Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) is inching closer to the debut of its newest Concourse A facility. The airport shared last week that it expects the building, which will be the concourse’s third facility, will open in September.
It comes as part of a major multi-year expansion program at the airport, known as “Destination CLT.” In a move to increase its ability to handle more capacity, CLT has been “building for the future,” based on potential passenger growth forecasts.
“September debut”
The opening of the newest Concourse A facility is referred to as Expansion Phase II. Once open, the building will add 10 gates to the airport, and be primarily used by Delta Air Lines and Frontier Airlines.
Officials confirmed on Wednesday that the facility will open next month.
The building is located on the northwestern side of the terminal grounds, with the two other concourses situated just south of it. In 2018, CLT opened the slightly larger second Concourse A facility as part of Expansion Phase I. The building is 229,807 square feet and houses nine gates.
Mainly non-American Airlines flights
CLT’s largest carrier is American Airlines, which operates a hub at the airport. However, Concourse A has been primarily occupied by the airport’s other operators. In addition to Delta and Frontier, United Airlines, JetBlue Airways, Sun Country, Air Canada, Southwest Airlines, and Spirit Airlines are among the other carriers that call the concourse home.
Before the expansion, the airlines shared Concourse A’s original facility, with little presence from American. However, since the opening of the second facility, American has been utilizing some gates at the original facility – converting some to handle the Boeing 777-200ER, which is one of CLT’s largest passenger aircraft. American deploys the widebody jet on some hub-to-hub domestic routes and a handful of transatlantic international flights.
While it is confirmed that Delta and Frontier will primarily occupy the third facility, other carriers could use the one common-use gate. Delta said earlier this year that it would open its first-ever Sky Club location at CLT. The space will measure nearly 15,000 square feet, have a capacity for 250 guests, and is expected to open in the fourth quarter of 2024. It will be CLT’s second lounge unaffiliated with American, after the American Express Centurion Lounge, which is located on the other side of the airport near Concourses D and E. It is believed that the new Delta Sky Club will be located in the newest Concourse A facility, although it has not yet been confirmed by airline or airport officials.
Similar to the second facility, the third will feature large windows, allowing natural light to fill the building. CLT told Simple Flying earlier this year that the facility “will feature auto-tinting window glass to help control the temperature” inside.
“Tram. You need a tram.”
Despite the excitement over a third facility, some people are calling on CLT to provide more post-security transportation options. While there are moving walkways between the original and second facility at Concourse A, it still takes a few minutes to travel between them. Traveling to the third facility will be an even longer walk. Last week, one traveler claimed that some of the moving walkways do not work.
“I’d just like to see some money spent on hiring friendly people and having your moving walkways and escalators replaced so that they may actually work for once,” they said on the airport’s Facebook page.
Another said, “Get your walking shoes and water ready for that walk.”
If passengers have a connection at the other end of the airport, one person commented that there was no hope.
“God forbid you should have a connection in the D or E gates. Spoiler alert: you won’t make it,” they said.
Another traveler could not explain more clearly that CLT needs another form of transportation.
As part of its master plan, CLT confirmed that it is “at or near capacity.” Simple Flying previously reported that the airport is also constructing a fourth runway to decrease air traffic congestion.