American Airlines, CLT detail growth plans

[yoyodyne]

On a trashy USAIR A330-300

From MIA I can get the LH A380 with better onboard service than the senior CLT mamas deliver.

Josh

 

 

[robbedagain]

Well like I said before as did many others on here... aint nothing stopping u from flying another airline. Might as well anyways since u hate US so much.

 

[WorldTraveler]

Apparently your airline knowledge doesn't extend far beyond the widget. F9 is posting profits now, and with 75% of it's flights originating and terminating in Denver, one can extrapolate that it's hub there is in the black. I can't speak for UA or WN however...

the profits that F9 just posted do not reflect their new business plan that just went into effect.

BTW, you do realize how many employees F9 has laid off and how low their employees are paid, don't you?

every airline has posted profits after restructuring and forced pay cuts.

none of that is relevant to CLT, however.

gasp in awe? really? do you pass out smelling salts on arrival and inform the passengers to keep one in the hand to help the passenger next to them if necessary?

US airline terminals as a whole don't rate very well compared to most airports around the world; DFW terminal D is nicer than most terminals in the US but if that produces awes of gasp, you aren't carrying very globally connected passengers. further, there are at least a half dozen terminals other US terminals that are far nicer than terminal D at DFW, including some operated by AA.

 

[Kev3188]

gasp in awe? really? do you pass out smelling salts on arrival and inform the passengers to keep one in the hand to help the passenger next to them if necessary?

Why not? Some people are still enamored with the magic of commercial air travel. Frankly, I find it refreshing.

 

[cltrat]

Why not? Some people are still enamored with the magic of commercial air travel. Frankly, I find it refreshing.

you need those people to make money too. It takes more than ff's to do it ,some as we've seen can be arrogant and condescending.

 

[WorldTraveler]

Why not? Some people are still enamored with the magic of commercial air travel. Frankly, I find it refreshing.

air travel is magical. terminal buildings, esp. in the US, far less so. Let's just call us a nation of practical, functional airports - but we have more 10K foot runways and ATC towers than probably just about any other country in the world - and probably a lot of them combined.

To say that passengers are amazed and awed by DFW terminal D is over the top. There are plenty of other airports that come a whole lot closer to inspiring awe and amazement. and a lot of people would rather be awed and amazed in other buildings and just have a functional, pleasant experience at the airport.

 

[WorldTraveler]

Why not? Some people are still enamored with the magic of commercial air travel. Frankly, I find it refreshing.

air travel is magical. terminal buildings, esp. in the US, far less so. Let's just call us a nation of practical, functional airports - but we have more 10K foot runways and ATC towers than probably just about any other country in the world - and probably a lot of them combined.

To say that passengers are amazed and awed by DFW terminal D is over the top. There are plenty of other airports that come a whole lot closer to inspiring awe and amazement. and a lot of people would rather be awed and amazed in other buildings and just have a functional, pleasant experience at the airport.

Neither ATL and CLT, the SE's two major airports, are pretty but they are highly functional.

Given that the ATL midfield terminal complex was designed from the beginning as a connecting hub for at the time not for just one but two airlines, the functionality is hard to miss.

Functional or not, the market has to exist in order to support super hubs and again even AA's current execs - which are heavily US/HP influenced, recognize that CLT might not serve the same function for AA that it served for US.

Remember also that AA/US is in the honeymoon season and nothing harsh is going to be said during the current summer travel season that can upset the momentum. Changes will happen to new AA's network as a result of the merger and may or may not involve CLT. but it would be naïve to think that some route and capacity adjustments aren't possible at CLT.

 

[737823]

The new ATL F Concourse is first rate IMO.  Personally prefer DFW-D or DTW Mcnamara but it is a very nice facility.  Didn't NW develop the entire Worldgateway complex at a remarkable cost, both ahead of schedule and under budget in 2002?
 
Josh

 

[WorldTraveler]

ATL F is a very nice facility but it cost over a $1B for 12 gates and a terminal. It is on par with many global airports but it isn't far above them, which is my point regarding any US terminal being awe inspiring.

DFW terminal D is a very nice facility. so is AA's JFK terminal. DTW is my personal favorite. the only negative I have is that they haven't straightened out some of the taxiways which make for some very long taxi outs which add costs.

it also highlights how expensive new terminals and concourses cost and why the notion that CLT can just add gates, terminals, and runways and become a cost effective competitor to ATL is not reasonable.

 

[737823]

Personally I like HKG, MUC, SIN, and ZRH among the best designed and most efficient airports I have traveled to worldwide.  TLV T3 is nice-I really like the water feature and seating area around the duty free shops.
 
Josh

 

[Kev3188]

Let's just call us a nation of practical, functional airports...

Let's not.

Instead let's recognize that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and is completely subjective. Just because you can't be bothered doesn't make someone else's delight any less valid...

 

[AdAstraPerAspera]

air travel is magical. terminal buildings, esp. in the US, far less so. Let's just call us a nation of practical, functional airports - but we have more 10K foot runways and ATC towers than probably just about any other country in the world - and probably a lot of them combined.To say that passengers are amazed and awed by DFW terminal D is over the top.

I witnessed it with my own eyes: a grown man and his buddy flying in for the Final Four, amazed at DFW terminal D. Of course he was just stepping off a flight from OMA, but still.

 

[AdAstraPerAspera]

the profits that F9 just posted do not reflect their new business plan that just went into effect.BTW, you do realize how many employees F9 has laid off and how low their employees are paid, don't you?every airline has posted profits after restructuring and forced pay cuts.none of that is relevant to CLT, however.

You said it was likely that none of the DEN hubs were profitable and I pointed out how that was patently false. That's all.

 

[WorldTraveler]

Let's not.

Instead let's recognize that beauty is in the eye of the beholder, and is completely subjective. Just because you can't be bothered doesn't make someone else's delight any less valid...

bothered? with what?

I get that... but ANYONE who has traveled the world knows that US airports are not, by and large, anything close to beautiful.

They are attractive.

can you tell us what global airports you have been in over the last, say, 5 years, that you would say DFW terminal D compares favorably with?


is CLT on your list of cities where you believe DL should have BW mainline agents? or better yet, what cities do you think it is ok for DL NOT to have mainline agents and why?

what other airlines besides US have mainline AW and BW agents at CLT, BTW?
 

I witnessed it with my own eyes: a grown man and his buddy flying in for the Final Four, amazed at DFW terminal D. Of course he was just stepping off a flight from OMA, but still.

I'm not doubting that someone could be brought to tears in your presence. I'm just saying that he is clearly not the norm for the American population and probably not for the world.

Have you seen those tears at AA's terminal 8 at JFK?
 

You said it was likely that none of the DEN hubs were profitable and I pointed out how that was patently false. That's all.

no, you didn't point out that DEN is profitable even for F9. If DEN was profitable, F9 wouldn't have cut dramatically and shifted its network away from DEN, now would they?

and again, we're talking about CLT here.

have you seen those tears at CLT?

I'm not sure that anyone could call CLT an attractive airport unless they just came in off the farm to an airport for the 1st time and then it is probably because they are mesmerized by the flight that is taking on OUTSIDE the terminal rather than what is inside.

The ability of AA to succeed or not is not in the least connected with the appearance of the terminal to anyone.

but I suppose it makes something to talk about on an internet forum..

 

[737823]

CLT is a dump, dilapidated facilities, bad dining options, no power outlets at the gates and most importantly the overwhelming majority of the flights are USAIR.

Josh