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Charlotte Douglas Airport prepares flyers for busy Fourth of July travel period

CHARLOTTE, N.C. — Airport officials are advising flyers if you are heading to Charlotte Douglas this holiday weekend -- you're going to have a lot of company, which means parking lots will be full and security lines could be long.

The Transportation Security Administration said they expect 12 million passengers will be screened across the country over the Fourth of July weekend.

Charlotte-Douglas Airport said Wednesday and Sunday will be the busiest days of the July 4 travel period.

They are expecting about 31,000 people to pass through checkpoints every day.

An airport spokesperson told Channel 9 travelers should plan to arrive at least two to three hours before their flight.

Charlotte-Douglas officials said the airport has already broken its originating passenger record during the 2019 summer traveling season.

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Officials said the new record was set last month on June 21 when the airport processed 36,169 passengers through security checkpoints.

The previous record was June 30, 2017, which was the Friday before the Fourth of July. The airport said it processed 34,696 flyers through security.

The roads are expected to be busy as well as people head home from the holiday weekend -- 41 million Americans were expected to drive to visit family and friends this year.