Charlotte-Douglas Airport (CLT) Expansion

[Miesian Corners]

The easiest way is to park in the cell phone lot (there are signs to it). You park for free and tell your friend to call you when the have their bags and are ready to leave. You will be at the arrivals area within a minute or so from that lot, so there is really no waiting for the person that arrives. On another note, when the hourly deck were there, it was very easy to just park there for 15 minutes, come back to your car, and if you left within 30 minutes, it was free. I am sure that will be the same when the new hourly decks are finished, but it will be more of a walk.

Due to to no hourly parking, the cell phone lot is now always full.  It only has 42 spaces.  Arriving home Friday night, the Valet stand in front of Lufthansa (upper level) had traffic backed up all the way around the corner. Traffic has been bad at the airport for years, but now it's terrible. 

[Miesian Corners]

Terminal construction updates:

 

• New connector between A security and Concourse B is well under construction (behind Chlis).  When complete in November, it will add additional concession and office space on three levels.
• New D & E Food Court will begin construction in May.  It will also incorporate the addition of escalators and elevators at the confluence of D and E.  Construction time table is 14 months.
• Concourse A Sattellite will begin construction this summer.  Eventually, this will be part of the proposed International Terminal to be constructed on the former sites of the rental car facilities (to be moved to the new parking garage already under construction).

[jednc]

Terminal construction updates:

 

• New connector between A security and Concourse B is well under construction (behind Chlis).  When complete in November, it will add additional concession and office space on three levels.
• New D & E Food Court will begin construction in May.  It will also incorporate the addition of escalators and elevators at the confluence of D and E.  Construction time table is 14 months.
• Concourse A Sattellite will begin construction this summer.  Eventually, this will be part of the proposed International Terminal to be constructed on the former sites of the rental car facilities (to be moved to the new parking garage already under construction).

I thought the International Terminal was going to be a separate building? Is the A Satellite not connected to Terminal A?

[LKN704]

I thought the International Terminal was going to be a separate building? Is the A Satellite not connected to Terminal A?

According to the CLT 2015 site, it will be a separate building. However, I have seen plans that showed the Satellite connected to the International terminal. CLT 2015 states: " This project will design and construct a new international terminal building to provide additional capacity for international flights, which have been a strong growth opportunity for air carriers.The terminal, located north of Concourse A, will be comprised of three levels equipped with a ticketing lobby, baggage claim, Federal Inspection Station, and 20 to 25 gates. Construction would begin after rental car operations move to the Hourly Deck and Consolidated Rental Car Facility."

 

Regarding the Satellite, the CLT 2015 site says: "This project plans for the construction of four additional gates north of Concourse A and will accommodate expanding air service." The site says it will begin construction in January 2014, with completion in September 2014.

 

Also, a new ten gate addition to Concourse B is supposed to begin in January 2014 as well, with completion in July 2016. The final expansion to Concourse E is supposed to start in January 2014 as well.

 

What I don't understand is why the Concourse B expansion is going to take 31 months, when the Satellite terminal will only take 9. The B expansion is only a little more than double the number of fates in the Satellite. Also, how is the Satellite going to be connected to the Main Terminal building? Underground tunnel?

 

I am also confused about the addition of more escalators at the E entrance. Where are they finding the room to put them in?

[HopHead]

My understanding is that the "Satellite" Concourse A building would just have 4 gates on it initially with the room or understanding that will expand to the 20-25 gates for the International Terminal. For just four gates, that would just look weird to me. How would passengers get there? Shuttle bus? Wish they would just expand the current Concouse A. It could certainly use the extra gates. Every time I've flown out of A, it's a complete cluster compared to the other concourses.

 

Another thing that's happening sooner than I initially though, per CLT 2015 (http://charmeck.org/city/charlotte/Airport/Pages/CLT2015.aspx#Terminal Curbside), is the expanded Terminal Curbside. Construction on that will have 16 total lanes. I assume 8 lower and 8 upper level. With no longer having rental car buses and more lanes to drop off and pick up passengers, this will make life at the airport so much more bearable. Right now it's a constant mess getting through there at all hours of the day.

[uptownliving]

There is a long Q&A with Stan Campbell in today's CBJ.  He was a former city councilman, airport advisory committee member and the current face of the push to create an Airport Authority.  After reading the piece, I'm off the fence and clearly in favor of an authority based on his "side of the story".

 

1)  The mayor and Curt Walton asked Jerry Orr to retire by the end of 2012.  USAirways told them both that they would prefer to see Orr stay through their merger, and they were told that its none of their business.

2)  The city has represented the airport bonds as back by the City of Charlotet, which is not true.

3)  The airport was forced to take CMPD police against they wishes, not because of security issues, but because the city was given stimulus funds to hire more officers, and those stimulus ran out in 2012, so they decided to use the airport budget to maintain those officer/salaries an.

4) Jerry Orr was told the city would not hire a current aiport staff member as his successor.  US Airways local exec was told they were not welcome to give their opinion on who should be named as his successor.

 

Just as an update to this the CBJ has published a follow-up basically saying that Stan Campbell is leading a campaign of misinformation. So basically most everything published in his Q&A is a load of horse crap.

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/blog/queen_city_agenda/2013/03/clt-study-marks-latest-step-in-airport.html?page=4

 

The Mayor is saying he never has asked Orr to retire. Orr has never said anything to this effect either. In fact whenever the airport comes up the Mayor usually praises Jerry Orr for his leadership there.

 

Personally I think the City has been pretty straight forward about the airport bonds. Its pretty simple, the airport is solely responsible to pay off its bonds. In fact it was the City that had to come in and save the airport's ass for their mismanagement of some of their bonds.

 

For me the stowaway that climbed into the wheel well of the US Airways jet bound for Boston was security lapse enough. That was the first case of a stowaway happening in the US in decades. It was a serious lapse in security that ended up with a dead teenager. To suggest that the city was playing a shell game with stimulus money is just complete baloney and a complete disregard for the lax security at the airport.

 

The City Manager is the one who will be making the hiring decision on the next Airport Director. Of course he isn't going to make a promise to hire one of Jerry Orr's lieutenets. I fully expect for a national search to be performed to find the next Airport Director and if a current airport employee is the most qualified then they should hire that person. Also for Stan to suggest that the city is not going to take into consideration US Airways opinion on the future Airport Director is a flat out lie. All one has to do is look at the current Airport Advisory Board which has a US Airways employee that is a voting member, hell he was the Chairman of the Advisory Board last year. And who appoints the Advisory Board? City Council. Stan being a former member of the Advisory Board personally knows the guy from US Airways that serves on the board.

 

Obviosly Stan has an agenda and is going to do and say anything to get a regional airport authority created.

 

Personally I'm fine with an Airport Authority being created....I just think the current proposal in the NC Legislature is very flawed. They should take out the political appointments from the Governor, Chair of the NC House and Senate President. They also need to remove the surrounding counties. The respresentation of the authority should be solely from Charlotte and Mecklenburg County....appointed by City Council and Meck Commsion.

[LKN704]

My understanding is that the "Satellite" Concourse A building would just have 4 gates on it initially with the room or understanding that will expand to the 20-25 gates for the International Terminal. For just four gates, that would just look weird to me. How would passengers get there? Shuttle bus? Wish they would just expand the current Concouse A. It could certainly use the extra gates. Every time I've flown out of A, it's a complete cluster compared to the other concourses.

I think the whole satellite concourse idea is a bit confusing. If it is supposed to be part of the International Terminal, will the 4 gates used by domestic carriers eventually be seized when the International Terminal project is complete? Also, the CLT website never mentions "Satellite" just "Annex" which leads me to believe that the building will be connected to the Main Terminal in some way.

 

I wish there was some sort of rendering out there..

[ajfunder]

I believe the plan is for a tunnel under the Tarmac from the A terminal to the new gates. I saw a rendering somewhere, I will try to find it.

Alex

[atlrvr]

 

From the Wilson Group 10-yr master-plan (though I think this is at least 5 years old already).

 

Perhaps they are building the connector northward from Terminal A and put some temporary gates from there until Terminal B is complete, and then tear them out once the new Internation Terminal is built.  If they didn't do jetbridges, it might make sense, but if this rendering is to be believed, they don't plan of an underground passageway between A and International directly.

[LKN704]

 

By the looks of this rendering, it looks like the annex is going to be a long walk away from the Main Terminal building.

 

I wonder what the solution will be when the International Terminal is fully built. Going from high E to the International Terminal would be quite a hike.

[tozmervo]

Masterplan work of some kind has taken place for a "people mover" system around the airport. I would assume this is something akin to DFW. http://twgarchitects.com/portfolio_detail.asp?portfolio_aviation=10

[15895]

Well looking at that map it has E separated from the rest of the airport when that's not how it is.

Maybe the proposed walkway from A to the international terminal will be the host of new gates?

Kind of like the walk way from E to D has a few gates on the side facing the runway.

[Miesian Corners]

I am also confused about the addition of more escalators at the E entrance. Where are they finding the room to put them in?

The connector for D/E was desinged to have double "up" and "down" escalators.  Currently, there's just open space beside both of them.  The elevator will go in the new food court space (lower level of which is already open and part of Customs and Immigration).

[Miesian Corners]

What I don't understand is why the Concourse B expansion is going to take 31 months, when the Satellite terminal will only take 9. The B expansion is only a little more than double the number of fates in the Satellite. Also, how is the Satellite going to be connected to the Main Terminal building? Underground tunnel?

When the three level addition to the end of B is completed, the existing west-facing gates will close so that the concourse can be widened and moving sidewalks can be added. 

[LKN704]

Masterplan work of some kind has taken place for a "people mover" system around the airport. I would assume this is something akin to DFW. http://twgarchitects.com/portfolio_detail.asp?portfolio_aviation=10

Almost, but the system at DFW is only accessible airside. The CLT people mover will be designed to connect the Main Terminal building with parking.

 

Well looking at that map it has E separated from the rest of the airport when that's not how it is.

Maybe the proposed walkway from A to the international terminal will be the host of new gates?

Kind of like the walk way from E to D has a few gates on the side facing the runway.

While I am not entirely sure, but I think when the master plan came out in 2005, the long term plan was to disconnect E from the Main Terminal and build an underground tunnel. I think the current walkway causes congestion, but I am not sure. I am not sure if those plans are still in place, I can look for an updated master plan map.

 

When the three level addition to the end of B is completed, the existing west-facing gates will close so that the concourse can be widened and moving sidewalks can be added. 

Ok. That makes more sense.

[kermit]

this is not really news (sorry). I just noticed a Southwest add in the Observer for service to Chicago midway (advertised at $79 each way). I believe that this is our first service to Midway for quite some time. As someone who regularly flies to Chicago I am very pleased.

[tozmervo]

It's like Christmas in March. Sort of, if you want to be Atlanta, anyway.

 

http://charlottechamber.com/clientuploads/Economic_pdfs/Presentations/CLT_Presentation_3-13.pdf

[michaelef]

Wow I knew some of the initial plans for the next few years, But 2025 and beyond is huge!!!

Edited March 27, 2013 by michaelef

[Norm2]

Why is it so desirable to model Charlotte's airport just like Atlanta's?

[Dale]

Why is it so desirable to model Charlotte's airport just like Atlanta's?

I can't speak for the authority, but having spent lots of time in ATL, it can hardly be a bad thing to be a vast and very busy airport that is bright and cheery and that can be circumnavigated in mere minutes.

 

I was at LAX, a few weeks ago, and it was third-worldish by comparison.

[ssh214]

I can't speak for the authority, but having spent lots of time in ATL, it can hardly be a bad thing to be a vast and very busy airport that is bright and cheery and that can be circumnavigated in mere minutes.

 

I was at LAX, a few weeks ago, and it was third-worldish by comparison.

You hit it spot on Dale. LAX is probably one of the worst designed airports in the country. Terrible to navigate through. Honestly Atlanta and Detroit are two of the best airports that I have traveled to. I would hope Charlotte can be half of what Atlanta is today.

[uptownliving]

The airside part is a great plan my only concern is on the landside, and how are they going to spread out the pick/up-drop-off area from what it is today. It is already congested and I do know they are going to add additional lanes which is nice....but I feel like in the future there should be some additional spreadout to releive congestion.

[Norm2]

The airside part is a great plan my only concern is on the landside, and how are they going to spread out the pick/up-drop-off area from what it is today. It is already congested and I do know they are going to add additional lanes which is nice....but I feel like in the future there should be some additional spreadout to releive congestion.

Yea....Charlotte does not have a very big area for pick-ups and drop-offs, especially when you compare it to say O'Hare.

[SentioVenia]

Observations:

• The fourth parallel runway construction will coincide with Runway 23's destruction, which will keep net runway count at four.  However, it will give more flexibility with arrivals and departures, which 23 does not give.
• The construction of a fifth parallel runway will mean destruction of many buildings, including the ANG hangar.
• Rather than building the fourth runway at 12,000 feet as previously proposed, this shows it at about 9,000, with an extension of 36C to 12,000.
• Lots of taxiway extensions/additions planned.

I'd love to see a new gate that would accommodate an A380.  That could be a necessity by 2025.

Edited March 28, 2013 by SentioVenia

[atlrvr]

Doug Parker was on CNBC as their morning guest earlier this week to talk about the merger and future of the airline.  One of the hosts asked him about the A380 and if they would be adding and he started to answer but he was cut-off by a host who generalized the question, and he generalized his response saying that they would have lots of different size plans to match their large route network.

 

He was on for a long time but I missed most of it.  Maybe the show is archived somewhere.  I was curious what all he would say.