Charlotte-Douglas Airport (CLT) Expansion

[Vitamin_N]

I hope I'm not taking this too off-topic, but it turns out there was a bigger sale than just CLT-BCN. See here for more and book quickly if you're interested, the fares are disappearing.

 

[SouthEndCLT811]

12 hours ago, CLT704 said:

Wish I could get that for London flights; I am now routinely flying Delta via Atlanta because it is so much cheaper- my next flight to the UK was $800 cheaper on Delta than the nonstop.

Yeah I did a flight through British Airline ATL to LHR for $488 at the beginning of May.  I was pretty pleased with it even though it begins and ends in ATL.  But I'll be getting back and going right to Shaky Knees fest so it worked out perfect

[Temeteron]

18 minutes ago, Vitamin_N said:

I hope I'm not taking this too off-topic, but it turns out there was a bigger sale than just CLT-BCN. See here for more and book quickly if you're interested, the fares are disappearing.

 

Are you sure it's not over yet? I don't see the good prices anymore

[Vitamin_N]

I last checked an hour ago, there were still a few but the supply of good fares was vastly diminished from last night.

[ah59396]

Man, sad I missed out on this.  I would have burned $700 for the wife and I in a heart beat.

 

My dad and I flew CLT - CDG a month ago for $450 round trip.  It was awesome.  There have been some excellent deals recently.

[HopHead]

American is adding another daily flight to Manchester, NH starting on June 2nd. So there will now be 3 daily between CLT and Manchester. For anyone that travels up to the Northeast and doesn't want to fly into Boston Logan, this is a great alternative. Much easier airport to get in and out of. We used it last summer on trip up that way. Highly recommend. 

https://www.flymanchester.com/news/2017/3/american-airlines-announces-additional-service-charlotte-north-carolina-hub

[caterpillar2]

56 minutes ago, HopHead said:

American is adding another daily flight to Manchester, NH starting on June 2nd. So there will now be 3 daily between CLT and Manchester. For anyone that travels up to the Northeast and doesn't want to fly into Boston Logan, this is a great alternative. Much easier airport to get in and out of. We used it last summer on trip up that way. Highly recommend. 

https://www.flymanchester.com/news/2017/3/american-airlines-announces-additional-service-charlotte-north-carolina-hub

How do the fares to Manchester compare to Jet Blue's fares to Logan?

[CLT2014]

3 minutes ago, caterpillar2 said:

How do the fares to Manchester compare to Jet Blue's fares to Logan?

So far looks to be $320-$400 roundtrip for the flights into Manchester compared to $175 - $250 roundtrip on JetBlue or AA into Boston through September. 

[HopHead]

You're going to pay a little more than Boston. However, if you are flying up that way and don't plan on staying in the city, Manchester is certainly worth looking at. Especially if you were planning to rent a car and driving somewhere anyways. 

[caterpillar2]

3 hours ago, CLT2014 said:

So far looks to be $320-$400 roundtrip for the flights into Manchester compared to $175 - $250 roundtrip on JetBlue or AA into Boston through September. 

Another option is flying to Providence, R.I, It is around $380 and easy access to south Boston. It is the same distance from central Boston as Manchester. 

[Midwoodian]

What is the construction off the northeast corner of E? Noticed it tonight when I landed. Are they already working on expanding E?


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[uptownliving]

Yeah that is the Concourse E expansion, the construction contract was approved by city council a few months ago.

They are also in the planning stages of expanding the Maintenance Hanger at CLT. Just another sign that they will be closing the hub in about a year.

[CLT2014]

Pics of the upgraded hub operations center for American at CLT:

http://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2017/03/29/room-with-a-view-american-airlines-overhauls-clt.html

[LKN704]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRNtVjRnORE

A friend of mine sent me this video which contains all of US Air's onboard video announcements used in the 1990s.

If you go to the 37:23 mark, there is an arrival video for CLT which contains a lot of images and scenes of CLT I've never seen before. The airport looks very, very  different, and I notice that the international arrivals area used to exit onto the concourse, rather than the arrivals halls (as it is now). Also, I noticed that there used to be Japanese and German signage in the international arrivals hall. Also what was the Concourse B-C connector? Was the atrium not built at the time.

One thing in those videos that stuck out is how modern Pittsburgh Airport seemed for its time-I wouldn't consider the terminal and international arrivals area shown in the video out of place today, in 2017. Sad to see it all go to waste.

[xapostrophe]

4 hours ago, LKN704 said:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MRNtVjRnORE

A friend of mine sent me this video which contains all of US Air's onboard video announcements used in the 1990s.

If you go to the 37:23 mark, there is an arrival video for CLT which contains a lot of images and scenes of CLT I've never seen before. The airport looks very, very  different, and I notice that the international arrivals area used to exit onto the concourse, rather than the arrivals halls (as it is now). Also, I noticed that there used to be Japanese and German signage in the international arrivals hall. Also what was the Concourse B-C connector? Was the atrium not built at the time.

One thing in those videos that stuck out is how modern Pittsburgh Airport seemed for its time-I wouldn't consider the terminal and international arrivals area shown in the video out of place today, in 2017. Sad to see it all go to waste.

PIT is still superior to most terminals nationally.  PERIOD.  Damn shame what happened there.   I would much rather live and work there at this point.  CLT is wayyyyy behind the ball on expansion and traffic at this point.Way back when (the 90s) PIT was built and planned to handle more departures than CLT has now...sad stuff.

[Old Carolinian]

"Also what was the Concourse B-C connector? Was the atrium not built at the time."

The atrium was built sometime in the later1990's; can't remember when; there was a 'walkway' between B and C.  Commuter flights originally used  the ground level of D concourse after it was constructed; concourse E was added in the late 1990's.  Concourse A must have been built in the mid to later 1990's, also.

The image below is the airport terminal when it opened in 1984.  No A, D or E concourses.  No atrium.  No parking garages or parking decks.  No 'long term' surface parking.   Concourse B was somewhat 'shorter' than it is now.  While it looks small, it was somewhat of a 'step up' from the 1955 terminal and concourses.

 

 

[LKN704]

9 hours ago, xapostrophe said:

PIT is still superior to most terminals nationally.  PERIOD.  Damn shame what happened there.   I would much rather live and work there at this point.  CLT is wayyyyy behind the ball on expansion and traffic at this point.Way back when (the 90s) PIT was built and planned to handle more departures than CLT has now...sad stuff.

I was there a couple of months ago and it was just depressing. Lovely facility though, and I loved to transfer there way back when it was busy.

I seem to recall that the master plan for PIT called for a second airside terminal in the shape of a "Y".

[JRNYP2C]

16 hours ago, xapostrophe said:

PIT is still superior to most terminals nationally.  PERIOD.  Damn shame what happened there.   I would much rather live and work there at this point.  CLT is wayyyyy behind the ball on expansion and traffic at this point.Way back when (the 90s) PIT was built and planned to handle more departures than CLT has now...sad stuff.

I lived in PGH when that terminal was built.  There was so much fanfare and it was supposed to be the model of airports moving forward.  I don't believe it ever achieved the momentum that it needed to make it feasible.  From what I remember, USAirways' had the right intentions, but the industry became more and more cutthroat.  PIT never really had the corporate base back then to support that airport growing any more than what it was.  Now, it is not much better.  I truly believe that 9/11 was a major component of keeping that airport in the state that it is now.  But more than that, the consolidation of the industry and its financial intricacies were the inevitable nail in the coffin.  PIT has been relegated to class C status where there are basically no direct flights out to any other major city.  Two of the arms of the terminal are basically shut down b/c American (nee USAir) abandoned that airport.  IMHO, that company really put the screws to the city and county with all of the money that those combined entities did for that airline, only to have said airline turn their back on the operations of the facility.

For an airport that had some decent promise, it really is sad to see what it has become.  Not much to hope for in the future either.

[KJHburg]

I  think PIT was just too close to Philly and since Philly is so much larger and had so many more corporations PHL contributed a lot to what happened to PIT   Didnt Piedmont have the hub in PIT and USAir had the hub in PHL and when they merged and only one hub in PA would win and despite PIT being a nicer airport and more land around it PHL won out. 

In terms of that old postcard I remember that airport and the surface lots LOL 

Edited April 8, 2017 by KJHburg

[CLTaviation13]

I'm glad that Pittsburgh got de-hubbed and those fine resources were allocated to Charlotte. The geographic location made it pointless to maintain a hub there with the close proximity to Philadelphia. Charlotte had everything going for it and still does.

When comparing the interior of the terminals, who really cares. People just care about getting from point A to point B.

Does Charlotte need a face lift in some parts of the airport? Absolutley and that will come in time.

 

The most important thing is were one of the strongest hub for American and we keep continuing to grow our network.

[Old Carolinian]

 

The first try at a bond issue to build the terminal now in use failed and it required a second attempt a couple of years later to pass the bonds for the terminal and concourse completed in 1984 that are shown in the postcard photo.  

And, yes I also remember parking in the surface lot and walking to the terminal to catch flights. 

The old terminal and concourses from 1956 are shown below.  There used to be no security--you walked straight through the concourse to your gate.  Metal detectors didn't go into use until after the DB Cooper episode.  And, the dominant carriers were Eastern and Piedmont.

 

[xapostrophe]

3 hours ago, JetBlueCLT said:

I'm glad that Pittsburgh got de-hubbed and those fine resources were allocated to Charlotte. The geographic location made it pointless to maintain a hub there with the close proximity to Philadelphia. Charlotte had everything going for it and still does.

When comparing the interior of the terminals, who really cares. People just care about getting from point A to point B.

Does Charlotte need a face lift in some parts of the airport? Absolutley and that will come in time.

 

The most important thing is were one of the strongest hub for American and we keep continuing to grow our network.

Charlotte is awful.  Operationally its absurd.  The ramp, taxi and runway/terminal configuration is awful.  one way traffic, tight alley ways are an incredible way to waste some time.  The inside of a b c leaves a lot to be desired.  should have been updated at least 15 years ago.  the bathrooms all smell like old pee.  I can go on.

[CLT704]

8 hours ago, KJHburg said:

I  think PIT was just too close to Philly and since Philly is so much larger and had so many more corporations PHL contributed a lot to what happened to PIT   Didnt Piedmont have the hub in PIT and USAir had the hub in PHL and when they merged and only one hub in PA would win and despite PIT being a nicer airport and more land around it PHL won out. 

In terms of that old postcard I remember that airport and the surface lots LOL 

No, PIT was a hub for Allegheny from the '50s, who then rebranded as USAir in '79. USAir began to build up the PHL hub it the '80s. Piedmont had its main hubs in Charlotte, Baltimore, with secondary hubs in Dayton, and Syracuse; they merged with USAir in '89, the latter two hubs were closed by the mid '90s. PSA was brought in '88 with their hubs (in LAX, SFO, and SAN) closed by '94. 

So in short, PIT was a hub for US from the '50s with PHL only being built up in the '80s, and CLT being added in '89 from Piedmont (who built up CLT starting in '79 IIRC). 

 

It is a shame about PIT, it is such a nice facility. I do think that CLT is not the best (look at AA's DFW refurbished terminals), my dream would be for the airport to knock down the current terminal and start again- but PIT teaches a lesson that it would not be a good idea. 

[xapostrophe]

7 hours ago, CLT704 said:

No, PIT was a hub for Allegheny from the '50s, who then rebranded as USAir in '79. USAir began to build up the PHL hub it the '80s. Piedmont had its main hubs in Charlotte, Baltimore, with secondary hubs in Dayton, and Syracuse; they merged with USAir in '89, the latter two hubs were closed by the mid '90s. PSA was brought in '88 with their hubs (in LAX, SFO, and SAN) closed by '94. 

So in short, PIT was a hub for US from the '50s with PHL only being built up in the '80s, and CLT being added in '89 from Piedmont (who built up CLT starting in '79 IIRC). 

 

It is a shame about PIT, it is such a nice facility. I do think that CLT is not the best (look at AA's DFW refurbished terminals), my dream would be for the airport to knock down the current terminal and start again- but PIT teaches a lesson that it would not be a good idea. 

Wouldnt be so bad as long as AA is not tied to paying the cost directly...thats what hosed  PIT. That and the county/city refusing to negotiate with a financially unstable airline. The tough guy attitude from PIT, thinking that they would never actually leave...

[deleted]

11 hours ago, xapostrophe said:

Charlotte is awful.  Operationally its absurd.  The ramp, taxi and runway/terminal configuration is awful.  one way traffic, tight alley ways are an incredible way to waste some time.  The inside of a b c leaves a lot to be desired.  should have been updated at least 15 years ago.  the bathrooms all smell like old pee.  I can go on.

In 10 years, I think CLT will be above average compared to cities of our size.