Back in March I wrote that Delta Air Lines was planning a Sky Club for Charlotte, the major American Airlines hub in the Southeast.
Construction on the club is now evident in the concourse A expansion space, and Delta confirms the plan.
Delta Sky Club is looking forward to opening its first-ever location in Charlotte next year. We look forward to sharing more details in the coming months.
Ultimately a Delta Sky Club in Charlotte will be great for Delta passengers but could also be good for American passengers as well as a result of competitive pressure, and also be good for guests who currently use the Centurion lounge, The Club, and two Minute Suites locations at the airport since it could help reduce crowding.
American Airlines has also been working towards a new club in Charlotte airport. They desperately need to add a club but this one would be a replacement for their main club, albeit twice the size.
This would allow Charlotte to take back the current main club space which is at the heart of the airport and could easily be used for revenue-generating retail shops. It also explains why American has been so hesitant to invest in their main Charlotte club, closing it down for fire-related work for half a year but not taking the opportunity to do more renovations at the same time.
I’m not sure that the presence of the Sky Club itself will do much to reduce any crowding. Where Delta’s new gates will be alone will make using the Centurion extremely inconvenient. The Centurion will be just over a one mile walk from the new Delta gates, and as all know CLT has continued extending the airport without investing in any sort of people mover, and moving walkways are sparse and it’s a running joke even in the local media that the moving walkways are always broken. Maybe it helps with the Club at CLT which will be along the way.
CLT had originally planned to build a new headhouse for most airlines besides AA in conjunction with the new A extension but that was removed from plans. So, Delta passengers will be getting their steps in with one mile walk to the gates (and it is one mile, I have measured it). I think if anything it will increase the overall number of people using clubs at CLT, as any frequent traveler probably won’t adjust their time to come to the airport even earlier, plus any margin for a wait time to get in, to use the Centurion. If they can access the DL Club, and it’s not likely it’s going to have a wait like most spoke station clubs, they will just use that.