A layover at Charlotte Douglas

This page is for them. It is about the terminal — what is actually in it, where things are, and what the airport itself says about the help available. It does not tell you where to eat, because airport concessions change constantly and any list we wrote would be wrong by the time you read it. It does not tell you that you can nip into Uptown and back, because we have not verified the timings and we are not going to guess with your connection.

Everything below is what Charlotte Douglas publishes about its own terminal, attributed as such. Hours, prices and anything else that changes are linked rather than copied.

The basics

Charlotte Douglas states it handles more than 100,000 visitors each day.

WiFi is free throughout the terminal. The network is CLT Free WiFi.

Power. The airport says seating with integrated power and USB is at Gates A1–A39, B1–B16 and C2–C19, with power outlets throughout the Atrium and on all concourses. If you are on D or E and need to charge at your seat, that is worth knowing before you settle in.

The airport publishes its own advice about shared USB ports: use your own cable, keep your phone's operating system updated, and decline any prompt asking to share data. Sensible anywhere.

Food and shopping — CLT's own directory is the live list: Shop, Dine & Relax at CLT. We do not maintain a parallel list, because ours would go stale and theirs will not.

If you are travelling with a disability

Charlotte Douglas publishes a substantial accessibility section, and some of what is in it is genuinely useful to know before you arrive.

Wheelchair assistance is the airline's job, not the airport's

The airport states this plainly: wheelchair services and other disability assistance are managed by the airlines, not the airport. Contact your airline, and CLT strongly recommends doing so at least 24 hours before travel.

One detail from the airport's own page is worth reading twice if you have a tight connection:

Wheelchair transport to the gate is prioritised based on departure time, not arrival time at the airport.

Assistance meeting points are on the Ticketing/Departures level — the airport directs American Airlines passengers to Door 4, and all other airlines to Doors 1 through 3.

Airport page: Wheelchair Services

The Sunflower programme

CLT has taken part in the Hidden Disabilities Sunflower Program since 30 June 2021. The idea is simple: a sunflower-branded lanyard or item signals discreetly to staff and airport partners that you may need more time or a little help — for a disability that is not visible, such as autism, chronic pain, dementia, anxiety, low vision or hearing loss.

The airport is explicit about the terms, and they are good ones:

There are no prerequisites for asking for an item. No documentation is required to receive an item; no questions should be asked.

Items are given out at the Airport Information Desk (Departures/Ticketing), the Visitor Information Center (Arrivals/Baggage Claim), the USO Lounge (Atrium Mezzanine), The Club CLT (Concourse A Connector), by airport chaplains in blue and yellow reflective vests, and at International Arrivals/Customs.

Distribution hours differ by location and change — check the airport's page for current times.

Aira, for blind and low-vision travellers

Aira is a visual interpreting service: you connect through the app to a trained agent who describes your surroundings through your phone's camera, to help you navigate, read signage or find things.

The airport states Aira is free and unlimited while at CLT, and can be used on airport property before you reach the terminal.

Airport page: Aira at CLT

"I Speak" buttons

Staff who speak two or more languages wear bright yellow oval buttons reading "I Speak". The airport states the buttons cover 29 languages.

We have not been able to capture the list of those 29 languages from the airport's page, so we do not publish one. The airport's page is the place to check.

The advisory committee

CLT runs an ADA advisory committee, Accessible Travel CLT, led by the airport's Accessibility and Equity Team and made up of people with lived experience of accessibility. It meets quarterly and publishes its agendas and minutes — which is unusual and worth knowing if you want to raise something or see what the airport is working on.

Airport page: Accessible Travel CLT Contact: ADACoordinator@cltairport.com

If you are travelling with a baby

The airport states all restrooms are accessible, and that diaper changing stations are in all men's, women's and family restrooms in the terminal — not only the women's.

Mother's Rooms — four locations

CLT lists four, described as open to all nursing mothers at the airport, with private nursing stalls separated by privacy curtains, cushioned seating, power outlets, a diaper changing station and a sink:

Family restrooms

Near Gates A6, A24, A32, the A Connector, B4, C7, D5, E5, E15, E34; at the Plaza near the corner of Concourses D and E; in the Departures/Ticketing lobby at the United ticket counter; and at Arrivals/Baggage Claim.

Adult and universal changing stations are inside family restrooms near Gates A6 and A32, the A Connector, C7, the Departures/Ticketing lobby United ticket counter, and Arrivals/Baggage Claim at carousel 3.

Airport page: Family Restrooms & Universal Changing Stations

If you are travelling with an animal

CLT lists service animal relief areas on both sides of security.

Before security: Baggage Claim curbside; Baggage Claim near carousel 3; Baggage Claim near carousel 7.

After security: the Concourse A Connector (between Gates A1–A13 and A21–A29); Concourse E near Gate E36; the corner of Concourses D and E across from Checkpoint 3; the D/E Connector near the exit.

Airport page: Service Animal Relief Areas

And the dogs who are there to meet you

The CLT Canine Crew is a team of therapy dogs who greet passengers in the terminal. The airport states they are registered professional therapy dogs with at least six months' experience, wearing "Pet Me" vests, with handlers in CLT Canine Crew t-shirts.

If you see one, the vest is an invitation.

The chapel

There is an interfaith chapel on the third floor of the Main Terminal, past security. The chaplaincy's own directions: from the main Atrium food court, take the stairs or lift up, turn left away from the USO — the chapel is the first room on the right.

The chaplaincy describes it as holding holy books for Christians, Muslims and Jews, a kneeler, a small altar, and a dedicated area with prayer rugs and a compass for Muslim prayer.

It is run by the Airport Chaplaincy at CLT, an interfaith non-profit established in 1988 serving passengers, military personnel and airport staff.

On opening hours, we have to be honest with you. The chaplaincy's own website says the chapel is open daily from 5am to midnight. The airport's own page says it is open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Two official sources, flatly contradicting each other. We are not going to pick one and present it as fact. If the timing matters to you, check both: chaplaincy · airport

See also: Where to pray in Charlotte · Halal food in Charlotte

If you are serving, or have served

The USO North Carolina Charlotte Airport Center is on the upper level of the Atrium. It opened in September 2006 and the airport states it serves more than 125,000 service members and their families a year, with lounge seating, a family room, a snack bar, computer stations and gaming systems, and free internet and phones.

It is run by three staff and more than 250 volunteers, and is open to military ID-card holders.

Airport page: USO Lounge

Getting into the city

Taxis wait on the Arrivals/Baggage Claim outer curb, Zone 1. Six companies operate through the airport's queue: City Cab, Crown Cab, Green Cab, Yellow Cab, Orange Cab and Royal Cab. All major credit cards are accepted. Wheelchair-accessible taxis can be requested from the airport's Parking Dispatch Office.

CLT publishes a flat rate to Uptown, a flat rate for short trips near the airport, and a metered structure. We don't republish those figures — fares change, and a wrong number here is worse than no number. The airport's taxi page has the current ones.

Public transport — and there are two options, not one.

The CATS Sprinter runs between the Charlotte Transportation Center in Uptown and the airport, every 30 minutes on weekdays. CATS states the Sprinter fleet is hybrid electric and connects onward to other CATS buses, the Blue Line and the Gold Line.

Route 60 does something different and is worth knowing about: it links the airport to the Blue Line at Tyvola Station, every 30 minutes, seven days a week. If you are heading somewhere on the light rail rather than into Uptown, that is the connection.

We don't publish the fare. CATS has a fare modernisation programme under way, so any figure you find elsewhere may already be wrong. First and last departures differ by day and are on the agency's page: CATS Sprinter: Airport Connector

Paid assistance. Meet-and-greet services are available for purchase from Air General, covering arrival and departure assistance, interline transfers, baggage and porter services, and lounge access arrangements. This is a commercial third-party service, not an airport one.

See also: Getting around Charlotte

What we're not telling you, and why

We don't recommend airport restaurants. Concessions change too often for a published list to stay honest. CLT's own directory is live; ours wouldn't be.

We don't tell you whether you can leave the terminal and come back in time. That depends on your connection, your airline, security queues on the day and traffic. We haven't measured it, so we won't claim it.

We don't publish opening hours for the chapel, Sunflower distribution points or anything else that changes. Every link on this page goes to the organisation that actually knows.

Sources: Charlotte Douglas International Airport's own published pages — services and amenities (S-0763), accessibility resources and terminal amenities (S-0768–S-0774, S-0779), ground transportation (S-0775), USO (S-0776), WiFi and charging (S-0777), Canine Crew (S-0778), passenger services (S-0780); and the Airport Chaplaincy at CLT (S-0605) compared against the airport's chapel page (S-0606). All accessed and verified 2026-09-14. Every factual statement above is the airport's or the chaplaincy's own account, attributed. No hours, fares or concession lists are republished here.