American Airlines joined leaders from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), elected officials from the Charlotte region and other community leaders at a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the carrier’s continuous growth in the region — the milestone of 700 daily scheduled departures from CLT.
The increased schedule was made possible after American leased four new gates at CLT’s Concourse A.
As one of the fastest growing airports in the country, CLT is American’s second largest hub. The carrier serves 149 destinations from CLT.
“With the addition of these new gates, we were able to add frequencies on popular routes and we now operate nearly 80 flights per day to Florida, 30 flights per day to the New York metro area and 25 flights per day to D.C. metro area,” said Brian Znotins, American’s Vice President of Network Planning. “We’ll continue to be the best airline with the most choice in Charlotte for both business and leisure customers.”
A larger network for customers
American provides access to a broad network through its Charlotte hub. The carrier attributes its success to CLT’s cost competitiveness and operational effectiveness, allowing for flights to distinct destinations.
The airline added ten new routes in 2019, including flights to Erie, Pennsylvania (ERI); Bangor, Maine (BGR); Ithaca, New York (ITH); New Haven, Connecticut (HVN); Champaign, Illinois (CMI); Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (SDQ); Traverse City, Michigan (TVC); Munich, Germany (MUC); Grenada (GND) and Georgetown, Bahamas (GGT).
With the addition of the four recently acquired gates, American now operates out of every concourse at CLT — utilizing 93 of the airport’s 114 gates.
The renovated concourse that houses American’s new gates offers expanded dining and retail options and waiting areas with power ports in every seat. The terminal also gives American team members refreshed break space and amenities.
American’s commitment to the Charlotte region
American’s success in Charlotte has stimulated the region’s economy. The carrier contributes $14 billion annually in economic output and employs more than 12,000 team members in Charlotte.
“American is excited about our growth in Charlotte,” said Dec Lee, Vice President of Charlotte Hub Operations. “With more than 12,000 CLT-based team members dedicated to running a safe and reliable operation — coupled with the support of customers, civic and community leaders — we will continue to deliver a world class product and experience.”
American collaborates with the Charlotte Business Regional Alliance and the Charlotte Regional Visitor’s Authority to advance the region’s economic development efforts, convention recruitment and local tourism promotion.
American is the fifth largest employer in Mecklenburg County and hired more than 450 team members in 2019 — including aircraft maintenance professionals, customer service agents, flight attendants and more.
American also by makes a difference throughout the Charlotte region, giving back to the community the airline serves. In 2019, more than 8,000 local team members volunteered their time to dozens of nonprofit organizations. The airline also made more than $300,000 worth of contributions to Charlotte-based nonprofits, such as Classroom Central, Veterans Bridge Home and Goodwill Industries of the Southern Piedmont.
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