Charlotte’s airport is opening 10 more gates soon. Here are 4 new things to know
A new section of a concourse at Charlotte’s airport is not too busy right now, but that will change in less than a week after it’s filled with passengers waiting to step onto planes.
The Concourse A Expansion - Phase II at Charlotte Douglas International Airport is scheduled to open Tuesday. It will add 10 gates and Delta Air Lines will occupy most of them.
CLT spent $241 million on the project. It’s part of the airport’s “Destination CLT” plan to improve services and operations for visitors.
Construction for the 200,000-square-foot addition began in May 2022. The area was once a car rental site; it was torn down in 2016. Designers started making plans for the concourse in 2018. A $200 million expansion for Concourse A added nine gates in the summer of 2018 after a couple of years of construction.
Delta will use seven gates; two will go to Frontier Airlines. One will be a common-use gate. This brings the total gate count to 124 for CLT.
Charlotte Douglas officials spoke to the media Thursday about the opening at one of the busiest airports in the world.
Here are four new things to know.
Local and known choices
The airport emphasized the importance of having local and well-known dining choices for passengers waiting to board planes, said Jack Christine, chief infrastructure officer.
Crown Diner will serve all-day breakfast, burgers, sandwiches, salads and cocktails. Another choice is Great Wagon Road Distilling Co., which makes liquor from Charlotte’s oldest distillery.
A third Dunkin’ will also be in the area. The concourse has a marketplace for people wanting to buy snacks and refreshments.
Delta is scheduled to open its 15,000-square-foot Sky Club by the end of the year on the second level of the concourse. It will have seating for more than 250 people, complimentary food and wi-fi.
‘Wright’ on time
The expansion includes the history of aviation pioneers the Wright Brothers at the connection corridor.
“It’s something additional that will help customers experience more than just walking to your gate,” Christine said.
Their story is told with bronze plaques on the floor that are connected to lines to represent the distance of the first powered flights. The plaques were designed by regional artist Greg Stump.
A light wall with the re-creation of the 1903 Wright Flyer sound comes on with passenger movement.
More history
A life-sized 14-by-40-foot aircraft tail is at the entrance of the concourse.
The DC-9-82 T-tail was saved and restored from Roswell, New Mexico. It was worked on by MotoArt Studio in Los Angeles and assembled in Charlotte to be a centerpiece entrance for CLT.
Looking up
CLT’s latest expansion also includes the 950-square-foot art piece, “Where Earth Meets Sky,” by Val Britton. Some of the features of the work hanging from the mezzanine include aerial views and maps with the history and landscape of Charlotte. Red clay from the area was used to create it.
This story was originally published September 13, 2024 at 6:00 AM.
