CHARLOTTE – One of the checkpoints at Charlotte Douglas International Airport was closed Wednesday morning due to police activity over an unattended bag.
The airport sent out a warning around 9:30 a.m. that Checkpoint C was closed and passengers should go to Checkpoint A for pre-screening. Shortly after 10 a.m., the airport announced that the checkpoint had reopened and operations had returned to normal.
Charlotte-Mecklenburg Police initially said the closure was due to an investigation into a “suspicious package.” Within about 10 minutes The department sent out another update I said the package was an unattended bag.
The brief delay came as the airport expects a surge in leisure travelers, but the closure did not appear to have an impact on flights.
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Police expected traffic delays around the airport Wednesday morning, and a Channel 9 photojournalist spotted traffic jams near the airport's arrivals area.
'It's a nightmare'
That hasn't helped the flood of passengers trying to get to their gates after the airport reopened.
“I'm angry and angry,” said Gi Persaud, who was stuck in a pedestrian queue on Wednesday morning. “There is a line to get in here, there are lines everywhere. I'm lucky I was able to park. I could miss my flight, everyone here could miss their flight.”
Some passengers told us their flights were rerouted, such as one to Tulsa that was delayed about four hours at 2:27 p.m
“This is ridiculous, difficult to achieve,” O'Donald McCain said.
Others arrived two hours early for their flights and still encountered roadblocks.
“It’s kind of a nightmare,” Louise Ravosa said.
Half an hour before boarding, Ravosa and her husband had still not passed security. Finally they lined up for their flight.
Police said they eventually found the owner of the unattended bag but hope a similar incident does not happen again as millions of people still wait to board a flight for Christmas.
(WATCH: Charlotte Airport working on travel solutions for holiday season)
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