v27.3 Summer2013

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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