It's no secret that parking is tight at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT). That's why travelers are being encouraged to carpool or be dropped off at the airport.

The airport has approximately 20,400 public parking spaces, however, the growth of airline travel is rapidly increasing.

In June 2005, Charlotte Douglas opened a 3,000 space parking deck to meet the demand.

Construction started on a companion deck, which is also 3,000 spaces, on January 15, 2006.

Other conveniences that may assist travelers with parking at the airport include the cell phone lot.

The 57-space cell phone lot is located on Rental Car Road and is designed for customers to wait in their vehicle so that passengers can contact them via cell phone when they arrive. Customers can access the lot from Josh Birmingham Parkway by following signage to the rental car return area, then turning left at the stop sign. The cell phone lot is located immediately left and is free of charge.

Curbside Valet is also available. Simply drop your vehicle off at the east end of the Ticketing Level with the valet representative for parking. Upon your return, come back to the Curbside Valet location to pick up your vehicle.

Rates are $4.00 for the first thirty minutes, $1.00 each additional hour with a maximum daily rate of $19.00.

Additionally, CATS provides daily service to the airport via the transit center on Route 5.

Numerous taxi and ground transportation companies also serve the airport. A listing of these companies can be found at www.charlotteairport.com.

For those travelers who still choose to drive to the airport, CLT recommends that you allow extra time for parking since lots, including overflow lots, are expected to fill to capacity quickly.