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v27.3 Summer2013
For complete, up-to-date information on airport
amenities, parking, shopping and flights, visit cltairport.com.
To receive Connections electronically, scan the QR
code below or email [email protected].
Place Connections in the subject line and enter your
name and address in the body of the email.
The merger between US
Airways and American
Airlines has reached a
bump in the road. The US
Department of Justice,
along with attorneys general
in six states and the District
of Columbia, filed suit on
August 13 to halt the $11
billion deal between the
two airlines, which was
expected to close this fall.
Now, airline officials must
convince a federal court
judge of the merger’s bene-
fits. The US Department of
Justice contends approv-
ing the deal will create
higher airfares and fewer
choices for passengers.
Both American and
US Airways have vowed
to “mount a vigorous and
strong defense” to set the
deal back in motion. A
November 25 trial date
has been set to hear
the case.
US Airways CEO Doug
Parker, who will run the
merged airline, released a
statement saying, “We will
fight them. We are confident
that by combining American
and US Airways we are
enhancing competition,
providing better service
to our customers and
improving the industry as
a whole.” If the merger
receives approval, it will
create the world’s largest
airline and culminate the
fourth recent airline mega
merger within the past five
years that have included
Delta and Northwest (2008),
United and Continental
(2010) and Southwest and
AirTran (2011).
Parker has said the com-
bined airline will maintain
all hubs currently served
by American Airlines and
Continued on page 3.
US Airways launched
daily nonstop service to
São Paulo, Brazil from
CLT on Saturday, June
8. The new flight is US
Airways’ second destina-
tion in South America.
The airline began non-
stop service to Rio de
Janeiro from Charlotte
in December 2009.
Passengers to São Paulo
will take flight in a Boeing
767-200 aircraft with
seating for 18 in Envoy,
US Airways’ international
business class, and 186
in the main cabin.
São Paulo is the largest
city in Brazil and the
world’s seventh largest
city by population.
Customers may book
their flight to São
Paulo through US
Airways’ website at
www.usairways.com,
by calling US Airways
Reservations at 1-800-
428-4322 or through
their travel agent. m
US Airways/American Airlines Merger Awaits Approval US Airways/American Airlines Merger Awaits Approval
CLT received zero discrep-
ancies on its 2013 FAA
Part 139 Inspection, which
examined the overall
condition of the airfield.
The rating is the highest
an airport can earn.
The annual FAA Part 139
Inspection ensures that
airports nationwide are
meeting safety requirements
set by the FAA. Inspectors
were at CLT August 14 -
August 16 examining the
following areas: pavement
conditions, airfield signage,
lights, safety areas, approach
zones, firefighter drill
response, wildlife hazardous
management plan, self-
inspection records, airport
certification manual, fueling
operations and various
training records.
This is the second year in
a row CLT has received
zero discrepancies. m
US Airways Begins São Paulo Service US Airways Begins São Paulo Service
Airfield Inspection Receives Top Score
Construction is thriving at
Charlotte Douglas. Over
the next two years, major
construction projects will
come to fruition, creating
a new landscape that is
aiming to keep pace with
the Airport’s rapid growth.
New Hourly Deck
CLT’s new Hourly deck
is halfway complete. It
remains on schedule to
open in fall 2014. Crews
continue to drive steel
piles and install the
foundation for the south
half (second phase) of
the deck, while steel and
aluminum façade is being
placed on the north half
(first phase) of the parking
structure. Helixes on the
east and west side are
also being built.
The $120 million deck will
include seven levels and
7,000 spaces. The bottom
three levels will hold
3,000 spaces for rental
cars, and the top four
levels will contain 4,000
spaces for public parking.
The new deck will resem-
ble the Airport’s Daily
and Business Valet decks,
containing blue accent
lighting columns that will
illuminate at night.
Entering the deck, dynamic
signs will inform drivers
which levels are open or
full. Displayed throughout
the parking structure will
be signs with various
symbols and colors to help
passengers remember
where they have parked.
A highlight of the deck will
be its Rental Car Facility.
The second level will con-
tain a customer service
building with 55 counters
for rental car staff.
Passengers now must catch
a shuttle bus to Rental Car
Road in order to pick-up
their vehicle. When the
deck is complete, passen-
gers will be able to exit the
terminal and walk across
the street to rent a vehicle.
This will eliminate the
need for rental car shuttles
at CLT, therefore, reducing
traffic congestion and air
pollution.
Another standout of the
deck is its Quick Turnaround
Facility located on the
first level. Here rental car
companies will be able to
wash, vacuum and gas up
2
Construction Creates New Airport LandscapeConstruction Creates New Airport Landscape
returned vehicles for a
quick turnaround.
New Entrance Road
Paving of the Airport’s new
entrance road is taking
shape. Crews have begun
widening a 500-foot
section of Wilkinson
Boulevard to the terminal.
The new road is scheduled
to open in fall 2014. Recent
rains have caused some
delays. An inbound lane on
Josh Birmingham Parkway
to the terminal, however,
could open as early as
November, creating a more
direct path to the Airport.
Due to construction, drivers
can expect delays on Little
Rock Road and Old Dowd
Road through November.
Visitors to CLT are asked
to plan accordingly
and use Harlee Avenue
New directional and
dynamic signs will be
installed along the new
roadway to assist drivers
with parking and to display
relevant information.
Business Valet Deck II
The site of the Airport’s
second Business Valet deck
has been graded. The five
level, $37 million deck will
contain 3,200 parking
spaces. It’s scheduled to
open in early fall 2014.
The new parking structure
will sit beside the Airport’s
current Business Valet deck
on Wilkinson Boulevard
and have the same design.
Since the beginning of the
year and with the demoli-
tion of the Hourly decks
in January and March,
demand for valet service
at CLT has increased by
32 percent.
Terminal Westside
Expansion
Crews have begun drilling
caissons for the foundation
of the terminal westside
expansion. The $10.5 million
addition will connect
Checkpoint A to Concourse
B and debut a major res-
taurant, retail store, new
office space and TSA’s
inline baggage system.
The majority of the expan-
sion will be completed by
August 2014 (concession
and office space), while
work on the inline baggage
system will begin in
December and wrap up in
approximately three years. m
or Josh Birmingham
Parkway for direct access
to the terminal.
The new entrance road
will allow easier access
for drivers headed to CLT
from Wilkinson Boulevard
and Little Rock Road.
Massive grading for the
$21.5 million project has
started. The road’s three
bridges remain on sched-
ule to be completed by
the end of the year.
3
Norfolk Southern’s inter-
modal facility on CLT’s
airfield is 30 percent
complete. Railroad tracks
and lights are currently
being installed. Concrete
work for parking and
crane pads is nearing
completion. The 200-
acre terminal will replace
the 40-acre facility on
North Brevard Street
near uptown Charlotte.
It is scheduled to open
at the end of the year.
Construction, however,
will continue through
mid-2014.
The facility will transfer
containers between trucks
and trains. Construction
of the $92 million facility
is being funded by Norfolk
Southern with the assis-
tance of $15.7 million in
federal funds and some
financial support from the
State of North Carolina. m
Charlotte Douglas
Ranks Third Most
Efficient Airport
Charlotte Douglas is
the third most efficient
airport in North America,
according to an Air
Transport Research
Society’s (ATRS) Global
Airport Performance
Benchmarking study that
was released in July.
ATRS, an international
association of air transport
academics, compared the
efficiency of 195 airports
and 26 airport groups in
Asia Pacific, Europe and
North America. It ranked
efficiency using statistical
methods that remove
effects of economic factors
beyond managerial control
to compare different
airports fairly.
CLT consistently maintains
its efficiency stature by
utilizing resources, including
staff, facilities and contracts,
in a more economical
manner than most airports
of similar size. As a result,
the cost per enplaned
passengers is 96 cents,
one of the lowest costs
for large hub airports.
Findings were based on a
yearlong analysis of data
from 2011.
CLT Named Among Ten
Speediest Major Airports
CLT was recently named
among the top ten
speediest US airports
to breeze through by
Huffington Post.
The newspaper compiled
data from the Bureau of
Transportation Statistics
(BTS), averaged real-time
crowd sourced security
wait times and compared
expedited-screening options
and airport layouts to
come up with a list of the
country’s 10 speediest
major airports.
Huffington Post wrote,
“With 41.2 million passen-
gers last year, Charlotte
Douglas International
Airport is the nation’s
eighth busiest airport.
However, it still manages
to maintain a top-five
spot among U.S. airports
for on-time departures.
In a recent Travel Leaders
Group survey, CLT was
also ranked the second-
best airport in the U.S.
for making connections,
owing perhaps in part to
its layout: a single terminal
with multiple concourses.
With an average security
wait time of about 13.4
minutes and a volunteer
program to help passengers
in need of assistance find
quick answers, the airport
offers an overall speedier
experience than most
its size.”
Forbes Lists CLT
Second Most Crowded
US Airport
This spring, Charlotte
Douglas was listed as the
second most crowded
US airport by Forbes
Magazine. To determine
the rankings, Forbes looked
at the twenty largest air-
ports in the US in terms
of 2012 passenger traffic
and then compared that
traffic to each airport’s
available terminal space
and gates.
Final rankings, which were
released in May, were also
based on an equal weighting
of passengers per square
foot and passengers per
gate. Hartsfield-Jackson
Atlanta International Airport
claimed the top spot. Last
year, 41.2 million passengers
visited CLT’s 1.8 million
square foot, 95-gate
terminal. m
CLT Garners High Recognitions
Continued from page 1.
Merger Awaits ApprovalUS Airways. If this holds
true, Charlotte Douglas
would be its second largest
hub, preceded by Dallas/
Fort Worth.
The advantage for CLT
passengers could result
in more domestic and
international flights at
Charlotte Douglas. CLT
currently offers more
than 30 nonstop flights
abroad and has more
than 700 daily landings
and departures. Of those
700 daily departures,
US Airways operates
approximately 650 daily
flights and employs 7,100
employees at CLT.
The merged airline will
carry the American name
and claim Dallas/Fort
Worth as its home base.
Passengers will not see
any immediate changes.
American and US Airways
will likely operate sepa-
rately for months or
possibly a couple of years,
as they combine work
forces, fleets, computer
systems and frequent-
flier programs. Visit
newamericanarriving.com
to receive updates about
the merger. m
Intermodal Facility Keeps on TrackIntermodal Facility Keeps on Track
Big changes are on the way
for Concourse E conces-
sions. Home Team Sports,
formerly Fox Skybox, will
convert to Whisky River
in spring 2014. HMSHost,
CLT’s food and beverage
concessionaire, will begin
modifying the space on
Concourse E by the end
of the year.
The menu will include a
variety of appetizers, salads,
sandwiches, burgers and
sides. There’s even a
breakfast menu that serves
up pancakes and an egg
wrap. Passengers who have
room for dessert may indulge
in the fried cheesecake,
fried candy bar or choco-
late brownie bowl.
Opening beside Whisky
River next spring will be
PZA and Starbucks. At
PZA, customers may
enjoy pizza by the slice,
meatball smashers, salads,
strombolis and sandwiches
to go. Starbucks, a popu-
lar spot for CLT passen-
gers, will be opening its
eighth store in the termi-
nal. Construction on both
concessions will also begin
at the end of the year.
That’s not the only change
that’s taking place. Currently,
HMSHost is expanding
Starbucks on Concourse
C. The eight-week expan-
sion will more than double
the store’s current size
and provide seating for
24 guests. m
Airport Plans New ConcessionsAirport Plans New Concessions
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USO North Carolina -
Charlotte Center received
the top USO award for large
size airports at the first
TellUSO Awards ceremony
in May. The event honored
USO Centers for their
commitment and service
to America’s troops and
military families.
Award winners were cho-
sen based on the results
from the annual TellUSO
Survey, conducted among
active duty military and
their spouses in fall 2012.
Top center award winners
received the highest overall
scores in satisfaction, value,
staff helpfulness, friendli-
ness and knowledgeable
in their category. The
center boasts more than
250 volunteers. m
What’s Inside!m US Airways/American
Airlines Merger Awaits
Approval
m Airfield Inspection
Receives Top Score
m Construction Creates
New Airport Landscape
m Intermodal Facility
Keeps On Track
m CLT Garners
High Recognition
Photography and graphics courtesy of: Charlotte Douglas International Airport, Erika Helm, Nils Lucander Design, David Neal and Patrick Schneider.
USO NC – Charlotte Center Receives Top Honor
USO NC – Charlotte Center Receives Top Honor
PRESORTED STANDARD
U.S. POSTAGEPAID
CHARLOTTE, NCPERmIT #3307
PUBLIC AFFAIRSP.O. Box 19066 Charlotte, NC 28219
704.359.4000 cltairport.com
Registration is underway
for the seventh annual
Runway 5K Run. It is
scheduled for 8 a.m.
Saturday, October 26 at
CLT. Last year’s Run
drew more than 2,300
participants to CLT’s
airfield. It was the second
largest turnout in the
Run’s history.
You may register online
now until October 25
at www.sportoften.com
employment and enrich-
ment opportunities.
Thirteen LifeSpan partici-
pants currently work at
CLT, mainly as restroom
attendants. The Airport
has donated proceeds
from the Run to LifeSpan
since 2008. CLT’s 2012
Runway 5K Run marked
a milestone, raising more
than $120,000 over
the past five years for
LifeSpan. m
or register in person
during the week of the
race, October 21 - 25, at
the Charlotte Running
Company on East Blvd.
The cost is $25 prior to
October 14 and $30 until
October 25.
Funds will go toward
LifeSpan’s Community
Activity and Employment
Transition Program (CAET).
LifeSpan, a nonprofit
organization, assists
children and adults with
developmental disabilities
by providing education,
Runway 5K Run Registration Gets UnderwayRunway 5K Run Registration Gets Underway