Charlotte-Douglas Airport (CLT) Expansion

[CltFlyer]

its about time. be wary however they may not necessary come back with widebody aircraft. the people on airliners.net think it could be on a 757-200. However i think a 767-300 could easily work.

[uptownliving]

Looks like the East Terminal Expansion project is moving forward. This project will add a new Checkpoint E which will help out a lot when the afternoon International flights arrive and you have a lot of people going through security to transfer to domestic flights.

This project is going out to Bid in September so we could potentially see some dirt moving by October. My guess is this expansion would take about a year to complete.

[HopHead]

Looks like the East Terminal Expansion project is moving forward. This project will add a new Checkpoint E which will help out a lot when the afternoon International flights arrive and you have a lot of people going through security to transfer to domestic flights.

This project is going out to Bid in September so we could potentially see some dirt moving by October. My guess is this expansion would take about a year to complete.

Are there any "visuals" available for where and how this will look? I checked the CLT airport site and didn't see anything that stood out.

[uptownliving]

Page 13 of this file shows a rendering of what it will look like:

http://ww.charmeck.org/Planning/Land%20Use%20Planning/SteeleCreek/AirportFacilitiesPlan.pdf

[tozmervo]

Has anyone done the Charlotte-Rome flight? Looking at a vacation in October and was wondering how that route is.

[kickazzz2000]

its about time. be wary however they may not necessary come back with widebody aircraft. the people on airliners.net think it could be on a 757-200. However i think a 767-300 could easily work.

If its a 757, it will most likely be an AA route. BA doesn't (to my knowledge) send its 757's outside of Europe and Northern Africa.

[New Name]

Just hangin' in Terminal E.

[HopHead]

Surprised this wasn't posted earlier, but US Airways won DOT approval for the Charlotte-Sao Paulo (Brazil) route. They just now need the OK from the Brazilian government. This is actually a pretty big deal because of the potential business/economic opportunities that may now open up. It's the largest financial center in the country and I believe it's one of the richest cities in the world.

[HopHead]

Over the last year, CLT had the largest increase in capacity of any of the major airports in the country. CLT has added over 12% more capacity since August 2009. Some major airports such at Atlanta, Minneapolis, JFK and Las Vegas reduced capacity. I think some of the ATL/MSP reductions were in direct correlation to the Delta/NW merger.

Only half of America’s top 30 airports reporting capacity growth

[Route]

it's also the 2nd largest city in the world with around 18 million people.

[kickazzz2000]

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2010/09/08/1677079/airports-retail-stores-may-get.html?commentSort=TimeStampAscending&pageNum=1

So it looks like the airport is finally getting around to upgrading some of the retail in the airport and has struck up a contract with an Atlanta-based management company. I've noticed the stores at ATL have been significantly upgraded in the last couple of years and welcome the change. As long as they keep Bojangles, i'll be happy.

[kickazzz2000]

Per Twitter (and picked up by a.net): US Airways to start CLT-DUB and CLT-MAD this summer!

http://airlineroute.net/2010/09/19/routesyvr-us-airways-launch-2-charlotte-trans-atlantic-routes-s11/

http://www.airliners.net/aviation-forums/general_aviation/read.main/4932410/

[HopHead]

^Great news! At the rate CLT is adding international destinations, that new international terminal will have to get started sooner rather than later

[uptownliving]

I have a feeling that CLT is going to go ahead and do the 2-Gate International Expansion on Concourse E... With Dublin and Madrid this will max out Concourse D for the afternoon European bank. However USAirways will also be maxed out on TATL capable aircraft until 2013 when they will start getting in some more A330s. So the timing of the potential E Concourse International gates and USAirways getting new aircraft would mesh right up with future European service in 2013.

The new International Terminal is still 5 years away from opening at the earliest due to the logistics of moving the Rental Car facilities.

[tozmervo]

I think this is a sign, like the addition of the Rome flight, that my next vacation will be in Spain.

[caterpillar2]

The addition of flights to Dublin and Madrid is so great. These are a couple of my most popular destinations. I usually fly to Barcelona and take a train to Marbelle. Madrid is much closer. And being in wonderful Ireland in 8 hours is wonderful. However, last summer when I went to Barcelona, I only paid $427 each for tickets stopping in Atlanta. I am sure we will pay dearly for the convenience. But, no changes.

[HopHead]

Personal traveling aside, the continued expansion of International flights is at a great thing for Charlotte economically. This helps separate Charlotte from other cities it competes with when trying to attract new and expanding businesses. Especially given how so many companies are global these days. Having access to non-stop flights across the Atlantic is a huge benefit. Hopefully sometime in the not too distant future CLT can start tapping into Asia and other emerging markets.

[uptownliving]

Finally the 1982 era Parking Revenue System at the Charlotte Airport will be replaced!

Pending Council approval on Monday: Scheidt & Bachmann will provide for all new equipment that provides credit card

entry and exit, self service options, as well as traditional ticket in/cashier out capabilities.

Also on Council Agenda for Monday is a $20M contract with Edison Foard to do the East Terminal expansion which will add Security Checkpoint E. Construction expected to be complete 1Q 2012.

[Figursky]

Interesting news this morning that Southwest is acquiring AirTran...so this means that Charlotte will finally have what many have been waiting a long time for.

[HopHead]

Potentially great news for CLT about Southwest. I'd be curious... What other major airports outside of CLT and ATL do they not serve? I'd be interested if they would piggyback off our International destinations. I'm sure at a minimum they would do that with ATL.

[jednc]

I'm not sure if I think this is good news or not. I highly value USAirways Service in Charlotte...not so much as a consumer but just as a resident. I believe Charlotte's unmatched service for a city anywhere close to it's size has greatly enhanced the local economy. I'm sure air service has been a crucial factor in many corp. relocations to Charlotte. I would hate to see anything hurt USAirways ability to make a profit here.

Now, for the casual traveler, this might be better news...but I'm not sure that's what I really care about.

[Bikeguy]

I'm not sure if I think this is good news or not. I highly value USAirways Service in Charlotte...not so much as a consumer but just as a resident. I believe Charlotte's unmatched service for a city anywhere close to it's size has greatly enhanced the local economy. I'm sure air service has been a crucial factor in many corp. relocations to Charlotte. I would hate to see anything hurt USAirways ability to make a profit here.

Now, for the casual traveler, this might be better news...but I'm not sure that's what I really care about.

As a business owner I have great hopes that Southwest comes through and establishes a port in Charlotte. USAir has been the highest cost supplier on record for years and in my humble opinion has led to many companies choosing to look elsewhere.

Edited September 27, 2010 by Bikeguy

[HopHead]

USAir has been the highest cost supplier on record for years and in my humble opinion has led to many companies choosing to look elsewhere.

I would wholeheartedly disagree with that statement. The US Airways hub is a large reason why were able to land a lot of corporate relocations such as Electrolux recently. It's also one of the reasons why the big banks have such a large presence here. If anything, we don't have enough direct flights to International destinations. As a frequent flyer I'll tell you that the cost of flying directly out of CLT isn't that expensive as some perceive it to be. The only exception may be when you're flying from here to a small destination, where most of the origination traffic isn't from here.

[Bikeguy]

I would wholeheartedly disagree with that statement. The US Airways hub is a large reason why were able to land a lot of corporate relocations such as Electrolux recently. It's also one of the reasons why the big banks have such a large presence here. If anything, we don't have enough direct flights to International destinations. As a frequent flyer I'll tell you that the cost of flying directly out of CLT isn't that expensive as some perceive it to be. The only exception may be when you're flying from here to a small destination, where most of the origination traffic isn't from here.

You misunderstood me. I don't deny that USAir's huge presence has had a positive affect on companies locating here, or even kept some others from hightailing it out. However, you cannot argue that USAir's stranglehold on CLT ( as most one airline dominated hubs) has placed the cost of air travel in the top tier of US cities. Furthermore, this domination has most certainly caused many potential relocations to look at other cities where there is vigorous competition. Yes, I can fly to Milwaukee on the cheap, but I better book it two weeks in advance and Lord help me if schedules change because inevitably the fare is a non-refundable . Will real competition temper USAir's strategic expansion plans for Charlotte ?... maybe, and maybe not. Thanks to Douglas's cost effective operations, the cost of flying out of Charlotte to USAir remains well below that of other cities and will continue to contribute to their bottom line. They cannot ignore this.

Edited September 27, 2010 by Bikeguy

[tozmervo]

^ While I agree with the competition problem, that argument could be made about pretty much all of Charlotte's competing airports: ATL being controlled by Delta, etc. I'm afraid the rest is pretty much just crappy airline industry customer service.