Future of CLT
 

What are everyone's opinions/best guesses as to the future of CLT? Grow? Shrink? Widebody flying? Become a more senior or junior base after the SLI?

I know theres no concrete info out there, but honest educated opinions are always helpful...

My gut says shrink. I'd guess most of the widebody international stuff gets shifted North/South to PHL/JFK/MIA. It'll probably remain a connecting hub for the East coast/Southeast, as long as the new board running the airport don't jack the fees up and run US/AA out of town PIT style.

Just my guess though.

Future of CLT
 

They are going to add another runway....and get rid of 5/23. My gut says growth, the next ATL.

Be aware you are asking professional opinion givers here.

My guess is still a large domestic hub, smaller international than before.

I agree...it'll be a pretty big domestic hub. The airline likes the cost efficiencies of CLT. Some international will continue but we are already seeing some of it move to MIA and NY/PHL.

CLT is the second largest hub after DFW and the most profitable piece in the former US Airways system.

Us Aiways was equally profitable to legacy American in q2 despite being 1/2 the size.

DFW will shrink long before CLT.

Agreed.

DFW shrinking before CLT? I doubt it. DFW is 300+ nm closer to Asia then CLT or PHL. Current thinking is to feed S.A. to Asia via DFW. For central and NE Asia DFW is the shortest route available from S.A. Large S.A. presence might allow AA to become the #1 S.A. to Asia feeder.

Don't forget the longer runways, adequate gate/ramp space, and minimal airspace restrictions at DFW. All of which add up to room to grow, particularly for long-haul heavies. I suspect we will see DFW become an even greater fortress-hub for Ultra Long Haul flights...

As for CLT, it is the perfect hub for East Coast connections and for connections to the lighter-load cities in Europe. Kind of like it is now... My bet is on status quo for a while there.

Future of CLT
 

They'll need a lot more than just another runway at CLT...like more ramp space, more gates and bigger terminals. CLT will need significant investment to grow. Significant investment requires significant fees. If I was a CLT airport planner, I'd be very mindful of the lessons learned the hard way by the PIT growth.

Anyone think the 330 base will stay there or close? Seems like they could be much better used elsewhere with CLT just having 767s in the future.