US Airways, American to Meet Tuesday

[Harry Callahan]

Wile every one talks about Clt's low o & d traffic(and maybe they're right) I say take a look at the parking lots. They appear to say something different.

 

[LD3]

It's easy for CLT to offer a low operating costs to the airlines because the airport does not reinvest money into the terminal and airfield....The airport is being held together with bandages..

 

[FWAAA]

I don't doubt that the parking lots are full, but that could be a function of their very low price ($5/day to $7/day for long-term to daily in the garage); those rates are significantly cheaper than most other major cities. The CLT website says there are 26,000 spaces - dunno how that compares to similarly-sized cities. The full lots might also be a function of not enough spaces (given the very low rates). My guess is that $5/day long-term parking provides little incentive for people to be dropped off at CLT or to pay for Super-shuttle type rides. If you have a car, long-term parking is not much more expenisive than a gallon of gas each day. That's cheap parking.

CLT is one of the country's busiest airports, but a substantial majority of the passengers are connecting. Something like 70% to 75% are connecting, a rather high percentage for a huge hub. One thing CLT has going for it is that of the low percentage of O&D passengers, US does a good job of charging them high fares, as CLT's O&D average fares are higher than in most other cities. Problem is, there aren't enough of those O&D passengers.

 

[Real tired]

All true except the dirty, smelly carpet has been replaced with dirty, used carpet. And you forgot to mention that only half the people mover conveyer belts work at any one time.

The carpet here in PIT is almost brand new. Nobody is ever here to walk on it.

Come on back. We miss you.

 

[Keroseneuser]

The carpet here in PIT is almost brand new. Nobody is ever here to walk on it.

Come on back. We miss you.

LOL, last time through PIT I was dissappointed that i didn't bring my golf clubs, could have practiced my chip shots on the hour turn.

Couple years ago before they boarded up half the terminal I did see 2 kids throwing a frisbee back and forth! 🙂

 

[DCAJet]

A. Judging an airports health by parking lot is like measuring measuring a flight's profitability by how full the flight is...makes no sense what-so-ever. Thank goodness you are not running the airline...oh wait, people like you were running US Airways and we had two bankruptcies.
B. CLT is not held together by bandages..maybe bailing wire (to be more geograhically atune) but CLT is in fact investing lots into the infrastructure of the airport. New baggage tunnel (reopened but better) new E, new ramp foundations and a remodel of some of the stores, etc....and a new security line...its coming along just fine. unlike PIT that overspent and used the economic model of "if we build it they will come" with no other economic foundation. sounds like our government. you can't force people to fly in/out of PIT. People love CLT and love the airport and like to fly there. Its one of the most profitable hubs in the industry. those are facts.

 

[FWAAA]

Its one of the most profitable hubs in the industry. those are facts.

Good points. About the part I quoted, however, if the East pilots weren't willing to fly those small narrowbodies for $125/hr and the E190s for a mere $101/hr, the CLT hub profitability (as well as US Airways profitability as a whole) might look a lot different. CLT certainly is profitable with its industry-lagging flight crew pay. Re-run the numbers with industry-average labor costs (the average of UA, DL and AA labor costs) and it might not be quite so impressive.

 

[john john]

Good points. About the part I quoted, however, if the East pilots weren't willing to fly those small narrowbodies for $125/hr and the E190s for a mere $101/hr, the CLT hub profitability (as well as US Airways profitability as a whole) might look a lot different. CLT certainly is profitable with its industry-lagging flight crew pay. Re-run the numbers with industry-average labor costs (the average of UA, DL and AA labor costs) and it might not be quite so impressive.

How about all those USAirwasys fulltime and part-time main line passenger service agents pay and benefits …How do they compare

 

[AAviator]

Don't forget about the highest cost per asm fleet that makes the hub a success.. The RJ's.. Quite a few of them making CLT profitable, yet necessary for the connecting traffic - that makes CLT a success. Necessary evil.

 

[USFlyer]

They wouldn't need to fly to CLT. They could do it through DFW (which already exists - GSP-DFW-SEA). So, no, not a good example as a reason to keep CLT around.

Actually, GSP-ORD-SEA makes a whole lot more sense. So my example was bad, but the point is still valid. There are lots of high yielding passengers out of the reach of AA at the moment. CLT has a place in a combined carrier.

 

[gabby]

Actually its stunning how little thought is going into CLT's E concourse. They keep building more gates. I doubt the airport manager has tried to walk from E to D during the busy periods. The escalator is packed. I mean packed. Just one little escalator for 38 gates? 1500 people trying to make the hike to the other gates seems like live at leeds. Too many people. Too little thought.

 

[Keroseneuser]

Actually its stunning how little thought is going into CLT's E concourse. They keep building more gates. I doubt the airport manager has tried to walk from E to D during the busy periods. The escalator is packed. I mean packed. Just one little escalator for 38 gates? 1500 people trying to make the hike to the other gates seems like live at leeds. Too many people. Too little thought.

CLT does not have the monopoly on stupid design. Whoever decided that 6 terminals worth of people can exit the train and all go up 2 narrow escalators at one time in ATL needs to be smacked. Denver same thing, everyone herded out of the train and around a 90 degree corner up 2 also. ORD is another lovely design, narrow terminal and a long hike to get out. EWR...well what can you say.....goat rope is too kind when trying to get through security to some of the gates. IAD with the uber expensive people movers.....had to be some congressmans brother owns the people mover company to decide that it is much better than a train. Wonder how much diesel goes through those things a year? Well the list could go on and on...🙂

 

[FWAAA]

How about all those USAirwasys fulltime and part-time main line passenger service agents pay and benefits …How do they compare

I couldn't care less.

The low pay of US flight crews (relative to their legacy peers) is a gift to US of at least $200 million per year since 2005.

 

[john john]

I couldn't care less.

http://apsa6001.org/?p=1026
As Cuts Deepen, Morale Sinks
They will outsource to G2, replacing well-paid professionals with low-wage workers with few benefits. This is the new American Airlines.”
Prospect for baggage, SSD and PSR, with ATS taking over ramp, fueling and auto shop. “This just happened these last two weeks. It’s been so sad and hard at work now. Not only was all of it handled poorly but they did not prepare any of us for the extreme emotions we are all going through.”
“This will NOT be American Airlines,” Malinda Arguelles said in a Facebook post. “G2 in LGA and DFW. In EWR we have Prime Flight in baggage service and WFS on the Ramp. It will be OUTSOURCED AIRLINES soon.”

 

[LD3]

B. CLT is not held together by bandages..maybe bailing wire (to be more geograhically atune) but CLT is in fact investing lots into the infrastructure of the airport. New baggage tunnel (reopened but better) new E, new ramp foundations

They are putting lipstick on a pig....You have no idea what is going on behind the scenes... What are new E ramp foundations? If you ever look at E ramp, the ramp is sinking, look at the drop inlets, they are higher than the ramp causing rampers that hit the inlets with their tugs to get jarred...Thats what happens when you short cut construction..