Charlotte-Douglas Airport (CLT) Expansion

[LKN704]

Flew into/out of CLT a couple of times during the last two weeks, once as a connecting passenger, the other as a Charlotte-bound passenger. 

Couple of things I noticed:

1) They finally replaced that ugly maroon strip of paint that is present in the atrium with a blue strip of paint that doesn't look so 1990s and fits in with the rest of the terminal design. Hopefully they replace the  ugly non-lighted, maroon block letter signs at the beginning/end of the moving walkways in the atrium next. 

2) The moved the giant compass sign with an "E" that marked the entrance to the E Concourse from the D/E Connector (near where the Plaza currently is) to an area mounted over the stairs/escalators leading to the concourse. I always liked the giant compasses and saw them as unique to CLT, so I hope this means that they will survive the larger terminal renovation project. 

3) Good luck trying to get into the new Club at CLT lounge as a Priority Pass member during the afternoon. A significant portion of the lounge is reserved for Lufthansa's premium travelers during that time, and they even had an agent there when I attempted to visit wearing a Lufthansa uniform manning the front desk. I was quoted a wait time of 60 minutes just to get into the lounge. I'm curious about the lounge's access policy, as the lounge is now listed on the Lufthansa website and shows it is available to not only Business Class passengers, but also to Star Alliance Gold passengers, and those holding Miles&More status, making the lounge somewhat of a de facto Star Alliance Gold lounge. The Lufthansa website shows that eligible passengers have access to the lounge at all opening hours, not just during a certain time in the afternoon. 

4) I'm really not sure what happened, but the food quality of the Centurion Lounge has really deteriorated. For breakfast they had reconstituted, powdered scrambled eggs, bacon, Hampton Inn-style soggy croissants and pastries, and a syrup covered  fruit medley, all served on paper plates. No other lounge in the system has gone down hill like that, so I am not sure what is going on at CLT. 

5) I'm glad to see the Montreal mainline flights are doing well, at least load wise. I have no idea how the yields are, but my flight to DCA this morning departed next to the morning Montreal flight and the flight was packed. 

6) CLT really seems to be the only airport these days to have gate keepers at the TSA areas for crowd control and to make sure pax enter the right lane...I haven't seen them at other airports in years. I'm not sure if they are hired by CLT or the airlines themselves, but I am not sure the point of them. They seem to slow down the line (by checking everyone's boarding pass to make sure they have TSA Pre) or have a nonsensical approach to crowd control. This morning the gate keeper wouldn't let standard passengers into the standard D line because it was "too busy" despite only maybe 20 or so people being in line, while the other checkpoints seemed packed. I just wish CLT had Clear to you could go through airport security basically without interacting with anyone from TSA all together. 

Photo of the new landslide complex from the curbside area (sorry for the poor image):

[Miesian Corners]

The crossfield taxiway and deicing pads are moving along quickly. I was out at the cargo complex today and steel is going in for the taxiway bridge. It was supposed to be completed by the end of the year, but I think it will more than likely be Q1 of 2023.

[LKN704]

The main terminal complex turns 40 years old today.

[KJHburg]

I remember the new 1982 airport terminal too

[KJHburg]

sometimes with all the projects at CLT it is easy to forget where we are heading.  CLT social media displayed these renderings today.  Can not wait for the final product.

 

[Desert Power]

2 hours ago, KJHburg said:

sometimes with all the projects at CLT it is easy to forget where we are heading.  CLT social media displayed these renderings today.  Can not wait for the final product.

Good stuff. The baggage area has always been pretty drab.

[LKN704]

I've posted these before, but I'll post them again because they provide a nice 3D rendering of all the Landside Terminal renovation components:

Bag Claim Walkthrough: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0j774vHtEC8&t=44s

"Queens Court" rendering: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MTbVqngNhNI&t=63s

Departures Curbside rendering: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mdZIfqq_OPs

Rendering from Pedestrian Bridge: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dEHMNmDizRQ&t=94s

Domestic Arrivals corridor with new automated exit lanes: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qg8zL3jSpuk

Ticketing Lobby rendering: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HloRVMSTv0Q&t=93s

Security Checkpoint 2 rendering: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HloRVMSTv0Q&t=93s

It looks like some ticket counters will be constructed where the current E Checkpoint (will become Checkpoint 3 presumably)/Terminal Expansion East is located. I recall there being space for counters there before, and I believe there is also a connection to the terminal baggage system. 

Edited May 7, 2022 by LKN704

[CltFlyer]

1 hour ago, LKN704 said:

It looks like some ticket counters will be constructed where the current E Checkpoint (will become Checkpoint 3 presumably)/Terminal Expansion East is located. I recall there being space for counters there before, and I believe there is also a connection to the terminal baggage system. 

There are actually a few counters there now.

Volaris, Lufthansa (unless Lufthansa's main counters have re-opened), and any charter airlines currently use them.

[KJHburg]

I did not see this story posted about the 40th anniversary of new terminal.  From Forbes

https://www.forbes.com/sites/tedreed/2022/04/27/charlotte-airport-celebrates-adding-90-gates-in-40-years-as-piedmont-airlines-became-american/

[KJHburg]

In NC airport news the first ever nonstop flight to Iceland from RDU service starts today.  I am very intrigued by the idea of a stopover in Iceland on the way to Europe.

[videtur quam contuor]

In the 1960's (at least) Icelandair was well known among the younger set as the European airline that was not under fare regulation. One could travel to Europe, usually to Luxembourg or Amsterdam (as I recall) for a far cheaper price than the state owned flag carrier airlines or the US carriers. It required a stop in Reykjavik. The low cost and the large number of backpackers using this airline made it the "hippie" airline.  For those of us wishing of a European holiday it was a dream connection.

I was finally able to make my Iceland getaway nine years ago. If I had gone when I was 23 I may have never returned. An amazing destination. One can ride a bicycle from North America to Europe while there, among many dramatic and spectacular experiences.

[Hushpuppy321]

Dude - I don’t fly much but have been very impressed with MCO And TPA International Airport’s.  The powers that be have spent a lot of money to make sure you realize that you have now ‘Arrived’ at some place important.  Tampa Airport Is freaking Gargantuan.  Destination CLT is a step in the right direction though… hopefully it’ll be nice once it’s completed in like 2030 lol….

[CltFlyer]

Construction on A North Phase 2 is officially underway.

Scheduled for completion in fall of 2024.

https://cltairport.mediaroom.com/Concourse_A_Phase_2_Underway#assets_all

[Richhamleigh, DC]

Is Qatar Cargo still flying to CLT?  Or ever?  I may have dreamt it.  The absence of international cargo carriers to NC is curious.  I noticed that Columbus, OH is served by an impressive array of global carriers as is Portland, OR.  I thought NC was more at least as important a manufacturing center as Ohio and significantly  more so than Oregon.  Can someone educate me?

[KJHburg]

I was over at CLT doing a drop off today and notice a Contour jet?  Where do they fly I am not familiar with them. 

[kermit]

2 hours ago, Phillydog said:

Is Qatar Cargo still flying to CLT?  Or ever?  I may have dreamt it.  The absence of international cargo carriers to NC is curious.  I noticed that Columbus, OH is served by an impressive array of global carriers as is Portland, OR.  I thought NC was more at least as important a manufacturing center as Ohio and significantly  more so than Oregon.  Can someone educate me?

Just guessing but I would bet the Charlotte region is a pretty poor airfreight market. Most of our manufactured goods are of the heavy variety, so other than shipping some urgent machine repair parts or prototypes most of our manufactured goods will go by slower modes.

The Columbus economy is a mystery to me (I think some pharma?), no idea what happens there, Portland does make a bunch of semiconductors which have a perfect value/weight ratio for airfreight and it functions as an important Asian distribution point.

I also gotta think that our hub is a disadvantage for freight, lots of crowded runways and aprons.

I dunno, would like to hear from more knowledgeable folks. 

Not Charlotte specific, but here is one of my favorite related bits of unverifiable economic trivia which explains the rise of airfreight in general. Very dated now, but I promise the trend has not reversed:

Edited May 17, 2022 by kermit

[15895]

2 hours ago, Phillydog said:

Is Qatar Cargo still flying to CLT?  Or ever?  I may have dreamt it.  The absence of international cargo carriers to NC is curious.  I noticed that Columbus, OH is served by an impressive array of global carriers as is Portland, OR.  I thought NC was more at least as important a manufacturing center as Ohio and significantly  more so than Oregon.  Can someone educate me?

I’m going to guess being the 7th busiest airport in the world - pre-pandemic at least - in terms of aircraft movements would make Charlotte an unattractive market to set up freight operations to a point where you’d see freight operations scale beyond what they are now. 

[LKN704]

2 hours ago, kermit said:

Just guessing but I would bet the Charlotte region is a pretty poor airfreight market. Most of our manufactured goods are of the heavy variety, so other than shipping some urgent machine repair parts or prototypes most of our manufactured goods will go by slower modes.

The Columbus economy is a mystery to me (I think some pharma?), no idea what happens there, Portland does make a bunch of semiconductors which have a perfect value/weight ratio for airfreight and it functions as an important Asian distribution point.

I also gotta think that our hub is a disadvantage for freight, lots of crowded runways and aprons.

I dunno, would like to hear from more knowledgeable folks. 

I don't know the answer, but I have often wondered this myself. I would cross out the hub disadvantage, as Atlanta has multiple cargo flights a day to Asia, Anchorage, Western Europe, etc. 

Columbus is an air cargo hub simply because the infrastructure was there. Remember that cargo airlines don't use the main passenger airport (CMH), but use Columbus-Rickenbacker. Rickenbacker was a former AFB, and has the runway length necessary to support intercontinental cargo flights...its longest runway is over 12k feet. 

I wonder if it is simply because Charlotte was quite late to develop economically in terms of other cities. Atlanta has long been the infrastructure and transport hub of the south, so it made historic sense to feed everything through there.  

4 hours ago, CltFlyer said:

Construction on A North Phase 2 is officially underway.

Scheduled for completion in fall of 2024.

https://cltairport.mediaroom.com/Concourse_A_Phase_2_Underway#assets_all

Hmmm...the Starbucks from the original rendering is gone, but the SkyClub stays, albeit at a different location. I would say that a SkyClub is highly likely at this point. I would hope that an architectural firm wouldn't make the same copyright issue twice, especially now that a government agency is distributing said rendering. 

 

Edited May 17, 2022 by LKN704

[BarrenLucidity]

Delta putting skyclubs in both of AAs largest hubs is cracking me up. Granted, AA has a lounge in ATL but they don't have one, yet, in MSP. I wonder if Delta intends to upgauge at Charlotte in the future and compete on other routes just to be a pain to AA. LAX, SEA, SFO are all in dire need of competition. 

[atlrvr]

Is seven dedicated gates for Delta an increase from current?

[Vitamin_N]

13 hours ago, KJHburg said:

I was over at CLT doing a drop off today and notice a Contour jet?  Where do they fly I am not familiar with them. 

According to Wikipedia they fly to... Beckley WV and Muscle Shoals AL!

[LKN704]

1 hour ago, atlrvr said:

Is seven dedicated gates for Delta an increase from current?

It's technically a reduction from present. 

Delta currently utilizes 9 gates; A1, A3, A5, A7, A9, A10, A11, A12, A13. Granted, I don't know if all of those gates are directly controlled by Delta or if some are city-controlled and common use. 

[CLT2014]

9 minutes ago, LKN704 said:

It's technically a reduction from present. 

Delta currently utilizes 9 gates; A1, A3, A5, A7, A9, A10, A11, A12, A13. Granted, I don't know if all of those gates are directly controlled by Delta or if some are city-controlled and common use. 

I believe A10 and A12 are common use gates. AA has flights to Miami, Tampa, et... out of those gates later today once Delta's schedule lightens after their early morning ~6AM departures to their hubs. 

[CLTaviation13]

23 minutes ago, LKN704 said:

It's technically a reduction from present. 

Delta currently utilizes 9 gates; A1, A3, A5, A7, A9, A10, A11, A12, A13. Granted, I don't know if all of those gates are directly controlled by Delta or if some are city-controlled and common use. 

Correct, Delta controls gates A1, A3, A5, A7, A9, A11, and A13.

As mentioned above, gates A10/A12 are common use gates. Contour Airlines usually has 4 flights a day that go out of A10. AA schedules about 4 to 6 flights a day on A12.  Typically DL will always park planes overnight on A10/12 that go out the following morning. 

[KJHburg]

So the current Delta gates in the old A will become American gates?  So Delta is basically the anchor of this new part of A concourse with a couple of extra gates for growth.