Charlotte-Douglas Airport (CLT) Expansion

[kickazzz2000]

If dublin starts i hear that bhx snn and gla may be closing which would free up and allow a 75L to be flown on clt-dub. And i have also heard we have had rights to buenos aires for quite some time and it appears from early schedules that enough past 767 flights are being upgraded to 332's to allow for a 762 on the eze route. examples 332: bcn (surprising), lhr, 2nd fra ( which i assume is the 333 going to clt-cdg), muc, ath still shows as 767 but im sure that will change.

Can a 762 even do CLT-EZE...its farther than CLT-FCO... Ive heard the bird even has troubles doin PHL-FCO when its hot.

[cltbwimob]

^

I would have thought that EZE would require an A330

[cltbwimob]

Today in the Charlotte Regional Partnership "Monday Memo", Ronnie Bryant wrote about the airport and all the changes taking place. Most notably was the intermodal rail yard which is supposed to be, according to the memo, larger than Atlanta's facility, larger than the current facility in Charlotte, and the most efficient in the country. If I remember correctly, the Inland Port facility will move closer to the airport as well. I wonder if this will make Charlotte a more desirable location for cargo airlines. Is anyone here able to track cargo airline news/rumors/speculation? The only thing I have been able to find is that Cathay Pacific Cargo had CLT "On their radar." I was wondering if anyone knew whether or not they were still considering CLT as well.

Edited September 21, 2009 by cltbwimob

[uptownliving]

The Air Cargo business has really plummeted in the past year or so....the volumes are down 40% from what they were 2 years ago. So I would not expect any Air Cargo expansion at Charlotte anytime soon....even with the new Intermodal Yard which is really more about transferring cargo from trains to trucks than to airplanes.

[CltFlyer]

The only rumors I hear at work is that Rome will probably be added next summer. It will be seasonal and will utilize a 767. And Curacao is pretty much a no brainer. I'm actually surprised we don't fly there now. As for all that other service, I have no idea how we would be able to fly all of those routes with the current fleet plan. Although we're accepting delivery of five new A330s before the end of the year, some of those will be replacing 757s to be retired. And there is talk of operating a second daily nonstop to TLV. If that were to happen, two airplanes would be required to operate it (meaning 4 of the new aircraft would be used on one city pair).

One big plus, CLT-CDG will be operated earlier next year utilizing an A330-300

what will be utlizied on clt-cur

Also i suppose if they add all thes rumored flight an envoy lounge will be reopened.

Edited September 21, 2009 by CltFlyer

[Miesian Corners]

what will be utlizied on clt-cur

Also i suppose if they add all thes rumored flight an envoy lounge will be reopened.

CUR would be with an A321 or A320.

[uptownliving]

I read on that forum that CLT-MAD is being looked at as well.

CLT-LGW,CDG,FRA,FCO,MAD,DUB (US)

CLT-MUC (LH)

CLT-GIG,GRU,EZE,BOG (If slots become available again)(US)

I also think CCS,LIM,SCL are possibilities and maybe one day Quito, Ecuador.

Well looks like the new non-stops started yesterday from Milan, Copenhagen, and Stuttgart.

OK OK so it was just Delta diversions due to the problems in Atlanta...but it was nice to see 7 flights come in to Charlotte from Europe and get processed through Customs. Granted the people on the 3 Delta flights were not very happy to be in Charlotte. There was also a flight from Madrid yesterday...but it just stopped in for a little while and completed its trip to Atlanta.

[uptownliving]

Hopefully you won't have to go here...but the new Star Alliance Baggage Service office just opened this week in Baggage Claim. It will house US Airways, United, Air Canada, and Lufthunsa. Later this month Continental will also move in the new office. This is the 5th Star Alliance Common Baggage Service office in North America.

What this means for the customer is if you fly on more than one Star Alliance carrier it will be easier to track your bags down since all the different airlines are right there next to each other... instead of spread out across Baggage Claim.

If you havn't been down in Baggage Claim lately it has been a complete mess lately with the various renovations going on. Next up to be completed will be the new Charlotte Welcome Center.

[CLT]

Hopefully you won't have to go here...but the new Star Alliance Baggage Service office just opened this week in Baggage Claim. It will house US Airways, United, Air Canada, and Lufthunsa. Later this month Continental will also move in the new office. This is the 5th Star Alliance Common Baggage Service office in North America.

What this means for the customer is if you fly on more than one Star Alliance carrier it will be easier to track your bags down since all the different airlines are right there next to each other... instead of spread out across Baggage Claim.

If you havn't been down in Baggage Claim lately it has been a complete mess lately with the various renovations going on. Next up to be completed will be the new Charlotte Welcome Center.

How will that work? Will a US Airways agent be taking bag claims for United and Air Canada?

[JayGee]

Big changes at US Airways. CLT looks to be pretty safe. PHL losing a bunch of int'l flights.

Article Here

[HopHead]

^Based on this below, I would definitely say Charlotte is pretty valuable to US Airways:

“With nearly 6,000 employees in Charlotte, and many of our operation support systems located here as well, we are certainly proud to call Charlotte home,” said Parker. “We remain deeply committed to the community and citizens of Charlotte and surrounding regions, and look forward to identifying continued opportunities to bring flights from Charlotte to other regions of the world.”

[plaza-midwood]

Various news agencies reporting that Charlotte is hugely profitable to US Airways..and that this move may be directly related to that fact. Their costs here are significantly lower than in the other hubs.

[InitialD]

CLT will loose flights to Las Vegas, however with US Airways consolidating fights through it's hubs (Washington, Philly, Charlotte, and Phoenix) from 93% to 99%

[HopHead]

CLT will loose flights to Las Vegas, however with US Airways consolidating fights through it's hubs (Washington, Philly, Charlotte, and Phoenix) from 93% to 99%

How would CLT lose flights to LAS? I thought if anything CLT would keep all their non-stops to Vegas. Vegas is supposed to have their flights cut in half, which I would think would be mostly west coast ones. I'd imagine that Charlotte to Vegas would be too much of a money maker to cut back on.

[uptownliving]

Yeah from all the info I have seen there will not be any cuts on the CLT-Las Vegas route. The cuts in Vegas are coming from other routes.

So we have Honalulu and Rio starting in December...and if we get Sao Paulo (which we should)...that should start in late 2010 to early 2011 time frame.

[HopHead]

And in good news on "other" airlines, JetBlue will be adding a 3rd non-stop flight from CLT to Boston next year. I really like JB and hope they add other destinations from CLT.

[southslider]

JetBlue is the only thing keeping many US Airways flights from Charlotte competitively priced. AirTran does the same for Delta in Atlanta. And absent Southwest Airlines, affordable carriers, like JetBlue and AirTran, are assets to such single-airline-dominated hubs as Charlotte and Atlanta.

On another note, I wish Charlotte-Douglas looked more like JetBlue's Terminal 5 hub at JFK, which is very sleek and contemporary. Don't get me wrong, I enjoy the rocking chairs, but I think CLT could do a lot more to shed its "Hillbilly Philly" reputation.

Edited October 30, 2009 by southslider

[tozmervo]

On another note, I wish Charlotte-Douglas looked more like JetBlue's Terminal 5 hub at JFK, which is very sleek and contemporary.

I'm just curious, are you referring to the new 2008 part of T5, or the original 1962 Saarinen-designed portion?

[Ryepow]

Does anyone know if an actual date has been set for the opening of the new runway? I've got to imagine it's getting close as I remember they thought it would be open for visual flight rules in November, and fully operative by February.

[southslider]

I'm just curious, are you referring to the new 2008 part of T5, or the original 1962 Saarinen-designed portion?

I meant the new part of T5, but the Saarinen terminal is classic. Nothing at Douglas compares to either the 1962 or 2008 portions.

[caterpillar2]

I meant the new part of T5, but the Saarinen terminal is classic. Nothing at Douglas compares to either the 1962 or 2008 portions.

I am glad to see there is something nice to see at JFK. It is otherwise a really nasty airport IMO.

[Miesian Corners]

I meant the new part of T5, but the Saarinen terminal is classic. Nothing at Douglas compares to either the 1962 or 2008 portions.

CLT Airport: nothing inspiring found anywhere in its design. How pathetic is it when the best looking thing about your hometown's airport is a parking garage?

[CltFlyer]

Feb 11 say hello to New service to Melbourne, FL operated by US airways express. http://finance.yahoo.com/news/US-Airways-Resumes-Flights-bw-2055955289.html?x=0&.v=1

[uptownliving]

Can anyone on this thread advise how takeoffs and landings patterns are chosen and who does the choosing ? And what patterns are expected when the new runway is opened?

In the evenings it seems that the incoming planes are lined up coming in from the southwest.. why from that direction? I bring this up because recently it seems that takeoffs are rattling our cages much more often in the Park Rd / Sharon Rd area...

Came across some info from last months Airport Board meeting that deals directly with noise. Sounds like you are not alone in noticing the airplanes taking new paths.

- FAA used to require planes to head on the runway heading after take off for 2 miles and then turn when they reach 3,000 ft

- FAA now allows the planes to turn directly after clearing the airport. Which means places like Matthews and Southpark area are seeing a lot more planes.

You can read more about this and what the Airport is doing to mitigate noise on Page 3 of the Meeting Minutes:

http://www.charmeck.org/NR/rdonlyres/ejgzcxnjk5b2gkoed3pphcuy37yzgchwezxi66phj2eh7alsb4pofgubuvayy5sk3v52q2hfmqsqyt2vf2esrz2xsza/Oct1Minutessigned.pdf

[Bikeguy]

Came across some info from last months Airport Board meeting that deals directly with noise. Sounds like you are not alone in noticing the airplanes taking new paths.

- FAA used to require planes to head on the runway heading after take off for 2 miles and then turn when they reach 3,000 ft

- FAA now allows the planes to turn directly after clearing the airport. Which means places like Matthews and Southpark area are seeing a lot more planes.

You can read more about this and what the Airport is doing to mitigate noise on Page 3 of the Meeting Minutes:

http://www.charmeck....nutessigned.pdf

Thanks... I thought something was different. I've called and asked for the e-mail addresses for the Chair & Co-chair so that another voice can be added to the chorus...