cltcane

Spirit and Frontier, the other ULCCs (ultra-low-cost carriers), have both moved away from serving secondary airports with only a few remaining exceptions and are now adding flights at major airports, including a number of legacy airline hubs, so I don't think it's likely Spirit would choose USA (I'm still embarrassed Concord chose this IATA code) over CLT. I also don't see Frontier moving their flights from CLT unless they plan to expand operations here and gate space becomes an issue short-term or if Concord offers some major incentives. In my opinion, more likely candidates would be ViaAir moving their Beckley, WV and St. Augustine, FL flights to USA or Ultimate Air Shuttle moving from the Wilson Air Center at CLT since they almost exclusively serve private aviation airports. I do think it is likely Allegiant expands at USA, though, and I think a LAS flight would do very well.

No, and technically flight attendants aren't supposed to serve pre-departure beverages in first/business class on flights departing from NC airports before noon on Sundays either.

Tempur-Pedic is opening a 'flagship' store in the former American Apparel space near the main entrance. Forgive the cliche, but snooze. http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/biz-columns-blogs/whats-in-store/article78918472.html Also, I don't buy expensive clothes, but it would be nice to see SouthPark attract some premium brands that also have a men's line. All we seem to get are women's and accessory brands. And apparently mattress stores in prime locations. Is this for the husbands/boyfriends who get dragged along on shopping trips so they have a comfortable place to nap while their wives/girlfriends shop at all our women's 'athleisure' stores?

Better than no expansion (or cutting flights)! Elevated gates at the end of the E expansion will also be able to accommodate the Republic E170s/175s, potentially freeing up a few gates on C for more mainline flights. The only problem is that the ramp between D and E is already a bottleneck-filled nightmare which is only going to get worse with an additional 13 aircraft taxiing to and from those new gates during banks.

Many airlines are going 3-3-3 on their 787s, unfortunately. JAL is one exception, and their 787s are awesome, even in regular economy. AA's seating isn't overly spacious in terms of seat width or leg room, but it's not terrible, especially in MCE (and quite nice if you can get an aisle seat in the bulkhead row). Granted I am only 5'7" and 130 lbs.

I'm not a fan of 3-4-3 / 3-3-3 seating on the 777s / 787s either, but I'm really liking the interior finishes and features on all their new and reconfigured widebody international aircraft. AA has definitely stepped up its game on product (the food in economy has, in my opinion, gotten better recently too), and I no longer avoid AA when there is an option to fly on another oneworld carrier. Now service consistency just needs to improve. I'm excited for the rollout of premium economy as well, although I'm sure it won't be free for Platinum members like MCE currently is.

$120 million compared to $62 million (in 1992 dollars) for the Blumenthal PAC complex (Belk Theater, Booth Playhouse, and Stage Door Theater) , $48 million for DPAC, and $78 for the upcoming Steven Tanger Center in Greensboro. It is a beautiful building, though. And I would be fully supportive of a neo-classical design for a entirely new courthouse on a different site. I'm not saying it can't work for the annex, but it will have to be designed and built to look like an original extension of the courthouse, not a 21st century addition, for it not to look awkward in my opinion.

The issue with another neo-classical building is that if it is not executed well (which costs a lot of money), it could very well look like a cheap knock-off of the original. I would much rather the architect incorporate design details inspired by the existing courthouse and do something completely different. It doesn't have to be as ultra-modern as the SLC courthouse (I've always been a fan of modern architecture, but I know not everyone is), but a sleek contemporary building would provide a nice juxtaposition and highlight architectural details of the current Jonas Courthouse.

At least it's better than sitting in traffic in Miami. It may not be the most convenient setup, but having Metro service to the airport is incredibly convenient, especially if you live in Brickell or Downtown within walking distance of a Metromover stop. I always use the Metro to and from MIA now. And speaking of, I'll be in Miami next weekend. Shall we 'Make It A Double' one afternoon?

The new 10-story federal courthouse in Salt Lake City (which I'm a big fan of, by the way) is approximately 200' tall. I like that the architect (Thomas Phifer, who also designed the NC Museum of Art in Raleigh) decided to go ultra-modern but took inspiration from the adjacent 1905 courthouse so the new building complemented the old. http://www.architectmagazine.com/design/buildings/united-states-courthouse-designed-by-thomas-phifer-and-partners_o http://www.archdaily.com/588373/united-states-courthouse-salt-lake-city-thomas-phifer-and-partners

Granted this is a very limited sample, but I've taken the Sprinter a handful of times when I wasn't in a hurry just for the experience, and each time I was one of the only passengers (if not the only one) coming from or going to the airport. There never seem to be many people waiting at the CLT Sprinter stop, and those who are are mostly airport employees. I do think fixed-rail service would boost CATS ridership to the airport (there is still an unfortunate stigma that buses, even specially-marketed, limited-stop ones, are for poor, non-white people - I was also one of VERY few white people on the Sprinter the times I've taken it), but as long as private transportation to and parking at the airport are cheap, a large majority of flyers are going to chose taking an Uber/taxi or driving instead of using public transit. In my opinion, the real value of a westward expansion of the Silver Line is providing additional connectivity to/from westside neighborhoods and spurring (re)development along a largely ignored corridor that has a lot of potential.

Unless you're coming from or going to Uptown (or another central neighborhood) where a $7 10-minute Uber ride still wins hands down on convenience and total travel time (including walking), especially if you have luggage. There is no way a dedicated airport/transit hub line (like the express trains serving LHR, NRT, HKG, SVO/DME - all high O&D airports far from their respective city centers) would ever be financially feasible or necessary in Charlotte.

How many times has caterpillar2 said he is going to stop arguing or commenting on this thread only to come back with an even more absurd and offensive statement clearly designed to provoke other members into saying something he can attack with yet another right wing talking point based, at best, on some distorted view of reality a few hours later? Do us a favor, caterpillar2, and keep your promise. Or just meet up with RaleighHeelsfan and whine about how your side has lost the culture war to each other so we don't have to listen to any more of your nonsense here.

At least the interior renderings, including the lobby lounge, look nice. Glass half full, RDF.

I'd not seen this nighttime rendering (courtesy of the CMC Hotels website) of the new Embassy Suites before. Has this been posted previously?

I volunteer to go as my Russian alter ego, Anya Bakyavich. I would love to see the faces of some of our esteemed state representatives and senators if a group of drag queens took over the men's rooms at the Legislative Building while the General Assembly was in session. However, I also wouldn't be surprised to see a few winks and Larry Craig-esqe wide stances, especially from the most vehemently anti-LGBT members who have horribly distorted this conversation about equal rights and antidiscrimination and have instead, at least indirectly, made it all about (the act of) sex which is the last thing all of us think of when we need to use the restroom. That fear and loathing has to come from somewhere, and religion doesn't always account for all of it.

Yeah, I'm not usually a Chardonnay or Riesling fan, but I like both their skin-fermented Finger Lakes Chardonnay and their barrel-aged Finger Lakes Riesling. Their North Fork, Long Island red blend is pretty solid too. And, yes, here or next time I'm up there. I try to make it to Brooklyn Winery every time I'm in NYC.

Exactly. Thanks, RDF. Here are a few more examples (all ones I've visited). The 44th Street Wine Collective in Boise is really cool. Three female winemakers (who make some kick-ass wine using grapes grown in the Snake River Valley AVA in Idaho) share winemaking equipment and a tasting room with a lofted event space. http://sewinecollective.com/ http://www.bluxomewinery.com/ http://bkwinery.com/ http://cinderwines.com/contact-us/

That building definitely has some potential, but I'm just not sure a soft goods retailer, especially a boutique one, is the right fit. I keep hoping for an urban winery in Charlotte, and I think this would make a great location for a tasting room / wine bar / gallery / event space.

BofA Stadium has good bones, and, although not having an indoor stadium likely means that we will never host a Super Bowl, I personally prefer a classically-designed outdoor stadium. Football is meant to be played outdoors, and part of the fun of attending a game is sweating your ass off in the summer, freezing said ass off in the winter, and getting soaking wet on occasion. I say let all those other cities have their fancy indoor stadiums with all the unnecessary bells and whistles that just detract from the game.

Agreed. And bathroom attendants generally make me uncomfortable. I can't recall seeing bathroom attendants at any other airport I've traveled to or through (although I also typically only use restrooms at airline clubs), and this always seemed like one of Jerry Orr's folksy ways of being cheap.

Agenda Katie found a way to write about yoga AND heath/vegan/vegetarian/gluten-free food in the same article (and I'm sure wrote it while having coffee or a smoothie in the corner)! It's a good thing I don't have hair to pull out! Maybe there really is an audience for these all these posts, but she really needs to get some new story ideas. https://www.charlotteagenda.com/45945/namastay-kitchen-y2-yoga-hidden-gem-health-food-wine/

There were lots of empty seats in both directions the times I checked. I considered taking this flight to visit Albuquerque and Santa Fe for a long weekend, but it was always cheaper and more convenient schedule-wise to connect through DFW. CLT is always going to have a hard time maintaining service to secondary destinations that overfly DFW (especially when they rely too heavily on O&D traffic), but I do think AA could try it again in the future if they re-time the the flight to maximize connection opportunities for people traveling to and from the Albuquerque area and extend the seasonal schedule.

I was going to say the same thing. If I have to see one more stupid article about the best places to eat vegetarian/vegan food, do yoga or crossfit, or write pointless fluff pieces in pajamas in Charlotte, I think I'm going to scream. I try to eat healthy and stay in shape, but these two make me want to eat a big rare steak and work on my six pack (of beer).

Even with inevitable complications like code updates and permitting and inspection delays (my company works in this industry), there is no reason why this restoration shouldn't have been completed many, many months ago unless there are insurance coverage issues or some sort of unresolved disagreement between the property owner and tenant and/or their insurance companies. I hope whatever is going on gets resolved soon because I really miss this place living just a few blocks away!