Our family LOVES traveling!!!  We especially enjoy it if we are able to get a reasonable priced flight out of the nearest airport, Greenville, SC (GSP).  If we cannot get a flight out of Greenville then Charlotte International Airport CLT is our next airport of choice.  Charlotte is not too far from Greenville and often has great tickets.  We try to always leave a little bit earlier than we anticipate because with traffic and the occasional rain shower it can slow you down.  Plus we typically park in the long term parking and catch the shuttle to the airport so that takes  a little more time then a quick drop off at the airport.

On our last two big trips we flew out of Charlotte International Airport CLT.  One of our trips was up to New England and the Midwest and our most recent trip from Charlotte was to Anchorage, Alaska.  Brina and Karlie went to their last day of their Robotics and Software Computer Game Programming Camp at the Roper Mountain Science Camp while Jake and I tackled the last few items we needed to get done at work.  I came home from work, picked up Jake, and then we picked up the girls from camp on our way to the airport.  Traffic was pretty good and we only had a few sprinkles of rain on the way to Charlotte so we made good time, despite our unscheduled potty break stop a couple exits before the airport.  Jake was able to wrap up more work items and a couple calls on the way to the airport as I drove.

We quickly found out that the Charlotte airport can be a little busy on Friday afternoons and evenings.  It took us longer than normal to find a parking spot in long term parking.  We were beginning to think the lot was completely full, but we found one eventually near the end of the lot.  Once we found a spot to park and got all our luggage out of the van we immediately made our way to the canopy to wait for the next bus to arrive.  Thankfully they have a bus pick up people every few minutes.  The first bus that arrived at our canopy location was completely full so we had to wait for the next bus which we could see coming down the road.  They had a bus probably every 2 to 6 minutes going through the parking lot.

The long term parking bus drops you off at the basement level and directly across the walkway from the check in counters.  Once you get into the airport you’ll need to take either the escalators, stairs, or elevator up to the 2nd floor to check into your airline and drop off your luggage.

We’ve had great experience even during the busier times of getting through the check-in lines fairly quickly and smoothly.  You can go through any of the TSA check points because all the terminals merge immediately after the check points.  We typically pick the TSA line with the shortest line or one with the most open lines at the time.  As long as you follow the TSA guidelines (take off your shoes if over 12 years old, no liquids, etc….) you should get through pretty quickly.  The terminals are well marked and easy to get to as well.  If you are looking for a snack, drink, or restrooms they have a number of options and locations just outside the main terminals as well as along the terminals.

It can get crowded at times, but we’ve always had good luck flying out of Charlotte.  The employees are friendly, professional, and do their best to get you on and off your plane in a timely manner.  They do not have any control over the weather, but otherwise we’ve had no issues.  Thankfully this flight was the same.  Quick, easy, and on time!  Thank you CLT!

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