Good luck. I am not trying to discourage you and I do hope it all works out but Customs and Immigration in CLT has not been good as of the last few years.

I don't know if it is just a staffing issue or what but my last 3 experiences in CLT were not good. The gentleman in the customs department in CLT is correct IF there are not any other international flights arriving around the same time. If there are 3 or more international flights arriving with yours, FORGET IT.

My personal experience has been to sit on the plane for 20-30 minutes because the immigration hall is so full there is no place for people to go. Once we got into the area then it was around an hour or more to clear and get to the luggage area.

Perhaps I missed it but what day of the week and when are you traveling?

With a group of 8, there is a reasonable chance someone will get pulled for a random check.

At this point, I would relax, take a deep breath and look at hotel options. If they indeed are giving you EACH a $275 voucher, I would find out if that is only good for travel on USAir or if you can in fact use it for a hotel.

If there are no other flight options, then there are no other flight options on USAir. Any chance you can get a full refund and book another airline?

Sadly, USAir and CLT used to be a good combination but my last several experiences have not been good.