Charlotte-Douglas Airport (CLT) Expansion

[JorgiPorgi]

Drove past the entrance today. This may have already been discussed but is that a  new entrance sign going up at Josh Birmingham and Wilkinson? 

[TCLT]

Drove past the entrance today. This may have already been discussed but is that a  new entrance sign going up at Josh Birmingham and Wilkinson? 

Yep! Should look really good too once it’s done.

https://cltairport.mediaroom.com/2019-09-23-Centerpiece-of-New-Signage-to-be-Architectural-Crown-Monument

[csweet]

20 hours ago, stiluvclt said:

Just sayin': I can appreciate all of this OAG stuff but the title of this thread is Charlotte-Douglas Airport (CLT) Expansion yet I can go to the Honeywell, Ally, LU etc. and get daily updates! In fact, the last CLT pic that was filed on this thread was 3/2/2020, TEN PAGES AGO! Please someone drive out to the "Free for the first hour" lot and grab some updates, please?

A lot of projects are funded by traffic, which has obviosuly disappeared. If you want updates of parked planes just cruise anywhere around the cargo terminals. 

[UrbanCharlotte]

Any educated guesses on when we will see routes from Europe begin to trickle back?

[TCLT]

Any educated guesses on when we will see routes from Europe begin to trickle back?

For AA, LHR and MUC are set to resume July 7 and it seems like a reasonable timeline so it’s probably safe to bet on that happening. The second LHR flight and FRA come back in October which is probably doable. None of the seasonal routes will operate this year. Lufthansa’s cancellations currently run until May 17, but I don’t think Lufthansa will resume their MUC-CLT flight before AA does and I don’t think AA resumes flights earlier than what’s already been announced.

http://news.aa.com/news/news-details/2020/American-Airlines-Announces-Summer-Schedule-Changes-to-Match-Reduced-Customer-Demand-Related-to-COVID-19-OPS-DIS-04/default.aspx

https://www.lufthansagroup.com/en/newsroom/media-relations-north-america/news-and-releases/lufthansa-group-continues-to-amend-flight-schedule.html

[LKN704]

I don't know the laws in NC/CLT, but aren't all construction projects that had started before COVID-19 allowed to continue? That is how it is in DC...so I would think the ticketing lobby expansion construction in still underway?

[KJHburg]

1 hour ago, LKN704 said:

I don't know the laws in NC/CLT, but aren't all construction projects that had started before COVID-19 allowed to continue? That is how it is in DC...so I would think the ticketing lobby expansion construction in still underway?

all construction is allowed to continue and new construction can start if they are ready anywhere in the state. 

[urbanlover568]

if you were wondering where all the planes went...

 

[KJHburg]

from twitter 

 

Edited April 23, 2020 by KJHburg

[CLT2014]

3 minutes ago, KJHburg said:

Looks like A-North Expansion (and the prospective Delta SkyClub) is delayed / not happening for now. Bummer, but makes sense. 

Edited April 23, 2020 by CLT2014

[KJHburg]

^^^ was what they posted on twitter about the ongoing projects not sure about A expansion.  Update see below I did find something about it. 

here is another tweet from Fox 46 news 

#NOW Concourse A phase II expansion is delayed, new joint operations center delayed, concession distribution center is canceled and Concourse D remodel( International flights) is also delayed due to COVID-19 impacts at CLT Airport.

@FOX46News

Edited April 23, 2020 by KJHburg

[stiluvclt]

Does Concourse D really need to be remodeled?

[KJHburg]

3 minutes ago, stiluvclt said:

Does Concourse D really need to be remodeled?

Last time I was over there I would say no look great to me higher ceilings etc.

[CLT2014]

4 minutes ago, stiluvclt said:

Does Concourse D really need to be remodeled?

It was just going to be new floors to remove the carpet and new seating with charging at every seat. Less intensive than the older concourses. 

Edited April 23, 2020 by CLT2014

[UrbanCharlotte]

1 hour ago, KJHburg said:

from twitter 

 

Hopefully this all passes soon. Bummer big time. 

[Hushpuppy321]

I just heard on NPR yesterday that CLT is temporarily the Fourth (4th) busiest Airport in the World right now due to Coronavirus shutdowns/flight cancellations and Airports worldwide scaling back operations.  That was a surprise.

[kermit]

10 minutes ago, Hushpuppy321 said:

I just heard on NPR yesterday that CLT is temporarily the Fourth (4th) busiest Airport in the World right now due to Coronavirus shutdowns/flight cancellations and Airports worldwide scaling back operations.  That was a surprise.

even in normal years its somewhere between the 5th and 7th busiest in the world by number of flights, thanks to Concourse E

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_busiest_airports_by_aircraft_movements

 

[LKN704]

IIRC (I would very well be wrong) the D remodel was supposed to also include a remodel of the FIS area, which would be somewhat more complex than just a simple concourse remodel.  

D was already partially remodeled as it recently received additional lighting fixtures (which required the removal of the model plane). Adding new seats with power and new flooring should be a fairly simple process, and I would expect it to be the first of the delayed projects to be completed.

As for A North-II, at this point, I would be surprised if it opens prior to 2030. I definitely think the project will eventually go forward and be constructed, but planning likely won't resume until traffic rebounds, so maybe 2021 at the earliest, late 2022 at the latest. Add on two years of planning, at least, so say 2025. Considering it'll be more complex than Phase 1 and involve the construction of a new landside terminal, I wouldn't be surprised to see construction take 3-5 years. 

Edited April 24, 2020 by LKN704

[CLTaviation13]

Little late to posting this but if anyone is curious. Heres a picture of the 772 parked over by the hangar area. 

Not the greatest perspective but the best I could do. 

 

[LKN704]

Nice pic!

One thing to remember (especially if you have never flown on a 777 before) is that AA did retrofit all of their 777s to a high-density configuration in Economy (as have most airlines these days), adding an extra seat per row. I'm relatively slender but still find the seats to be tight, especially during meal services. Regardless, the seats in Economy on the 777 are nicer than the seats on the A330.

The Business Class cabin, along with the entertainment system is definitely an upgrade, however. 

[TCLT]

2 hours ago, LKN704 said:

Nice pic!

One thing to remember (especially if you have never flown on a 777 before) is that AA did retrofit all of their 777s to a high-density configuration in Economy (as have most airlines these days), adding an extra seat per row. I'm relatively slender but still find the seats to be tight, especially during meal services. Regardless, the seats in Economy on the 777 are nicer than the seats on the A330.

The Business Class cabin, along with the entertainment system is definitely an upgrade, however. 

Plus having Premium Economy as an option to London will be a nice change from the A333s.

[CLT704]

Great shot @JetBlueCLT! That 777 is here for familiarisation, as the schedule change that was loaded over night shows 777 service on both London and Munich! Going to be very weird seeing 777 here.

I am a little surprised AA didn't decide to introduce the 787-9 as a replacement for the 333, as the 789 is a much closer match to the 333 in terms of seating configs. 333 has 291 seats, 789 has 285 seats, and 772 has 273; the number of business class seats is more similar between the 333 (28) and 789 (30), whilst the 772 has 37- so the 772 is a bit more premium than what we are used to, with more premium seats in a lower number of total seats. But what do I know, I am not a revenue manager nor network planner.

[BarrenLucidity]

1 hour ago, CLT704 said:

Great shot @JetBlueCLT! That 777 is here for familiarisation, as the schedule change that was loaded over night shows 777 service on both London and Munich! Going to be very weird seeing 777 here.

I am a little surprised AA didn't decide to introduce the 787-9 as a replacement for the 333, as the 789 is a much closer match to the 333 in terms of seating configs. 333 has 291 seats, 789 has 285 seats, and 772 has 273; the number of business class seats is more similar between the 333 (28) and 789 (30), whilst the 772 has 37- so the 772 is a bit more premium than what we are used to, with more premium seats in a lower number of total seats. But what do I know, I am not a revenue manager nor network planner.

AA doesn't have that many 789s and there are better markets for the 789s. AA has 47 772s and only 40 787s combined (788/789). I think if fleet rotation keeps up we will definitely see 788s for smaller routes (CDG, FCO, etc.) but 789s are probably going to be served from larger/more premium O&D markets such as DFW, LAX, ORD. CLT is busy but those market are easily 3-5x our size and served a different set of clients (e.g. not primarily regional). If AA ever buys the 777X we might see regular 789 but until they get a new flagship I wouldn't expect to see 789s regularly.

Edited April 26, 2020 by BarrenLucidity

[CLT2014]

Anybody know what is going to happen to the Charlotte-based A330 crews? I wonder if AA will expand CLT to be a base for 777 or 787 at some point and use this time to train the A330 crews...

Otherwise a slight bummer that CLT - LHR will end with "on behalf of this Dallas-Forth Worth based flight crew, thanks for choosing American."

Also any intel on how they will rotate the 777 into CLT? Domestic route or Y pattern from Europe?

Edited April 26, 2020 by CLT2014

[LKN704]

3 hours ago, CLT2014 said:

Anybody know what is going to happen to the Charlotte-based A330 crews? I wonder if AA will expand CLT to be a base for 777 or 787 at some point and use this time to train the A330 crews...

Otherwise a slight bummer that CLT - LHR will end with "on behalf of this Dallas-Forth Worth based flight crew, thanks for choosing American."

Also any intel on how they will rotate the 777 into CLT? Domestic route or Y pattern from Europe?

Or even worse, "on behalf of this Raleigh-Durham based flight crew"!!

The first thing that came to my mind was the impact of this on the CLT flight attendants, whom I am assuming having been trained yet on the 777 and will likely be relatively angry at the complete loss of transatlantic flying for them. 

Overall, I think this likely means the A332s will either be parked for longer than any of us thought, or simply won't be coming back at all.  I do believe there is a need for the A332 at CLT, although losing the A333 makes me wonder if there is an economies of scale factor, and AA thinks having such a small fleet is worth keeping after the A333s are retired. AA is currently, however, in the process of installing a new IFE-system (sadly keeping the same seats) and IIRC one of the aircraft has already received the modification, so I guess we will have to see if they are retired or kept. 

I wonder how MUC will perform with the 772. It's a huge increase in the premium cabin (almost double the seats, 20 to 37).

I think they will likely do a Y-pattern for LHR as they currently do for RDU-LHR. For MUC, they will either have to base a 777 and deadhead a 777 crew in or do a domestic rotation. I don't think a Y-patter is possible at MUC due to CLT-MUC being the only AA flight. 

 

 

Edited April 26, 2020 by LKN704