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Charlotte-Douglas Airport (CLT) Expansion


uptownliving

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I will say that spending a good amount of time in Miami's airport this past week, it is way better looking and better maintained than CLT.  I understand they went thru somewhat recent renovations, but glad to see they opted for an open, airy and modern design.  I really like the way the new terminal is shaping up at CLT, apart from the blue roof..there is so much blue in CLT airport design, it's too much, bring in some warm colors and materials!  I also hope for glass jetways at the new terminal. 

Does anyone else feel like Terminal E was not designed very well?  CLT is a world class airport with not so much a world class design.  Don't get me wrong, i love traveling thru CLT, but they could have/could do better. 

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Personally, I think E is designed fine. It's actually one of the better regional concourses around.

IIRC when it was opened back in 2002 it was considered state of the art because it had individual gates with jetways, removing the need to walk out on the tarmac. Whereas the regional terminal at SLC, IAD, PIT (now closed), CVG (now closed), and the new regional terminal at IAH require all passengers to wait in a holding area before being cleared to walk through a door which leads to a long narrow hallway where passengers walk through another door which leads to the tarmac where passengers walk to the plane. 

I do however wonder that if E were built disconnected from the terminal (connected with a tunnel rather than a walkway) if the congestion around the terminal experienced today wouldn't exist. 

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13 minutes ago, LKN704 said:

Personally, I think E is designed fine. It's actually one of the better regional concourses around.

IIRC when it was opened back in 2002 it was considered state of the art because it had individual gates with jetways, removing the need to walk out on the tarmac. Whereas the regional terminal at SLC, IAD, PIT (now closed), CVG (now closed), and the new regional terminal at IAH require all passengers to wait in a holding area before being cleared to walk through a door which leads to a long narrow hallway where passengers walk through another door which leads to the tarmac where passengers walk to the plane. 

I do however wonder that if E were built disconnected from the terminal (connected with a tunnel rather than a walkway) if the congestion around the terminal experienced today wouldn't exist. 

I can see your point in terms of comparison with other regional concourses.  I feel like they could have built a higher ceiling, incorporated a full tarrazzo floor, opted for warmer colors throughout, and more art.  But again this is just my personal preference haha.  

The new E connector will address some of these issues. 

In terms of a disconnected terminal design, I have wondered that myself.   I think the airport should have implement a people mover system at some point.

 

Edited by NikolaTesla
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2 hours ago, NikolaTesla said:

I will say that spending a good amount of time in Miami's airport this past week, it is way better looking and better maintained than CLT.  I understand they went thru somewhat recent renovations, but glad to see they opted for an open, airy and modern design.  I really like the way the new terminal is shaping up at CLT, apart from the blue roof..there is so much blue in CLT airport design, it's too much, bring in some warm colors and materials!  I also hope for glass jetways at the new terminal. 

Does anyone else feel like Terminal E was not designed very well?  CLT is a world class airport with not so much a world class design.  Don't get me wrong, i love traveling thru CLT, but they could have/could do better. 

You obviously weren't in Terminal E in MIA. Ugh. And it smells like vomit every time I'm there.

FWIW, CLT holds its own against MIA. Look no further than cost per enplanement and it all makes sense. Regardless, with nearly $1.5 billion in improvements currently underway,  CLT will be a damn fine facility by the close of the decade.  It's just getting through the next two years that will be a challenge.

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16 minutes ago, Miesian Corners said:

You obviously weren't in Terminal E in MIA. Ugh. And it smells like vomit every time I'm there.

FWIW, CLT holds its own against MIA. Look no further than cost per enplanement and it all makes sense. Regardless, with nearly $1.5 billion in improvements currently underway,  CLT will be a damn fine facility by the close of the decade.  It's just getting through the next two years that will be a challenge.

You are correct, I was in Terminal D.  I understand Charlotte holds it on against may airports...I know it hold a big advantage in terms of lower operating cost for AA and why its been such a successful hub.   After being to a wide variety of airports in the US and Europe, I just wish some design features were  a bit more thought out.   But again, this is mostly aesthetic and a viewpoint that maybe not a lot of people share.   

 

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5 minutes ago, NikolaTesla said:

You are correct, I was in Terminal D.  I understand Charlotte holds it on against may airports...I know it hold a big advantage in terms of lower operating cost for AA and why its been such a successful hub.   After being to a wide variety of airports in the US and Europe, I just wish some design features were  a bit more thought out.   But again, this is mostly aesthetic and a viewpoint that maybe not a lot of people share.   

 

Trust me, I completely agree. I'm in different airports every week for work. Jerry Orr's lack of maintenance at CLT has created a backlog of issues that just compounds aesthetic improvements. The new terminal will be very impressive, though.

As for the blue, while I agree it's a bit much, it's sooooooooo much better than the burgundy everything it replaced. 

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9 minutes ago, Miesian Corners said:

Trust me, I completely agree. I'm in different airports every week for work. Jerry Orr's lack of maintenance at CLT has created a backlog of issues that just compounds aesthetic improvements. The new terminal will be very impressive, though.

As for the blue, while I agree it's a bit much, it's sooooooooo much better than the burgundy everything it replaced. 

I totally agree with you..and like you said..the construction period will be the most challenging.  People that aren't so in tune with airport operations or avgeek 's like some of us do not realize how busy Charlotte.   50 million passengers is around the corner, pretty amazing! Have you been to Vancouver? It might be my favorite in North America. 

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30 minutes ago, Cadi40 said:

Does someone have an overview of the renovations? I keep forgetting where they are expanding the terminals and where they are renovating. Thanks!

Here you go.. http://www.cltairport.com/News/Pages/DestinationCLTProjects.aspx

 

It would be cool to organize a UrbanPlanet Avgeek meet at the airport overlook when it warms up..

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6 hours ago, NikolaTesla said:

Can someone photoshop 2-3 different roof colors other than blue?  

I wish mix of design was taken from Madrid Barajas Terminal 4 and Singapore Changi an incorporated into the new Terminal and future renovations at CLT, at least my ideal design vision haha. 

I love Madrid, but it's just that, Madrid, we associate Spain with bright colors and vibrant architecture, Charlotte has always been a glossy, glassy, modern city, at least since the 70's and 80's when we regrettably destroyed much of our history. I do think they could have gone a different route with the roof though, maybe blue still, but less "primary color"

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