Buckle up. Charlotte Douglas International Airport predicts this year's spring break could be the busiest one yet. Forecasts show passenger volumes 15% higher from last year. The busiest travel days are expected to be:

Thursday, March 28
Friday, March 29
Monday, April 1

The airport is preparing for possible record-breaking crowds by having additional staff on-hand, wearing easy-to-spot yellow vests to help passengers. Shuttle buses will also take alternate routes to alleviate traffic congestion for departures.

Passengers can access all gates from any checkpoint once cleared through TSA at Charlotte Douglas. | Photo by CLTairport

Air travel isn't entirely in our control, but extra time and proper planning could make the difference in avoiding a stressful trip.

Before you enjoy high tides and good vibes, Charlotte Douglas recommends you don't wing it.

Hoping for smooth skies? Here are our top travel tips:

Book parking when booking your flight. Reserve parking to get the best spot at the lowest rate.
Arrive at least two hours before a domestic flight and three hours before an international flight to comfortably make it through TSA.
Monitor shuttle bus wait times and security wait times online or in the airport's app.

Charlotte’s airport ranked the seventh-busiest worldwide according to Airport Council International. | Photo by CLTairport

Catch flights, break records. Charlotte Douglas broke travel records last year with more than 53 million passengers catching flights from the Queen City. The airport reported a 12% increase in passengers from 2022, when 47 million travelers came to the airport. It was also 6.5% higher than the previous record of 50+ million passengers, set in 2019.