on Charlotte’s airport
CLT is the seventh busiest airport in the world for arrivals and departures, according to Airports Council International.
Last year, over 58.8 million passengers traveled through CLT. Charlotte Douglas broke the 2023 record of 53.4 million last year.
The majority of these passengers are served by American Airlines, which accounts for about 90% of flights. Charlotte Douglas is the second largest hub for the Fort Worth, Texas-based company.
This story was originally published April 2, 2025 at 11:48 AM with the headline "Charlotte airport hopes this new traffic change will help ease congestion."
