Connecting at Charlotte airport

Connection time calculator, immigration and security, and how to move between terminals at CLT.

How connections work at CLT

At Charlotte airport, as at every airport in the United States, passengers arriving on an international flight must clear immigration (CBP) and customs, collect their checked bags and re-check them, and go through TSA security again before their connecting flight, even when both flights are on the same ticket.

The airport has 5 terminals or concourses (Concourse A, Concourse B, Concourse C, Concourse D, Concourse E). All of them are connected after security, so you do not need to clear security again to change.

Connection time calculator

Is your layover at CLT long enough? Pick your connection and get an estimate with the times of this airport.

Terminals / concourses: Concourse A, Concourse B, Concourse C, Concourse D, Concourse E

Getting between them: walkway

CLT consists of one central terminal building connecting five concourses (A through E). All gates and concourses are post-security and accessible under one roof.

  • CLT has no airside trains or shuttle buses; all transfers are on foot, so allow extra time when walking between distant concourses like A and E.
  • Domestic connecting flights do not require exiting or re-clearing security, as all five concourses are connected airside under one roof.
  • Arriving international passengers must clear CBP processing and customs, re-check baggage, and pass through TSA security before connecting.

Estimate based on typical times at this airport, not your airline's official minimum connection time. Immigration and security lines change with the time of day and season. On a single ticket, the airline must rebook you if you miss the connection; on separate tickets, it does not.

Times are estimates: always check with your airline.

TSA security wait times

Estimated wait at the security checkpoints of CLT right now. When live data is not available, it shows historical averages.

More about CLT

Airport guide Departures Arrivals