A version of the following article appeared in the June 29, 2026, edition of The Charlotte Ledger, an e-newsletter with local business-y news and insights for Charlotte, N.C.
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Concord-Padgett Regional more than doubles passengers over past 3 years; cheaper flights, convenience fuels more locals to book
Concord-Padgett Regional Airport first opened in 1994. It’s at 9000 Aviation Blvd NW, just minutes away from Concord Mills mall. Yes, this photo is of the entire airport terminal. It’s got two gates. (Photo: Lindsey Banks/The Charlotte Ledger)
by Lindsey Banks
On Thursday, about 45 minutes before her family's flight to Florida, Henrietta Richardson and her family parked steps away from the terminal and leisurely waited to board their flight.
She didn’t need to anxiously check her watch, wait in a long security line or rush through a crowded concourse.
Instead, Richardson, her husband and their son had booked seats on an Allegiant Air flight at the Concord-Padgett Regional Airport, a small regional airport that’s becoming a popular alternative to Charlotte Douglas International Airport, particularly for Florida getaways.
“It’s not such a big hassle, and it’s more organized,” Richardson said, comparing that afternoon to the times she’s flown out of the Charlotte area’s much larger and busier airport.
In fact, the Concord airport has more than doubled its monthly passenger totals over the past three years, according to data provided by the City of Concord.
Much of that growth has come from Avelo Airlines, which launched service in Concord in May 2024 and established the airport as its operating base in March 2025. Avelo announced last week three additional routes to Florida: Fort Myers, Orlando and Tampa.
Along with Allegiant Air, which started flying at Concord in 2013, the one-runway, two-gate airport offers nonstop flights to 12 destinations, also including Fort Lauderdale and St. Pete-Clearwater in Florida; Long Island, N.Y.; Cleveland; Indianapolis; Rochester and Albany in New York; New Haven, Conn.; and San Juan, Puerto Rico.
“Our commitment to Concord is stronger than ever as we continue delivering affordable fares, a convenient and stress-free travel experience, and industry-leading reliability to Queen City customers,” Avelo Airlines Chief Marketing Officer Scott DeAngelo said in a press release announcing the new routes.
Avelo’s three new routes from Concord will fly with Boeing Next-Generation 737s, two-engine, narrow-body jet airliners. (Photo courtesy of Avelo Airlines)
Additionally, Sun Country Airlines, which was recently bought by Allegiant, operates chartered flights to multiple Caesars Entertainment destinations, like casinos and hotels in Atlantic City, N.J., and Reno, Nev.
At Concord, monthly commercial traffic has climbed about 138% over the past four years, with a significant jump after Avelo set up shop in 2024:
May 2023: 19,314 passengers, across 180 flights
May 2024: 18,123 passengers, across 177 flights
May 2025: 30,044 passengers, across 263 flights
May 2026: 45,948 passengers, across 374 flights
The airport now has 245 based aircraft (including privately owned aircraft) and records about 87,000 annual landings and takeoffs across private and commercial aircraft, according to a 2025 economic impact report from the N.C. Department of Transportation’s aviation division.
It’s still far smaller than Charlotte’s airport, which reported about 19 million local passengers in 2025 and about 54 million if you include connecting passengers. CLT had about 574,000 takeoffs and landings in 2025.
City officials also credit the airport’s rise to Concord’s rapid population growth, proximity to Interstate 85 and nearby attractions like the Charlotte Motor Speedway and Concord Mills.
And although Allegiant and Avelo share a single terminal that doesn’t have fast food options or jet bridges for loading, passengers say it doesn’t outweigh the convenience of flying out of Concord-Padgett Regional (which has a head-scratching airport code of JQF).
Saving money
Cost seems to be the main reason more local travelers are making the drive to Concord. Husband-and-wife Mia and Bryce, who were on the same flight as the Richardsons to Florida for a beach vacation, traveled 40 minutes from their home in Matthews for a cheaper flight.
The airport is known for its low-cost carriers, with one-way fares typically running from $40 to $85, depending on destination and travel dates. Avelo’s three new routes to Fort Myers, Orlando and Tampa are being advertised with fares starting at $49. According to a Ledger search, a round-trip booking with Avelo from Concord to Orlando (MCO) for a weekend trip in late November currently costs about $220. For comparison, the same trip booked on American Airlines at Charlotte Douglas would cost about $500.
Mia said she still flies out of Charlotte Douglas for business trips because it has more flight times and destinations, but she prefers Concord for leisure trips to Florida whenever possible.
Saving time
Parking at Concord-Padgett Regional is also straightforward. The airport’s single commercial terminal sits directly across from its parking lot, which is open to both overnight and drop-off parking. It’s free for the first hour, and daily parking is $15 (up from $14 starting July 1).
"It's just less stress," Bryce said. "It's cheaper and more convenient. You can just park and walk over."
Charlotte Douglas asks travelers to purchase a parking pass online ahead of time. It currently charges $14 a day to park in its long-term parking lots, or $28 a day in the daily deck. A shuttle is required to get from both parking areas to the terminal.
“[At Charlotte,] you’ve got to find a place to park and then take the bus to the airport, then you have to go through a long security line — it’s just more navigation,” Richardson said.
Her son, Brandon, said the airport’s smaller size also makes the experience less stressful.
“People like the convenience,” he said. “You don’t have the headache of long lines, just in general. Like even the food lines at Charlotte are long.”
The shorter walks were especially important for his father last week, who recently had knee surgery.
Because of that, the Richardsons say they only need to arrive 45 minutes to an hour before a Concord departure, instead of the recommended two hours at CLT.
And as for the lack of Bojangles or concourse breweries, Brandon said that in the time they saved not having to wait for a shuttle from the parking lot or go through long security lines, his parents kicked off their vacation with a nice brunch at Another Broken Egg Cafe in Concord before they headed to the airport.
Lindsey Banks is assistant editor for The Charlotte Ledger. Reach her at [email protected].