Before the pandemic I wrote about how Charlotte desperately needed another American Airlines Admirals Club – or two. American had scaled to 900 flights a day at DFW – and opened a 5th club. Charlotte was up to 700 flights and had just two clubs. And the terminal itself is more crowded than Dallas.
There just aren’t enough rocking chairs there to go around. The LAX ‘Eagles Nest’ commuter terminal has a club, the Charlotte regional operation — nowhere near the rest of the concourses — has nothing.
The main club at the intersection of the C and D concourses is absolutely overrun as it is. That leaves the ‘relatively quieter’ B concourse club, as pictured in the Before Times.
Unfortunately the B concourse club is going to be the only club for a little bit. Starting at some point in January American will be temporarily losing the main club to maintenance. A spokesperson adds,
Beginning in January 2022, American Airlines will temporarily close its Terminal C Admirals Club lounge at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) for updates. During this time, the nearby Admirals Club lounge in Terminal B will remain open and fully operational. American will also open a Guest Service Center in the mezzanine of the atrium for Admirals Club-eligible customers who would like ticketing and travel assistance. This space will also have grab and go snack offerings, bottled water and coffee available.
The main terminal gate areas tare beyond packed. There’s a Centurion lounge and two Minute Suites at the airport. Some passengers may just appreciate the grab and go water and snacks at the service center, though.
Charlotte is already a less-desirable passenger experience than many airports. I understand the maintenance work is needed for fire safety requirements, and they’ll take the opportunity to update some furnishings and finishes in the lounge in the process. But it’s going to be a painful closure.
Them’s the breaks…..
What they should be doing is building a Flagship Lounge.
@ Gary — The AMEX club in CLT has huge lines. Hard pass on yet another over-hyped AMEX lounge.
No, instead of wasting money on lounges in CLT the airport should be investing in a Tram (like DFW) to move passengers around this antiquated airport. I have flown into/out of all the major airports in the nation and CLT is the worst. Use to have golf carts to move individuals with handicaps around the airport but some “mental giant” decided that wheelchairs were a better option. So let’s consider, 1) Golf cart moves five (5) passengers 5 times faster than one (1) wheelchairs can move one passenger. Also, one (1) driver moving 5 individuals or five (5) employees to move five (5) passengers. Where is the logic in that?
The tables around the Panera in Terminal A are the best place for some peace and quiet. Man that airport is a disaster.
@clinton Earl
The logic is that CLT concourses are too narrow and crowded for the carts too safely move through and I agree with it. Imagine trying to get the crowds at CLT to part so a cart can pass. Most of CLT passengers could use the extra steps anyway.
Oh man. The line for that flavorless guacamole will be a mile long.
@clinton earl bryant : Skylink at DFW cost $870 million to build more than 15 years ago. Sorry, that’s not the solution for fixing Charlotte’s overcrowded Admirals Club.
CLT is worse than a third world airport. For AA even to think they offer a good customer experience by putting 12m passengers in an airport designed for 6 or 7m max it’s ridiculous. Now that they have added more gates in Terminal E good luck with making a connection, getting food or even relaxing. Avoid CLT if at all possible.
I avoid CLT like the plague, or someone without a face mask coughing, so am fortunately able to transit through DCA, PHL, ORD, etc to my destination in South Carolina, and always try to do so to avoid the horrid mashup on the concourses and in the nasty Admirals Club at CLT.
That AA can fly Admirals Club members, OneWorld elits, and international passengers through CLT without a decent lounge is a travesty and a sign of sad stupid cheapness.