Charlotte-Douglas Airport (CLT) Expansion

[teeg]

8 minutes ago, joshuavmc said:

CLT is on a roll today. New art work that will be placed in the expansion of Councourse A. Video also shows new renderings of the expansion.  Looks amazing! 

WOW!  

[KJHburg]

This new CLT airport keeps getting better. New shops and restaurants include a Shake Shack and Panera among others.  I have always said CLT is one of my favorite airports for a long layover even though I quickly enter and exit it.   http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article175513801.html

[CLT704]

10 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

This new CLT airport keeps getting better. New shops and restaurants include a Shake Shack and Panera among others.  I have always said CLT is one of my favorite airports for a long layover even though I quickly enter and exit it.   http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article175513801.html

^Whilst everything that has been posted today is amazing, the best, albeit it slightly more boring, news is that the old concourses have slightly taller ceilings:

"It also plans to raise the ceilings slightly – by nearly a foot – to make the concourse feel more open..."

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/politics-government/article175513801.html#storylink=cpy

[SentioVenia]

And then there is this six-times gilded post on Reddit from CLT:

 

[ssh214]

1 hour ago, joshuavmc said:

CLT is on a roll today. New art work that will be placed in the expansion of Councourse A. Video also shows new renderings of the expansion.  Looks amazing! 

 

I am really pleasantly surprised that the space will not be used for advertising. For an airport that relies on being cost effective and stretch every penny it gets, good for CLT on finding a way to get something like this done...

Also I'm really surprised they're putting this much emphasis on a non-American Airlines concourse. I know they are doing some major work for American Airlines dedicated space too but still, I don't know if they are doing art like this

 

Edited September 26, 2017 by saamh

[Cadi40]

Wow! In a mere 40 years CLT will be even more gorgeous! 

[LKN704]

I wish they could do a similar data visualization project on the walkway connecting Concourses D/E.

I agree though-its sad that projects impacting the AA hub areas, which are the most heavily used and visited portions of CLT, are nothing else but putting lipstick on a pig.

I will say that it is important to note that the PDF posted above states that the canopy design is only preliminary and seeing how the project is still a couple years away, I wouldn't be surprised to see the design change.

I do wonder that come next May, who will move over to the A annex and who will stay.

[GeauxCLT]

4 hours ago, saamh said:

I am really pleasantly surprised that the space will not be used for advertising. 

 

I'm willing to bet the LED panels will show some advertising at times. 

[nakers2]

I want to make note that the stand in planes in the rendering are airbus a340s, I know that doesn't "promise" anything, but I see it as a sign the airport still has international operations in sight for the long term with this terminal. I think this terminal will really be the catalyst for pushing CLT to the standard we see in so many airport around the world. The open, glassy design reminds me of a more muted Madrid-Barajas International. That place was freaking huge though despite having less traffic than CLT, we have a lot of growing yet to do on a *relatively* small footprint. 

[cjd5050]

19 hours ago, LKN704 said:

Another thing that I find interesting is that there seems to only be two security checkpoints? This is the first I’ve heard of that being in the works. 

 

CO has it as the same number of gates but going from 5 to 3 checkpoints:

"Today, there are five security checkpoints. When the terminal is finished in four years, the airport will have the same number of security lanes – 17 – but they will be consolidated into three checkpoints." source

[allthingsplanes]

I love this design and echo other comments that I hope they keep it intact.

For the security gates, I wouldn't mind larger, less cramped spaces.  I have been through so many airports with better security areas than ours.  

[deleted]

2 hours ago, cjd5050 said:

CO has it as the same number of gates but going from 5 to 3 checkpoints:

"Today, there are five security checkpoints. When the terminal is finished in four years, the airport will have the same number of security lanes – 17 – but they will be consolidated into three checkpoints." source

I prefer this.  Should be less walking and they will be less likely to close checkpoints like they do now.

 

18 hours ago, CLT704 said:

^Whilst everything that has been posted today is amazing, the best, albeit it slightly more boring, news is that the old concourses have slightly taller ceilings:

"It also plans to raise the ceilings slightly – by nearly a foot – to make the concourse feel more open..."

I wouldn't personally say that this is the best news but I do agree that it's awesome.  The low ceilings are the worst part of the older concourses.  I was actually hoping that they would scrap the drop ceiling altogether and just leave the exposed mechanical work but I guess what looks good in a loft doesn't work in an airport.

[Scribe]

1 hour ago, JBS said:

Should be less walking and they will be less likely to close checkpoints like they do now.

Totally agree on that point. Dislike the current setup "Oh, Checkpoint D is open" ... 60 ppl running down to Checkpoint D.

[Midwoodian]

Pic of the airport control tower construction from yesterday. It seems they have slowed some since getting to what looks like the flight deck levels. It's been this way for a few weeks now.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[DavieNative]

1 hour ago, Midwoodian said:

Pic of the airport control tower construction from yesterday. It seems they have slowed some since getting to what looks like the flight deck levels. It's been this way for a few weeks now.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

This is going to make the airport look much more big time compared to the control tower on site now. Definitely excited for the option of a hotel on the site of the current tower as well! 

[queensguy06]

Is it weird that I like the old control tower?  I wish there was a way they could repurpose it into the new hotel proposed...like an observation deck or something.

[KJHburg]

This is a great addition on the retail front to CLT and will give the 80% of  the traffic not from Charlotte area a local taste. OMB to open an outlet there. https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2017/09/29/what-s-on-tap-omb-shares-plans-for-clt-location.html?ana=e_ae_set1&s=scroll&ed=2017-09-29&u=oAaDx%2B74FoP4qOJ%2By4AU6dhJPpc&t=1506727140&j=78906891

[Cadi40]

1 hour ago, KJHburg said:

This is a great addition on the retail front to CLT and will give the 80% of  the traffic not from Charlotte area a local taste. OMB to open an outlet there. https://www.bizjournals.com/charlotte/news/2017/09/29/what-s-on-tap-omb-shares-plans-for-clt-location.html?ana=e_ae_set1&s=scroll&ed=2017-09-29&u=oAaDx%2B74FoP4qOJ%2By4AU6dhJPpc&t=1506727140&j=78906891

Great addition!

Edited September 30, 2017 by Cadi40

[navigator319]

More international (Europe) service is on the way.  Guesses to which cities?  

Not so good news for Asia.  Does not seem to have anything to do with runway length.

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tedreed/2017/09/30/as-american-airlines-moves-boeing-767s-to-philly-charlotte-could-get-more-europe-flights/#54d7eb5127f3

[CLT2014]

That's great news that they are looking at more service to Europe and the A330 aircraft are much nicer than AA's old 767 aircraft. Some more year round destinations would be great. Not surprised on CLT - Asia. We are really only convenient for Florida to connect through to Asia.  Most major cities would be back tracking to go to Charlotte to head to Asia. The Midwest is ideally suited to capture Midwest and Northeast traffic, with Texas and the West Coast getting areas west of the Mississippi and Southeast. 

[CLT704]

1 hour ago, navigator319 said:

More international (Europe) service is on the way.  Guesses to which cities?  

-Manchester

-Berlin (though Air Berlin is practically dead and US service is pretty limited)

-Munich (only if LH pulls out) 

-Venice (unlikely since it is served from PHL and ORD IIRC) 

Apart from those I can't see really see any other destinations, Helsinki isn't even served from PHL. 

Edited September 30, 2017 by CLT704

[kermit]

without regard to the  leading remark about connections to partners I think Brexit may cause some increased year-round business traffic from CLT to Dublin, Paris and Frankfurt (along with corresponding declines in London premium traffic). Berlin seems like the clearest choice (to me) for new service. Milan feels underserved, to me,  particularly as tourists get displaced out of Venice. 

Air Berlin, Alitialia's bankruptcies and operational issues at Ryanair have created some new opportunities on the Continent.  

[cltbwimob]

6 hours ago, CLT704 said:

-Manchester

-Berlin (though Air Berlin is practically dead and US service is pretty limited)

-Munich (only if LH pulls out) 

-Venice (unlikely since it is served from PHL and ORD IIRC) 

Apart from those I can't see really see any other destinations, Helsinki isn't even served from PHL. 

The article specifically stated the airports they are considering would primarily be airports to which there would be connection opportunities, and outside the Air Berlin hubs of Berlin and Dusseldorf, and Finnair at Helsinki, I just don't see many connection opportunities that Charlotte doesn't serve at least on a seasonal basis.  I think Berlin and Dusseldorf,-especially Dusseldorf- would be the best bets if Air Berlin wasn't in dire straits financially. I think Manchester and Amsterdam may be possibilities, not necessarily for their connection opportunities but because they are big European cities and Manchester used to have Charlotte service.  Although Finnair is on the JV with British Airways and American, it seems like a long shot.

I do think that some of the cities that are already served on a seasonal basis could become year-round destinations, specifically, Madrid, Dublin, Barcelona, and Rome.  Madrid is the primary hub for Iberia, and the other 3 are hubs for IAG owned airlines Aer Lingus and Veuling.  Assuming those airlines become full members of the Oneworld alliance, I see year-round service to these four cities as a strong possibility.

I also think there are a couple other very very very very long shots, but you never know, especially if American is looking for connection opportunities and there will be a surplus of long haul aircraft.  I would group into this category, Moscow (hub for Oneworld partner S7 Airlines), Amman (hub for Oneworld partner Royal Jordanian), and a winter seasonal to Rio de Janiero (hub for Oneworld partner LATAM).  Of course the last two aren't in Europe but I figured I'd throw those in there.

Edited October 1, 2017 by cltbwimob

[atlrvr]

In order of most likely, I think flights would be:

1) year round Madrid

2) 3rd London flight

3) year round Paris

4) year round Dublin

5) seasonal Manchester

6) seasonal Amsterdam

7) year round Barcelona

8) seasonal Dusseldorf

9) seasonal Berlin

10) seasonal Stockholm

The last 3 seem remote as they would be new stations for American.

 

 

[elrodvt]

Moscow for white house staff. ;-)

Too many reporters at DIA.