American Airlines seeks more gates at Charlotte airport

[700UW]

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article29478190.html
 

American Airlines seeks more gates at Charlotte airport
 
American Airlines has told Charlotte Douglas International Airport it needs more gates for domestic flights, prompting the city to spend an extra $473,000 to design four new gates on Concourse E.
 
On Monday night, the City Council approved spending the extra money with LS3P Associates.
 

 

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article29478190.html#storylink=cpy

 

[Duke787]

I was surprised to find out that CLT was second biggest hub at AA, I thought MIA and ORD was bigger, but here at ORD we did lose gates to Eagle and USair.

 

[AirwAr]

I thought US served EYW directly from CLT...but I'm not seeing it in Sabre.  Did CLT lose this?

 

[AirwAr]

Looks like it's coming back 10/04.

 

[jcw]

I thought AA was going to shut down CLT and move operations to MIA - why would they need more gates for a shrinking operation that individuals keep stating on here - it must be an error in reporting or something - this can't be true

 

[NewHampshire Black Bears]

Is there a designated area / gates for Customs @ CLT. !

 

[700UW]

Yes the D-Concourse is the International Concourse and FIS is there.
 
I worked D-Con, we had European and Island Flights.
 
All International arrivals go to D-Con.

 

[AirwAr]

I thought AA was going to shut down CLT and move operations to MIA - why would they need more gates for a shrinking operation that individuals keep stating on here - it must be an error in reporting or something - this can't be true

 
Well..it surprised me too...however, there's still time.  I guess so far there has been a need to rationalize airports so much.
 
Did you happen to notice this piece of the the article?
 
"The airport had planned to build a new international concourse north of Concourse A, on the site of the old rental car lots. That plan has been scrapped."
 
It will be interesting to see what the final plan is for international traffic.  I think that will be telling of the future of CLT.
 
 

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/local/article29478190.html#storylink=cpy

 

[LD3]

There was a plan at one time to put two w/b gates on E Ramp with a scaled down FIS down below. After the dictator left that plan was promptly scraped... I would assume they will look harder at the C & B doglegs... For the amount of flights coming in, the terminal footprint  is just too small and locked between two taxiways...

 

[FWAAA]

I thought AA was going to shut down CLT and move operations to MIA - why would they need more gates for a shrinking operation that individuals keep stating on here - it must be an error in reporting or something - this can't be true

Four new gates in the commuter terminal doesn't necessarily portend additional growth - the plan might be to lessen the congestion.

I don't agree with everything that MAH4546 posts, but I agree with him that CLT is in for some more downsizing by AA come December, 2016 (once the three-year promise to the various state Attorneys General to not significantly alter existing hub service expires). This summer's international schedule from CLT is smaller than last summer's schedule, and I expect that by summer 2017, it will be even smaller than today.
 

Well..it surprised me too...however, there's still time.  I guess so far there has been a need to rationalize airports so much.
 
Did you happen to notice this piece of the the article?
 
"The airport had planned to build a new international concourse north of Concourse A, on the site of the old rental car lots. That plan has been scrapped."[/size]
 
It will be interesting to see what the final plan is for international traffic.  I think that will be telling of the future of CLT.

CLT canned the planned international terminal in May, 2014 once the City Council realized that new AA had international gateways in cities besides CLT:
 

Charlotte Douglas International Airport plans to start work on a new concourse next spring, with eight to 12 domestic gates – not a separate international terminal the airport had previously considered.

Interim Aviation Director Brent Cagle said the new concourse could eventually become a stand-alone international terminal, but the demand for more domestic gates is more pressing right now.

The new concourse is planned to be built on the parking lots that currently house the airport’s rental cars, north of Concourse A. That space will be freed up by next spring, when the airport moves all rental cars into its new hourly parking decks. Charlotte Douglas would build the concourse in two phases, with an eventual total of 18 to 25 gates.

Airport officials had previously planned for that space to be used for a new 25-gate international facility, with a cost of $175 million funded with airport revenue bonds. The facility would have included all of the required federal inspection and passport facilities.

Instead, Cagle said Charlotte Douglas is now focused on extending the useful life of its current international arrivals area, where the airport recently added 24 automated passport kiosks meant to speed entry into the U.S. That’s a more economical option than building a new terminal, Cagle said, especially when the airport doesn’t know with certainty whether airlines plan to increase international service at Charlotte Douglas.

“Their plans make a difference,” Cagle said. The new domestic concourse could be converted to an international terminal later, he added.

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article9124208.html

Two weeks later, it was revealed that CLT attracted the lowest unit revenue (RASM) of any east coast hub:

http://www.charlotteobserver.com/news/business/article9127097.html

Lowest unit revenue of any east coast hub? That's not good news. For 20 straight years, US Airways has had the lowest yield and unit revenue in the Atlantic segment of any USA-based airline, and that held true in 2014.

It's those cold, objective facts that cause me (and, I suspect, MAH4546) to predict that CLT's international operations will be trimmed even more in the next couple of years. With fewer international flights to feed, there won't be the need for as many domestic connecting flights. Downsizing is inevitable.

 

[Black Magic]

The CLT hub was one of the biggest advantages for AA to merge with US. Clt and Atl are the only true southeastern hubs in the nation. Miami works but its primary focus is a latin gateway.

 

[AirwAr]

Decided to remove.

 

[WorldTraveler]

To be fair, FWAAA, a likely reason why CLT RASM is low is because of the amount of low yielding connecting passengers. AA can't make that strategy work but they also have 5 hubs on the east coast and that doesn't count LGA as a hub. Low yields are not reflective of the value of the local market.
CLT's other problem is that it relies too much on RJs which increase costs.
AA has to rationalize its network and eliminate the competition between its own hubs. Too many hubs also increases CASM and keeps AA from using larger mainline aircraft which limits employee growth.
CLT has a lot of strategic value but the number of hubs is the problem
Also AA can't reduce the size of CLT much or it loses its competitiveness to ATL

CLT recognizes these dynamics and will move cautiously on airport expenditures

 

[cltrat]

I thought US served EYW directly from CLT...but I'm not seeing it in Sabre.  Did CLT lose this?

I don't really keep up with it but EYW has been seasonal in the past

 

[NewHampshire Black Bears]

Yes the D-Concourse is the International Concourse and FIS is there.
 
I worked D-Con, we had European and Island Flights.
 
All International arrivals go to D-Con.

 
Thanx...........'700  !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!