The load factors are so tight virtually everywhere to virtually anywhere it takes not that much anywhere to seriously impact the entire schedule. Not to mention AA retired too many airframes and retired or furloughed too many flight-related people of all categories. Not to mention the Boeing FAA 787 certifications delays that drag on compound the availability problem. (With no apparent explanation why or clarity what the FAA is looking for from Boeing. But still blocking delivery of airframes that were presumed to be delivered by now and calculated into the schedule).

My AA Non-Rev friends tell me this is the tightest they have ever seen availability. They have largely taken to buying any on carrier just to be able to plan trips.

My question is of course, why didn't you take a nonstop MCO-PHL flight? That would have avoided CLT.

Secondly, nothing in the OP sounds like a meltdown, sounds like business as usual for CLT, or nearly any other hub, on a weekend night. I've had long taxi times at CLT quite often; more often than not. Every hub has long lines for customer service nearly every night. I've seen lines at DFW that stretched so long that they looked to be 250 or more.

Now that AUS has more nonstop flights, I try to use them and avoid going through a hub.

Same thing happened to us a few years ago. Apparently the entire east coast diverted to CLT on the same day we were trying to make a tight connection for an onward flight to CDG. We landed on time and were still waiting on a taxiway at the time that the next flight was supposed to depart. But that flight was also delayed, so we ended up making it.

Thunderstorms caused a ground stop at CLT from 2:15 to 4 pm yesterday. Plenty of flights also diverted to other airports. That’s not something they could fix in a couple of hours even if the weather was “fine” later in the evening.
I was in the international baggage area for two hours yesterday waiting to get my bags. My connecting flight was delayed by an hour because while the incoming aircraft landed before the thunderstorms, ground crews couldn’t be outside for two hours. When we arrived at RDU we had to wait for a gate because the same thunderstorm had caused ground stops there later in the afternoon and they were still trying to get diverted flights off the ground and onto CLT.

In April when I had a connection in CLT, we lost our crew to another flight (we think they flew to MCO for the warm weather down there ), but AA yanked the crew from the PHL flight to fly our BWI flight. . End the day with a 1 hour delay.

CLT meltdowns even on a good day, the airport cannot handle the amount of traffic AA throws at it.

The whole system is melting down today.

Looks just like the usual SNAFU.

or in this case... SNAAFU

The whole system except CLT, that is.

The connection was cheaper. It was $350 as is, purchased over a month ahead. Big difference by day of the week

I just suggest to people to avoid a short connection in CLT now. AA is able to command very high yields from CLT so they've built it up, but the taxiways can't handle it, so one hiccup causes us to arrive a few minutes late. A 777 had pushed off our gate, and they naturally tend to take longer to get out. Then the gate area has to be reconfigured for a narrowbody, meaning carts and equipment has to be moved. We finally block in 15 minutes late. CPB is a mess, and then I get out to see the TSA line is all way down the main ticketing concourse. ORD operates better than CLT does now.

Oops, the FAA is delaying flights to Charleville Australia instead.

I am flying FLL-CLT-ATL tomorrow - I have a fair bit of time and I need the segments. I used to qualify mainly on stuff like MIA-LHR-DXB in F - never had a problem but with the new rules - I will be at exec plat loyalty point wise this week, but as of today I only have 17 segments.
Doesn't look like CLT should be any worse tomorrow than a normal day.

I don't think that AA has been able to command a yield premium from CLT. They have a cost advantage there and it is well located along the eastern coast as a connecting point.