content: Thoroughly impressed with this airport. \n\nNot that I'm some great world traveler, but all the more reason.  See, when I booked my virgin transatlantic flight (yes, virgin with a lower case v--as in, I was popping my passport cherry; not capital V, as in going on the airline), I needed an airport that wouldn't drive me batty with traffic.  As fun as it would have been to fly through a big name airport like JFK or LaGuardia, I think I might have regretted it.  In fact, on the return leg, I was even more grateful.  \n\nBeing a noob, I took to the interweb for advice.  I had read in some online travel blog about how I should book 3 hours between connecting flights for the first stop back on US soil to get through customs, get to the new plane, blah, blah, blah.  I read that Charlotte was well organized. My flight only gave me two hours and change BUT there was a later one on the same airline to the same destination if I should happen to miss my connection.  So I felt okay about it. \n\nWhen we touched down on US soil, the flight attendants made an announcement that a Lufthansa flight had also just touched down and that their plane was MUCH larger than ours and that we should head the heck out ASAP if we have connections to get. Panicked, we all made a run for it to customs but were too late.  Stupid Lufthansa people.  As we stood sulking in line, we realized how quickly the line was moving.  Customs agents throughout the room made sure that travelers were in the correct customs lines (\""US and Canadian passengers ONLY on the LEFT--EVERYONE ELSE ON THE RIGHT\"").  They came through the line to make sure everyone in line had their documents and KEPT THEM OUT instead of tucking them in some side pocket of some suitcase somewhere only to waste time fumbling for it later. Finally, they segregated people into mini-lines for customs agents to be screened.  All told, we stood in line (behind Lufthansa even!) for just 15 minutes. Take that JFK.  \n\nI might even add that unlike most airport staff, the folks here even seemed to be a bit friendlier.  Customs agents smiled and played with babies.  Volunteers standing in corridors handed us free luggage tags.  Airports of the world could take a lesson from Charlotte-Douglas, I think...