Charlotte-Douglas Airport (CLT) Expansion

[ScottCLT]

I rode on a new CRJ900 yesterday which was designated as a US plane. It was just about 2 weeks old and very nice - LED lighting, comfy seats, 4 rows of first class (and this is on a regional jet), and several rows of "main cabin extra" seating with extra leg room, even though they didn't have the signage to designate it as such since it isn't offered on US routes. No US or American logos inside (American was obviously on the exterior), but you can tell that it was built using the AA configuration instead of the US configuration. That's the first US route that I've flown with the new AA configuration. Of course, this wasn't an upfit but rather a whole new plane.

[navigator319]

Among the items on Monday’s Charlotte City Council agenda are a contract to study building more boarding gates at Charlotte Douglas International Airport and a contract to replace seats at Bojangles’ Coliseum.

New boarding gates at airport

A vote is scheduled on a $559,000 contract to study adding boarding gates to Charlotte’s airport in the space where rental cars now are housed.

The airport’s proposed contract with Perkins+Will North Carolina is for “conceptual studies and an architectural report” for building between eight and 12 new gates.

The firm was chosen over seven others that submitted proposals.

The airport plans to move rental cars this month to the new parking decks that opened in November. That will clear space for the new gates.

[Lthrman]

What needs to be on the agenda is the construction of the proposed parallel runway for $92M at today's prices rather than who knows what 5-7 years down the road. Orr axed the extension of 18C-36C long ago after the EIS was approved but deferred it in lieu of building the newer runway. Now they think that they can push back the timeline on the proposed runway at today's prices....what a bonehead decision. Forget any flights to Asia until an extension of some sort is done as CLT's summer temps make for weight penalties on heavy takeoffs. Current European flights are not a problem, but there must be a reason for ATL's continued extensions of it's longest runway to over 12,000ft.

[kermit]

I am out of my element here but I was just reading about possible impacts of lifting the 1500 mile flight distance limit at Laguardia (something the Port Authority is considering). Most speculation indicates that may small cities (think Greenville (both Carolinas), Wilmington, Asheville) that were directly connected to LGA will be dropped and traffic will be funneled through the hubs. CLT should benefit. 

 

Granted, this is not a huge deal for CLT traffic, but it is at least movement in the right direction.

[uptownliving]

Tomorrow the Rental Cars move to the Hourly Parking Deck. So glad to finally have a nice facility for the rental cars...the individual facilities this is replacing were a collective dump.

[HopHead]

The airport's twitter account has some pics of the new facility as it opens today: https://twitter.com/CLTAirport

 

Agree with others, this is a tremendous upgrade to its predecessor just based on the pictures alone. 

 

Does anyone know what they are going to do with the rental car counters down by baggage claim? Obviously those are obsolete now. 

[RiverwoodCLT]

They well still be there.

[ajfunder]

^I think they will just sit empty until the terminal renovation in a few years.

[ChessieCat]

I rode on a new CRJ900 yesterday which was designated as a US plane. It was just about 2 weeks old and very nice - LED lighting, comfy seats, 4 rows of first class (and this is on a regional jet), and several rows of "main cabin extra" seating with extra leg room, even though they didn't have the signage to designate it as such since it isn't offered on US routes. No US or American logos inside (American was obviously on the exterior), but you can tell that it was built using the AA configuration instead of the US configuration. That's the first US route that I've flown with the new AA configuration. Of course, this wasn't an upfit but rather a whole new plane.

 

I flew on AA's 777-300ER to Sao Paulo and back last week.  The plane I flew was only a few months old.  Awesome aircraft-- smooth, comfy ride with all the modern amenities one would expect of a 77W.  Although it's not in the works for CLT, let's hope we get to see this bird here sometime in the future during the summer months.  

Edited April 21, 2015 by ChessieCat

[CLTaviation13]

JetBlue relocates to gate A4 tomorrow.

Edited April 21, 2015 by JetBlueCLT

[Deleted.]

JetBlue relocates to gate A4 tomorrow.

Well that frees up another international gate. But this summer that are less seats available from CLT that less summer, 69,506 seats compared to 71,027 last year. The main issue why we are down is due to international flights being cut. However I still stand by the belief that American will launch a new flight to São Paulo (whether that be from Charlotte, Chicago or even Philadelphia) when US-Brazil Open Skies agreement comes into affect 1st October, considering American is sitting on 10x weekly prime time GRU slots. Also I think CLT will get a flight to Rio again for the Olympics and may run even after the Olympics finish.

[Deleted.]

TO CLARIFY TO NON-MEMBERS WHO POST ON AN AVIATION FORUM (cough, FlyerTalk, cough Memo21, cough Cltfc, cough)

1) I am merely specilating, I don't get mad at you when you say something I disagree with about CLT, but when I say something you disagree with, you both feel as though you have to act like 9 year olds saying stupid, immature things about me.

2) I present rumours that I have heard, that is the pint of threads and forums such as this. Such as these (I've included my thoughts)

-BA has been long rumoured to launch flights, IMO I don't see that as 2x seems enough and both flights will be operated on an A330-300 from May 7th

-Qatar Airways, airlines don't order hundreds of new aircraft not to expand, airline executives do not tour round an airport unless they are interested I starting service. And the whole point of new aircraft such as the 787 and the A350 is to launch new long, thin routes such as DOH-CLT which couldn't be supported on older generations of aircraft.

-Japan Air Lines, I think that CLT will get service to Asia some point in the future. But other cities such as Philly are higher on the list.

-Air Berlin, I mentioned my thoughts about it on FlyerTalk so...

-Resumtion of São Paulo, as I mentioned above AA is sitting on 10x weekly prime time slots and would not waste them. AA is most likely to waiting be waiting for Open Skies to put them into affect. And I doubt that they would use them from their existing hubs that have service to GRU, so that leaves Chicago, Charlotte, Philadelphia and Phoenix. Phoenix doesn't even have AA international wide body service, and we won't be sending any widebodies to PHX. Philadelphia is right near to JFK and serves as a better European and Middle East hub, And that leaves Chicago and Charlotte, and AA is most likely to start ORD-GRU, and in my post above I did not say that it would be CLT-GRU but I said in could be ORD, CLT or PHL. As for Rio, personal opinion, but it could be used to carry a lot of additional traffic to Brazil that will definitely be going to the Summer Olympics.

-777 Base, once again rumours I've heard, A333 are most likely to be sent to Miami to basically fill the role on the A300s AA had at one point. AA's refurbished have less seats than the A333 (by 2) and are deployed to premium markets such as London. This is where the 777 would fit in at CLT, operating to LHR and possibly FRA.

-And I do mention negative things about CLT, such as reporting that the number of available seats from CLT is down this summer. So...

I hope that you have found this interesting. But I have one request for Memo21 and Cltfc, grow up and act like adults.

Edited April 24, 2015 by Piedmont767

[Guest]

Is is possible that we are overspending on the airport? Considering it's the size of our downtown core, you gotta wonder if it really is worth the cost, at least in its current scale.

[cltbwimob]

Is is possible that we are overspending on the airport? Considering it's the size of our downtown core, you gotta wonder if it really is worth the cost, at least in its current scale.

The airport is the most important economic driver in the entire city, and I dare say, the entire state. The airport alone has roughly 20k employees, and it indirectly supports 100K+ jobs. Any company that relocates to Charlotte often cites the airport as one of the most important factors in their decision to relocate. We can not do enough to support the airport.

As an aside, the Bob Ruchos of the world are stalling a bill (H117) that would continue the jet fuel tax credit. If the tax credit expires this year, the cost for American to operate the hub will instantly jump by about $10 million per year. Kind of ironic considering Bob was one who championed the airport commission/authority bill to "keep costs low" because he was scared that city ownership may raise costs. #inconsistency-----I encourage everyone here to demand their state senator to support House Bill 117. The House overwhelmingly passed it in a rare instance of bipartisanship and pragmatism, and McCrory also supports it. The only hold outs are ideologues in the NC Senate such as Bob Rucho, Harry Brown, et al.

Edited April 25, 2015 by cltbwimob

[RiverwoodCLT]

Bob Rucho wants the airport to fail, so his selected friends can run the airport into the ground.

[kermit]

Is is possible that we are overspending on the airport? Considering it's the size of our downtown core, you gotta wonder if it really is worth the cost, at least in its current scale.

Nope, its not possible.

First CLT is self funded and well managed from a fiscal perspective. Second, what cltbwimob said -- CLT is (by far) the most significant economic engine in the region and it has been driving the city's growth since the early 1980s.

I do think we are squandering some of the airport's long term economic development potential by not building a rail transit link from CLT to uptown. MARTA has plenty of problems but their line to Hartsfield has proven to be important for Atlanta's economy (see Merceedes). The benefits of a Charlotte rail link would be small at first but would ultimately make uptown a more attractive location for corporate growth. If we had sensible leadership at the state level they woukd jump at the chance to pay for it.

Edited April 25, 2015 by kermit

[CLTaviation13]

-Air Berlin, I mentioned my thoughts about it on FlyerTalk so....

Edited April 25, 2015 by JetBlueCLT

[Miesian Corners]

The new airport entrance road is now open.  

[Deleted.]

We are getting a flight to Burlington, Vermont come August 18. To be operated by Republic on an Embraer 175.

As for Air Berlin, I said that it is unlikely for us to get a flight to Berlin, as Air Berlin cancelled orders for new long haul aircraft and other destinations (such as Philly) may be higher on the list. I also said that if we ever get a flight to Berlin it would be on AA, but that is still unlikely.

Edited April 26, 2015 by Piedmont767

[Miesian Corners]

We are getting a flight to Burlington, Vermont come August 18. To be operated by Republic on an Embraer 175.

As for Air Berlin, I said that it is unlikely for us to get a flight to Berlin, as Air Berlin cancelled orders for new long haul aircraft and other destinations (such as Philly) may be higher on the list. I also said that if we ever get a flight to Berlin it would be on AA, but that is still unlikely.

It's unlikely anyone will get a flight to Berlin until BER opens next year.  The existing airports don't have the capacity to handle any additional traffic.  The new Berlin Brandenburg International Airport (BBI) fiasco is the biggest embarrassment to German engineering and architecture in a very long time. 

[ChessieCat]

^CLT-DUS would seem like a more likely option given DUS is AirBerlin's other hub, however American suspended the ORD-DUS route during the winter and only resumed 767-300 service on March 29.  Would be a summer route at best...  

[LKN704]

AS is starting service from SEA to CHS and RDU. CHS-SEA is the most shocking route ever announced, but makes sense cause of Boeing. I thought they would have started CLT over RDU.

[uptownliving]

Alaska code shares with American Airlines so they are pretty well covered with the existing 4 daily flights between Seattle and Charlotte. They are in a big battle with Delta for dominance in Seattle so expect to see some interesting routes, but I don't think Charlotte will be one of them.

[ssh214]

AS is starting service from SEA to CHS and RDU. CHS-SEA is the most shocking route ever announced, but makes sense cause of Boeing. I thought they would have started CLT over RDU.

 

Can't help but to have a feeling of sour grapes over this one... I was really hoping Charlotte would get the Alaskan service to Seattle. I know Alaskan is profiting with code sharing with AA but I would have for sure thought they would come to Charlotte before Raleigh... They are also starting Nashville too... They are going to every mid-sized airport around Charlotte: Raleigh, Charelston, Nashville

 

On a side note noticed that Charlotte is losing their flights to Ottawa...

Edited April 28, 2015 by saamh

[dcharlotte]

If they have a codeshare, there's no reason to have an additional flight.