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| - It's about time that I write my review for my home base airport, Charlotte Douglas International Airport. To preface, I am somewhat biased because I live here and I've seen the explosion of growth throughout the last 20 years and what this airport has become. I remember when there were dilapidated buildings, shady areas around the airport and overall the area looked depressing and uninviting. However, now CLT offers a great improvement on parking, daily, long term and valet. The airport signs are still a bit confusing unless you used to them and know exactly where to go. The look and feel of the outside terminal and surround area has received a much needed upgrade even though I really miss how Queen Charlotte looked so stoically over the airport.
Once you get inside the terminal, the signage and security gates are well marked and if you're TSA pre check then it's a breeze, on the other hand, regular security is tedious, long, and somewhat intrusive but that's the price you pay for being safe or having the presumption of being safe. The ticket counters have mostly been replaced by DIY self check in which seems to cut down on wait times and you can weigh your bags to make sure you not over the weight limit. Charlotte Douglas has greatly improved the selection of shops and restaurants over the years and the decor inside is more modern and up to date. As always, when you're at CLT, you feel like you at home with the well placed seating, rocking chairs and big open spaces. Getting from gate to gate is mostly a breeze unless your connecting flight is minutes apart then it seems like an eternity to make your next flight.
When you make it back home to CLT, you'll see the baggage claim area has seen some minor upgrades, but nothing spectacular, I really hated the ugly carpet which has renovated and now replaced with clean tile. They got rid of the rental car counters which has opened the space a lot and made it look less cluttered. Again, my review is somewhat biased because I live here and I take a lot of pride in my city but Charlotte Douglas has earned it 4 star rating.
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