cltcane

That takes me back. Good times there and at Tutto Mondo in the mid-to-late 2000s.

Off the Square?

Does the awful “UPTOWN 550” signage ruin this for anyone else? Makes this building go from classy to cheap, IMO.

The other international lounges, as LKN704 noted, aren’t directly operated by American Express (at least as far as I’ve been told). That’s why they aren’t listed on the Centurion Lounge website and why amenities vary from lounge to lounge. Regardless, these are all great lounges and are definitely worth a visit. I’m super exited to be getting one in CLT after years of wishing AmEx would consider us due to our AA hub.

Perfect explanation, LKN704. I am in the MEX lounge often and have visited a couple of the others. While definitely very nice and well above average, the international American Express Lounges/Centurion Clubs aren’t the same as the ‘official’ Centurion Lounges, which offer significantly better (free) food and drink options. The Centurion Lounges are by far the best non-airline lounges in the US and rival the best airline business class lounges in the world; however they get EXTREMELY crowded. Luckily AmEx has realized the need for larger lounges and is limiting the number of guests allowed, so hopefully that will ultimately result in a more relaxing and productive lounge experience. I may start getting to CLT early in 2020.

And it looks worse in person.

It could be a test of the market, but I agree, unfortunately. Rountrip fares from CLT to GDL on AA (with a connection on DFW) are routinely $600 while Volaris is offering $300 fares. This looks like a clear move by AA to defend their home turf and limit competition from CLT to Mexico by sticking an underutilized A319 on a route for a few months to run Volaris off. I could be wrong, but unless CLT-GDL performs really well, I wouldn’t count on it sticking around or coming back if Volaris throws in the towel after a four month fight with AA. All that said, here’s to hoping that Volaris stays and AA adds the route year-round!

My thought exactly. That’s why I’m concerned.

I was going to ask. Please tell me those exposed areas are going to be painted. I’ll even take beige and won’t complain.

$1.00

I don’t mind the green glass so much, but the blue roofs (on A-North, D, and E) make the airport look cheap IMO, almost like a secondary airport or a LCC terminal.

CLT has been and probably always will be the red-headed stepchild of AA hubs. All other hubs with the exception of PHX have or are getting the beautiful new Flagship lounges which, in my opinion, hold their own against the best business class lounges in the world, and all other hubs have or are getting fully renovated Admirals Clubs. Meanwhile, I think the old US Airways Clubs at CLT got new carpet? No announced plans for any further renovations to existing clubs or a badly-needed new club on E. But, hey, we have more non-stops to more destinations than any city our size (and many that are much larger), and AA has plans to keep expanding here, so that’s a win in my book. It would be nice if AA management at least made us feel like CLT is good for something other than cheaply routing price-conscious leisure travelers to Florida, though.

Still a hideous accent color for a high-rise, especially when it’s painted on cheap building materials. I have zero confidence this will turn out well. I like the (current) height of the tower and the too-small amount of retail space facing the park but almost nothing else about this project. Plus we all know there’s a very good chance this thing gets value-engineered.

I really hope someone rethinks the color. This is one instance where I would rather have good ol’ Charlotte beige. 33 floors of mustard yellow EFIS is basically my worst nightmare.

A view from the other direction. Construction crew showing no signs of slowing down at 6 pm today.

Likely wetting abestos building materials so fibers don’t become airborne during demolition.

Please tell me they are going to do something to screen this beige beast.

I just miss The Powder Keg (the log flume ride). My family had season passes to Carowinds when I was a kid, and that was always one of my favorite rides, especially on a hot summer day.

I actually think we should paint a parking deck like this. 90s Charlotte Hornets realness.

Yes, it looks like a replacement for the black box Duke Energy Theater (one of my favorites in town) is thankfully part of the proposed master plan. It’s currently located directly behind the McGlohon Theater (original old First Baptist Church building) in the L-shaped portion of the proposed main library footprint. Charlotte has too few performing arts venues as it is, so I’m glad to see we’re (hopefully) not losing another.

I hate to be a pessimist again, but... - 3rd Daily LHR: Not likely. There are no available slots at LHR even if AA wanted to add another flight. BA also has no incentive to resume service due to the JV. - Year-Round Madrid: Possible, but AA seems content routing passengers to destinations it doesn’t serve in Europe through LHR. - HEL: No. HEL is good for connecting passengers from Europe to Asia and vice versa, but that’s about it. Unless you’re going to Russia or the Baltics from the US, HEL involves overflying LHR and backtracking to almost all JV partner Finnair’s destinations. AA is also not going to flow passengers heading to Asia through HEL when it has flights to most major Asian cities from DFW/ORD/LAX, a Pacific JV with JAL, and a new partnership and equity stake in China Southern. Plus, AA doesn’t serve HEL from any hub, and Finnair only serves JFK Year-round (ORD and MIA are seasonal). - Berlin: No. First, AirBerlin went bankrupt and has been sold off in pieces. Second, Charlotte has few companies from that part of Germany. Third, I don’t see any US carriers adding service to Berlin until the new, massively-delayed Berlin Brandenburg airport opens (at best) in 2021+. Ted Reed lives in Charlotte and used to work for US Airways. While I’m a huge CLT fanboy, I take his reporting with a grain of salt.

Call me a pessimist (and I admit I could be totally wrong since I have no insider knowledge of this particular project), but it would not surprise me one bit if Don Peebles is our next Daniel Levine / Clay Grubb.

Looks like the Embassy Suites’ ugly stepsister. I think I would rather look at the parking deck. Why do we let crap like this get built? On a happier note, Merry Christmas, y’all!

As proud Miami graduate who started the local alumni chapter when I moved back to Charlotte, I would take offense to you saying the win tonight is bad news, but you are correct. 'Canes fans don't typically travel well - partly because Miami (and NYC where most of the rest of us live) aren't within driving distance of the other ACC schools and partly because a day on the beach or a boat in sunny, 80+ degree weather in South Florida in the fall/winter is much more appealing than almost all other options. Regardless, I'm excited to (hopefully) finally play host to all my college friends who will fly in for the game and prove to them that Charlotte is more than a place they have to connect when flying AA.

I know I'm in the minority here, but I can't wait for these temporary bike lanes to be removed, and I really hope permanent lanes are not added on 6th. For those of us who rely on residential street parking in Fourth Ward, losing 20ish parking spots is a huge deal when there already aren't enough spaces. Plus, I don't want to have to start dodging speeding, red light-running, non-yielding cars AND bikes while walking to and from work.