Charlotte-Douglas Airport (CLT) Expansion

[stiluvclt]

Could someone show how to import a twitter pic into UP?

 

[Crucial_Infra]

1 hour ago, stiluvclt said:

Could someone show how to import a twitter pic into UP?

 

Just post the link and it will import itself

[stiluvclt]

Hey KJHburg, can you update this perspective? It was taken by one you dynamic UPers. It posted 12/20/2017.

[CarolinaDaydreamin]

All of you should be using SKIPLAGGED . Com does a great job getting you cheaper flights to other hubs. Can’t check bags with this method tho.

[QClifer]

Agreed. I always use it and book my flight 1-2 days sometimes while I’m in the airport. Much easier way to travel 

[elrodvt]

^I hadn't heard of that. Does it break the airlines terms of carriage? They eventually go after folks who do that regularly. 

[kermit]

File under “sounds familiar” the State of Georgia is considering stealing Hartsfield from the City of Atlanta. I suspect a second attempt by the NCGA to seize CLT would play out very differently under the current administration. 

https://www.ajc.com/business/georgia-senate-study-committee-consider-secondary-airport-hub/1tGL12UjTuxQGEJFO4LFmO/

plus discussions of a second Atlanta airport

Edited June 24, 2018 by kermit

[SouthEndCLT811]

It'd be interesting to see how that plays out with Delta and the second airport as the article mentioned.  Precursor to what we could expect if Concord expands and how American reacts.

Just switched to a job where I'll be flying out a few days each week..  I'll try to be the KJHBurg of the airport renovations as I'm there  

[Exile]

20 hours ago, SouthEndCLT811 said:

It'd be interesting to see how that plays out with Delta and the second airport as the article mentioned.  Precursor to what we could expect if Concord expands and how American reacts.

Just switched to a job where I'll be flying out a few days each week..  I'll try to be the KJHBurg of the airport renovations as I'm there  

FWIW, Orlando's second airport--Sanford Int'l (SFB)--is, like Concord, pretty much Allegiant's airport, with some lesser-known European carriers that fly there, a lot of that on a charter basis, I'm guessing. Nobody changes planes in Orlando, and yet Sanford only handles about 6-7% of what MCO handles.

I'm no aviation expert, but since CLT isn't even close to the destination that Orlando is (one side of MCO's terminal is much bigger than all of CLT's), I can't imagine Concord ever being more than a small-niche, Allegiant (or similar) facility, particularly since CLT has lots of acreage to accommodate ever-increasing numbers of transient passengers, and the relatively modest number of destination passengers.

[CarolinaDaydreamin]

21 hours ago, kermit said:

File under “sounds familiar” the State of Georgia is considering stealing Hartsfield from the City of Atlanta. I suspect a second attempt by the NCGA to seize CLT would play out very differently under the current administration. 

https://www.ajc.com/business/georgia-senate-study-committee-consider-secondary-airport-hub/1tGL12UjTuxQGEJFO4LFmO/

plus discussions of a second Atlanta airport

Those fights have happened in GA forever. The city of Atlanta even owns a tract in the N GA mountains for an additional airport but it will never happen. Even if Casey Cagle is elected as Gov.  (He has a recent history vs. Delta on their NRA stance)

[xapostrophe]

Anyone see that the 1 million+ sq foot Amazon facility was green lit just northwest of the airport but south of 85 and east of 485.  The city/state are going to fund a small chunk of it.  Maybe good news for the cargo side of CLT.

[Tyrone Wiggum]

On 6/25/2018 at 10:52 AM, Exile said:

I'm no aviation expert, but since CLT isn't even close to the destination that Orlando is (one side of MCO's terminal is much bigger than all of CLT's), 

Eh?  CLT is scheduled to have at least 142 gates in less than a decade, and the numbers aren't that far off as it is.

[CLT2014]

19 minutes ago, Tyrone Wiggum said:

Eh?  CLT is scheduled to have at least 142 gates in less than a decade, and the numbers aren't that far off as it is.

I believe Exile meant the Check-In/Baggage Claim terminal is much bigger in Orlando. CLT is a big airport in the actual concourses / gate area, but we have a relatively small check in area and baggage claim as Orlando has more travelers beginning / ending their trip at MCO. MCO actually ranks #4 among airports nationwide for Origin/Departing traffic (non-connecting), just behind Chicago-O'Hare and just ahead of New York-La Guardia, requiring a much larger check in area and more TSA checkpoints, more baggage claim, more roads for drop off, etc.... than CLT where 80% of passengers are connecting between planes and never even see baggage claim / TSA checkpoints, airline check-in, etc....

This makes sense though as CLT is a big connecting hub and MCO is a destination for leisure travel to the amusement parks and resorts. Las Vegas ranks #2 for Origin/Depart travel and is also a big leisure destination. 

Edited June 26, 2018 by CLT2014

[Exile]

35 minutes ago, CLT2014 said:

I believe Exile meant the Check-In/Baggage Claim terminal is much bigger in Orlando. CLT is a big airport in the actual concourses / gate area, but we have a relatively small check in area and baggage claim as Orlando has more travelers beginning / ending their trip at MCO. MCO actually ranks #4 among airports nationwide for Origin/Departing traffic (non-connecting), just behind Chicago-O'Hare and just ahead of New York-La Guardia, requiring a much larger check in area and more TSA checkpoints, more baggage claim, more roads for drop off, etc.... than CLT where 80% of passengers are connecting between planes and never even see baggage claim / TSA checkpoints, airline check-in, etc....

This makes sense though as CLT is a big connecting hub and MCO is a destination for leisure travel to the amusement parks and resorts. Las Vegas ranks #2 for Origin/Depart travel and is also a big leisure destination. 

Yes. Both SFB and MCO are destination airports--there's no changing of planes there. Most of CLT's traffic is going somewhere other than Charlotte. SFB is the closest thing that Allegiant has to a hub, i.e., it takes flights from numerous cities all over the continental U.S., and yet it only manages maybe 7% of MCO's traffic.

Concord will never be, for Allegiant or any similar airline, what SFB is for Orlando, for obvious reasons.  There's no reason to expect Concord ever to have more than, say, 1% of CLT's traffic (if that), as long as CLT has room for expansion, the vast majority of which will undoubtedly be geared toward people who are changing planes. As far as total volume of traffic, CLT's upper limit, given the available acreage, is huge. It's just that most of that increase won't be going through the terminal to or from the parking decks.

Also, even if Concord had any theoretical growth potential, it's still limited by a runway that's a little over 7000',  with an active quarry at one end and Concord Mills not far from the other end, and no space for a second runway. It's great for the niche of Allegiant, NASCAR private jets, and general aviation. But not much more.

Edited June 26, 2018 by Exile
correct bad grammar

[kermit]

Just spitballing here....

Iceland has become a huge tourist destination largely thanks to many years of their only real air carrier providing tourists using their hub in the middle of the Atlantic with free stopovers. I know it is a ridiculous comparison, but how difficult would it be (from an operations perspective) to convince American to offer free Charlotte stopovers? (fair trade in return for their jet-fuel tax credit?)

Operations issues aside it is still a plainly silly idea. But I am kinda intrigued by the tourism possibilities it presents over the very long-term. We don't have much to offer casual tourists, but we are not a volcanic rock adjacent to the arctic either.   

[Cadi40]

As Charlotte grows you will undoubtably notice CLT’s non layover traffic to increase. More people will be coming to CLT in the future because as population and diversity grows more tourist attractions and events will open. Much like Atlanta. 

[CLT2014]

From the airport Facebook page. Looks like moving companies are starting to bring in equipment and food service vendors are arriving. 

[deleted]

3 hours ago, CLT2014 said:

From the airport Facebook page. Looks like moving companies are starting to bring in equipment and food service vendors are arriving. 

I like what is going on at the airport but don't like the green glass here and on the parking garages.  Just me?

[Crucial_Infra]

^^Yeah that green glass with the blue roof is . . . interesting. 

[cltcane]

6 hours ago, Crucial_Infra said:

^^Yeah that green glass with the blue roof is . . . interesting. 

I don’t mind the green glass so much, but the blue roofs (on A-North, D, and E) make the airport look cheap IMO, almost like a secondary airport or a LCC terminal.

Edited June 30, 2018 by cltcane

[CLT2014]

Picked a relative up at the airport late last night and the new walkway to A North looks great at night. Totally transforms the evening approach. The terminal walkway was red, white, and blue for the holiday with the exterior lighting in vertical bars going in the wave pattern shown in the daytime pic. Will try to get a pic next tme. I wasn't expecting it to be lit.

Edited June 30, 2018 by CLT2014

[Dale]

Flew out of Vancouver yesterday. Beautiful architecture. Outstanding collection of shops. And the SkyTrain is a dream. Zips you downtown in twenty minutes.

BUT, the most ridiculous protocol I've ever experienced. We had to form a long line to check in. The we were shunted to another long line to get out luggage tags. Then we were sent to a long line to drop off our luggage. Then came the longest line for security.

CLT was a breeze comparatively. Imagine when it's all sparkly.

BTW: Chicago O'Hare is a dump.

Edited July 1, 2018 by Dale

[LKN704]

7 hours ago, Dale said:

Flew out of Vancouver yesterday. Beautiful architecture. Outstanding collection of shops. And the SkyTrain is a dream. Zips you downtown in twenty minutes.

BUT, the most ridiculous protocol I've ever experienced. We had to form a long line to check in. The we were shunted to another long line to get out luggage tags. Then we were sent to a long line to drop off our luggage. Then came the longest line for security. 

CLT was a breeze comparatively. Imagine when it's all sparkly.

BTW: Chicago O'Hare is a dump.

That's very interesting-did you just come from a cruise or were you on some type of tour?

Up until a few months ago I was traveling to Vancouver about every two months. I've never had any issues leaving. I always would check in online with my phone, go through security, and  pass through US preclearance within a matter of minutes. I never checked bags and I have Global Entry, however.

The one thing that really really bothers me about flying into Canada is that I find their immigration officers to be quite rude. Not to say that US officials aren't equally as rude, but the only time I have been subject to lengthy questioning or anything was always flying into Vancouver or Toronto. I was in Vancouver in April and the Canadian border official insisted that she examine my passport and ask how I got every single stamp that it had. It was totally bizarre. 

The Skytrain is great! It's really fun to sit or stand at the front of the car and look out as it zips over bridges.

[kermit]

11 hours ago, LKN704 said:

The one thing that really really bothers me about flying into Canada is that I find their immigration officers to be quite rude. Not to say that US officials aren't equally as rude, but the only time I have been subject to lengthy questioning or anything was always flying into Vancouver or Toronto.

Sorry to hear that  I am not the only one this happens to. I have been subject to the same sort of questions in Montreal (twice), a train crossing in Niagra Falls and crossing on a Windsor city bus. But its not every time -- I had no trouble in Victoria (ferry), Halifax and Toronto (Pearson). Canada is the only place in the world where I have gotten more than the cursory "purpose of your visit" questions at the border.

Edited July 2, 2018 by kermit

[Dale]

9 hours ago, LKN704 said:

That's very interesting-did you just come from a cruise or were you on some type of tour?

Up until a few months ago I was traveling to Vancouver about every two months. I've never had any issues leaving. I always would check in online with my phone, go through security, and  pass through US preclearance within a matter of minutes. I never checked bags and I have Global Entry, however.

The one thing that really really bothers me about flying into Canada is that I find their immigration officers to be quite rude. Not to say that US officials aren't equally as rude, but the only time I have been subject to lengthy questioning or anything was always flying into Vancouver or Toronto. I was in Vancouver in April and the Canadian border official insisted that she examine my passport and ask how I got every single stamp that it had. It was totally bizarre. 

The Skytrain is great! It's really fun to sit or stand at the front of the car and look out as it zips over bridges.

Returning from an Alaskan cruise. I did get the impression that the airport was severely understaffed. I can report that they've announced a $9.2 BILLION expansion. Funny, only time I went through customs was disembarking into the cruise terminal. Guy just took my declaration form and said thank you. Had to clear customs in Chicago.