Charlotte-Douglas Airport (CLT) Expansion

[CltFlyer]

Sun Country Airlines will be starting flights to CLT in April 2023.  Twice weekly to Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Flights will presumably be Summer/Fall seasonal.  More details will come later on Tuesday

No official news release yet but the source is very reliable.

https://ishrionaviation.com/news/sun-country-major-route-expansion

[CLT2014]

8 hours ago, CltFlyer said:

Sun Country Airlines will be starting flights to CLT in April 2023.  Twice weekly to Minneapolis/St. Paul.

Flights will presumably be Summer/Fall seasonal.  More details will come later on Tuesday

No official news release yet but the source is very reliable.

https://ishrionaviation.com/news/sun-country-major-route-expansion

It is already bookable on Sun Country's website. Looks like it starts April 13 and moves to Monday and Friday in May.  Fares are starting at $58 each way. Carry-on bags start at $30 each way. Seats assignments also cost money, starting at $9 going up to $100 each way. Basically similar to the Spirit and Frontier method. 

Edited November 15, 2022 by CLT2014

[navigator319]

The JetBlue merger absolutely means a lot of these random Spirit routes from Charlotte (and nationwide) will get cut. JetBlue doesn't want Spirit for its point-to-point route network to offer low cost fares once per day on a route... they've been very public about saying it is about getting the planes and the crew ASAP to strengthen their more traditional hub-spoke model against larger carriers. Charlotte - Fort Lauderdale will probably stay (also a big JetBlue hub), but random routes like CLT - DFW, CLT-BNA, CLT-LAS, et... will probably be cut to redeploy those aircraft to strengthening the JetBlue hubs in BOS, JFK, FLL, LAX, and MCO as well as offering more than 1 flight per day on key strategic routes. JetBlue has said the 1x per day point-to-point flying Spirit does is going bye bye after they integrate. 

Would make sense, but they should consider a more geographically ideal location for a hub and CLT fits that. ATL has Southwest and Delta. We could have American and JetBlue.

[kermit]

2 minutes ago, navigator319 said:

Would make sense, but they should consider a more geographically ideal location for a hub and CLT fits that. ATL has Southwest and Delta. We could have American and JetBlue.

Seems like gates would be hard to come by. I am also guessing American would not be thrilled with this prospect, and it seems pretty clear that they are pulling most of the levers at CLT.

[KJHburg]

Warning actual CLT airport construction photos I got today when I was over at the credentialing office.  I even got turned around in the airport as I went up the Hourly deck and did not realize floor #1 is now the basement tunnel over to the new terminal and floor #2 is the ground level where arrivals are located.  Anyway I found my way out LOL to the newly named Express Deck which used to be called the Valet deck.   Changes are constant at the airport right now.  

Even found a nice model of all the work being done.   Queen Charlotte is still under wraps.    But boy are we going to have a great new entrance to the QC in this airport!   

 

[LKN704]

Given the speed of construction (I had no idea they started renovations on the Arrivals Level yet), I wonder if the 2025 opening is somewhat conservative and we are looking at a mid to late 2024 completion date. 

[BarrenLucidity]

16 hours ago, LKN704 said:

Given the speed of construction (I had no idea they started renovations on the Arrivals Level yet), I wonder if the 2025 opening is somewhat conservative and we are looking at a mid to late 2024 completion date. 

It's probable that most things are usable in 2024 but fit and finish isn't complete until 2025.  

[KJHburg]

seen at the CLT airport via Twitter

[drawscape]

2 hours ago, KJHburg said:

seen at the CLT airport via Twitter

Finally, a monument worthy of our city

[rancenc]

One small airport in West Virginia is happy to get air service to "the big city"!!

https://www.wvnews.com/news/wvnews/officials-celebrate-first-contour-flight-from-north-central-west-virginia-airport/article_7163bab2-7176-11ed-9b1c-6bdc14fd3905.html

[xapostrophe]

16 hours ago, rancenc said:

One small airport in West Virginia is happy to get air service to "the big city"!!

https://www.wvnews.com/news/wvnews/officials-celebrate-first-contour-flight-from-north-central-west-virginia-airport/article_7163bab2-7176-11ed-9b1c-6bdc14fd3905.html

A long long time ago,  I did my first solo cross country flight in a 172 to Clarksburg from Allegheny County Airport in Pittsburgh.  I am surprised there is  enough demand  there, but I suppose Morgantown is nearby and 28000 students might need to travel.

[CLT2014]

19 minutes ago, xapostrophe said:

A long long time ago,  I did my first solo cross country flight in a 172 to Clarksburg from Allegheny County Airport in Pittsburgh.  I am surprised there is  enough demand  there, but I suppose Morgantown is nearby and 28000 students might need to travel.

There isn't enough organic demand, hence the service is subsidized by Federal Taxpayers via the Essential Air Service program. Contour Airlines losses on the route are being offset by that. These EAS flights often go out maybe 30% - 50% full. 

Edited December 2, 2022 by CLT2014

[Reverie39]

17 hours ago, rancenc said:

One small airport in West Virginia is happy to get air service to "the big city"!!

https://www.wvnews.com/news/wvnews/officials-celebrate-first-contour-flight-from-north-central-west-virginia-airport/article_7163bab2-7176-11ed-9b1c-6bdc14fd3905.html

"North Central West Virginia Airport" has to be the dumbest airport name in the country. Literally three directions/geographical terms listed consecutively. Oh well, happy they get to fly to Charlotte now.

[videtur quam contuor]

A Pittsburgh friend told me the West Virginia baseball team took a boat from Morgantown to Pittsburgh for games in the (deep) past. Roads and vehicles differed then and speed was not the almighty goal. River traffic had currency at the time, apparently. 129 miles.

[xapostrophe]

6 hours ago, tarhoosier said:

A Pittsburgh friend told me the West Virginia baseball team took a boat from Morgantown to Pittsburgh for games in the (deep) past. Roads and vehicles differed then and speed was not the almighty goal. River traffic had currency at the time, apparently. 129 miles.

Might take a week with all the locks. I kid I kid.  Scenic though 

[JRCLT]

A lot of progress on the canopy!

[DownEast]

On 12/2/2022 at 12:28 PM, Reverie39 said:

"North Central West Virginia Airport" has to be the dumbest airport name in the country. Literally three directions/geographical terms listed consecutively. Oh well, happy they get to fly to Charlotte now.

Lol. Remember that GSO wanted to change their name from PTI to Central North Carolina Int'l Airport. Fortunately public disapproval kept that in check. 

[Miesian Corners]

The moving sidewalks in the atrium have been broken for over a month now. Yesterday, no elevators or escalators were working from the old baggage claim area. For the 5th biggest airport in the world, the upkeep at CLT is abysmal and embarrassing. 

[videtur quam contuor]

Personal update from my post some time ago about comparing Delta service to American. Booked CLT-LGA yesterday for March, 2023. Same days out and back, same time of day, or as close as possible, same class, First, and per person was ~470$ Delta and ~817 American. Smaller plane for Delta, is that better or even different? Gates unknown at this point and prior experience showed difference was not meaningful, Delta perhaps a bit closer to taxi rank. That price difference for two people is staggering.

I flew to LGA a few years ago using Delta miles and this year decided to check since the "new" LGA was available to all airlines and it was my money. I have been a sucker, though not the first time.

[Temeteron]

1 hour ago, tarhoosier said:

Personal update from my post some time ago about comparing Delta service to American. Booked CLT-LGA yesterday for March, 2023. Same days out and back, same time of day, or as close as possible, same class, First, and per person was ~470$ Delta and ~817 American. Smaller plane for Delta, is that better or even different? Gates unknown at this point and prior experience showed difference was not meaningful, Delta perhaps a bit closer to taxi rank. That price difference for two people is staggering.

I flew to LGA a few years ago using Delta miles and this year decided to check since the "new" LGA was available to all airlines and it was my money. I have been a sucker, though not the first time.

The smaller the plane the worse the turbulence. Just saying.  But yes the price difference is insane

[xapostrophe]

16 hours ago, tarhoosier said:

Personal update from my post some time ago about comparing Delta service to American. Booked CLT-LGA yesterday for March, 2023. Same days out and back, same time of day, or as close as possible, same class, First, and per person was ~470$ Delta and ~817 American. Smaller plane for Delta, is that better or even different? Gates unknown at this point and prior experience showed difference was not meaningful, Delta perhaps a bit closer to taxi rank. That price difference for two people is staggering.

I flew to LGA a few years ago using Delta miles and this year decided to check since the "new" LGA was available to all airlines and it was my money. I have been a sucker, though not the first time.

Price like that reflects flying AA out of a hub.  Suspect it would be similar out of Atlanta with Delta being more $ than AA in that case. Could be wrong though.

[xapostrophe]

18 hours ago, Miesian Corners said:

The moving sidewalks in the atrium have been broken for over a month now. Yesterday, no elevators or escalators were working from the old baggage claim area. For the 5th biggest airport in the world, the upkeep at CLT is abysmal and embarrassing. 

This is one of the most irritating things about Charlotte. The bathrooms are regularly disgusting.   The "brand new" bathrooms look like they're never cleaned.   The soap dispensers installed during the renovation don't work, so they slapped cheap ones on the walls.  The terrazzo floors in b and c look like they're 1000 years old and we're recently uncovered from an ancient volcano eruption by amateur archeologists.  The moving sidewalks are ALWAYS off or broken.   If they belonged to me I would be suing the crap out of the manufacturer or the maintenance company there is no excuse for something to be broken like that all the time.  I remember when there was only one escalator down to e-gates or up and it was broken what a disaster that was hundreds of people will attempting to take the stairs and at the time only the one elevator available.  With dozens of wheelchairs waiting to use it.

In general Charlotte seems like it's barely glued together.  Taxiing on the ramp there's always enormous potholes and patchwork everywhere and recently they don't even fix the potholes they just bolt a giant steel plate to the concrete.

On a different subject does anyone have a clue why several of the concessions closed during the pandemic haven't reopened yet? They closed like half the Starbucks and now the lines are absolutely insane.  Took me 40 minutes to get a cup of coffee a few weeks back.

[CLT2014]

4 hours ago, xapostrophe said:

On a different subject does anyone have a clue why several of the concessions closed during the pandemic haven't reopened yet? They closed like half the Starbucks and now the lines are absolutely insane.  Took me 40 minutes to get a cup of coffee a few weeks back.

Concession operator HMS Host is struggling to hire people at the wages they pay after they fired thousands of employees during the pandemic. With low unemployment now, people don't want to work a concession job at the airport where you have to deal with traffic, shuttle buses to the terminal, clearing security, and then crazy airport passengers just to get to work on time when a Target or Starbucks will gladly hire you in a normal strip mall right now with better benefits.

In particular, they don't have managers hired for the closed Starbucks locations (several postings online to try to get a team in place to restore the closed locations).

Edited December 4, 2022 by CLT2014

[xapostrophe]

17 hours ago, CLT2014 said:

Concession operator HMS Host is struggling to hire people at the wages they pay after they fired thousands of employees during the pandemic. With low unemployment now, people don't want to work a concession job at the airport where you have to deal with traffic, shuttle buses to the terminal, clearing security, and then crazy airport passengers just to get to work on time when a Target or Starbucks will gladly hire you in a normal strip mall right now with better benefits.

In particular, they don't have managers hired for the closed Starbucks locations (several postings online to try to get a team in place to restore the closed locations).

Hms host is garbage.  They have like a nationwide hold on airports concessions.  Really annoying.   But Charlotte is particularly bad with the still closed restaurants.

[CltFlyer]

Flights to Paris will be returning next summer!

Not sure why they list CLT-FRA as a resumption.  It’s flying currently.

https://news.aa.com/news/news-details/2022/The-Northeast-Alliance-Adds-10-More-Destinations-Providing-More-Choice-and-Service-to-Customers-NET-RTS-12/?utm_source=News_Alert&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=Newsroom_Alerts

Edited December 9, 2022 by CltFlyer