Charlotte Airport On This ‘Worst’ List
This is not the news I wanted to hear with an impending trip to Texas (and my wife to California) on the horizon. Charlotte Douglas Airport is on the ‘worst’ list for on-time departures. So, if you were thinking, “It must be me. Every time I try to get out of town, my flight gets delayed/canceled. It’s not you. You’re not alone.
Ranking 69th out of 100 for on-time departures last year, unfortunately Charlotte Douglas Airport is on the worst list for on-time departures. Now before we pile on too hard, the airport is not alone in its departure futility. The facility is part of the national trend. In fairness, things reached their low in December of 2022 (when Southwest Airlines had their colossal meltdown with 70% departure failure), but have since been on an upswing.
According to the latest transportation data, Charlotte Douglas Airport had 79.3% of flights departing Charlotte on time in 2023. This is not far off from the airport’s pre-pandemic average of 79.5%. Further, by the end of December, flights departing on-time were at an 82% clip. However, this was not enough as Charlotte Douglas Airport is on the worst list for on-time departures.
Charlotte Douglas Airport is among the busiest in the world with more than 53 million passengers passing through in the last year. Also, with Charlotte being a hub, 90% of its travelers are supplied by American Airlines. The airport is the second largest hub for the airline (behind Dallas). Passenger volume is large. And yes, some uncontrollable factors like weather can affect departure performance. That being said, there are signs Chalotte Douglas Airport on the worst list for on-time departures is coming to an end.
American Airlines on-time departure performance improved 25%, year-to-year in December. Check. ‘Spring Break’ passenger traffic is forecast to be up by 15% compared to last year, with March 28-29 and April 1 the busiest days. Perhaps once that data is analyzed Charlotte Douglas Airport on the worst list for on-time departures will be a thing of the past, and a spot on the ‘best’ list will be in the present and future.
Here's Everywhere You Can Fly Directly To Using Frontier Airlines' All You Can Fly Pass From North Carolina
You’ve probably heard about Frontier Airlines’ all you can fly pass. For just $299 you can get unlimited flights from Sept 2, 2023 – Feb 29, 2024. Or you can purchase a monthly pass for $149 per month or an annual one for $1,999. But what does it include? And where can you actually fly on Frontier from North Carolina?
The pass includes the following according to Frontier’s website:
- An unlimited number of flights
- Access to Frontier’s domestic and international destinations
- Travel that will keep your miles from expiring
- Get confirmed bookings the day before flight departure for domestic travel and starting 10 days before flight departure for international travel
- Ability to use your Elite Status for FREE bags and seats.
Not bad right? But still, is that price worth it? You’d have to either already travel a lot or have the desire to start to travel often to get the most bang for your buck. Frontier, a budget airline, is already fairly cheap to fly with some flights just $39 or a similar price point. Of course, there are added fees for bags, refreshments, etc. But for some people, it’s worth it. This deal though, isn’t worth it if it won’t get you to destinations you want or need to travel to. So where does Frontier go from North Carolina? The answer is 23 different destinations. Most are on the east coast, but a few are out west as well as two international destinations. Of course, you could also book a connecting flight to other places as well. But for this list, we are sticking with direct flights.
These flights leave from either Charlotte or Raleigh. Raleigh offers a greater selection of destinations. But even from Charlotte, it’s not a terrible place to fly out of. The drive is less than 3 hours. And RDU is a smaller airport. When I have flown out of there security has been a breeze. The terminals are fairly small so you won’t have long walks to your gate either. So if you’re considering purchasing the Frontier Airlines’ All You Can Fly Pass and live in North Carolina, check out all the destinations it could get you to.
Charlie Nance is the Afternoon Drive co-host (along with his wife) of "The Charlie and Debbie Show" at WSOC, Country 1037 in Charlotte, North Carolina. The couple have been with the radio station since 2006. Charlie has won the prestigious CMA (Country Music Association) Award for Radio Personality of the Year and has been a finalist for the Country Radio Hall of Fame four times. Prior to his time in Charlotte, Charlie (along with Debbie) spent more than a decade hosting successful morning radio shows in Greenville, SC; Augusta, Ga; and Birmingham, Al. As a content creator for Country 1037, Charlie writes about dream lottery windfalls, sports, restaurants and bars, and travel experiences in North and South Carolina.
