‘Just not right’: Conover woman speaks out after 13-hour travel nightmare at CLT Airport

CHARLOTTE, N.C. (WBTV) — After a 13-hour stint at Charlotte Airport, a woman from Conover shared her story, hoping to provoke change at Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

Coreana Minton’s travel nightmare started in the parking lot of the Charlotte airport on May 16. She was headed to Boston to help her niece get ready for prom. But when she pulled up to her usual Long Term Parking lot, she realized parking at the airport had changed.

“There was a gentleman there working, and he said, Do you have a reservation? And I said ‘No.’ And he said, ‘Well, then you’ll have to park up at the hourly,’” recounted Minton.

The hourly lot was an unexpected expense, as the total was more than double what she expected to pay for long-term parking.

“That’s just not right,” she said, “If I’d known that I needed to make a reservation, I would have made a reservation.”

Hours later, her 7:00 p.m. flight was delayed until it was finally canceled at 10:30 p.m.

“I decided I’ll go try all the different airlines. There was nobody there at 10:30 at night, Delta. American, there was nobody there, and so I was like, well, I guess I’m just gonna have to get on my phone and just try and find flight myself,” she said.

She found a flight for 6:30 a.m. the next morning but then had to exit the terminal to deal with her checked bag.

She explained, “I have to go get my bag because my flight can’t leave until six o’clock the next morning. It’s an hour drive for me by this time. It’s 11 o’clock at night.”

By then, TSA was closed, so she found a spot in the baggage claim area and dozed off. But in the middle of the night, she woke up realizing she was head-to-head with a person experiencing homelessness.

“It was scary for me as a single woman flying by myself,” she said, “Sadly, there were a lot of homeless people that were there, and it made me feel a little uneasy because there really weren’t any workers. There was no customer service. There was no security that I saw…I think that they need to address the safety concerns.”

As of July 1, Charlotte Douglas International Airport implemented a new policy: Airport Premises Access Policy. It states the airport only grants “authorized access to those who are on CLT property for aviation business purposes.” The airport said they are working with local organization Hearts for the Invisible Charlotte Coalition “to support any unhoused individuals at the airport.”

Minton’s experience was before the policy change, so she reached out to customer service about her safety concerns, as well as her frustration about parking and the lengthy delays.

“That was on June 3, and I still have not heard from anybody about my concerns or anything like that,” she said.

The City of Charlotte’s recently approved budget shows by June 2025, the airport anticipates $120 million in revenue from parking alone. That’s a 20 percent increase from 2024 before accounting for the jump in parking prices. But fliers like Minton want to know where all that money is going.

A spokesperson from the airport told WBTV there are “no current plans for adding long-term parking lot spaces.” When asked about reservations needed for long-term lots, the spokesperson said Lot 2 has both pre-booking and drive-up options, but while WBTV was at the airport Thursday, Lot 2 was closed.

The spokesperson also addressed how long customers should expect before hearing back from their feedback form.

“Responses to the feedback form may vary based on subject matter. CLT strives to respond as quickly as possible. There may be questions that require additional research or to be directed to a partner organization. There are many service providers that operate at CLT, and travelers may find the information they’re seeking right away by [clicking here].”

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