The Queen City is perfect for this princess
Goal: to be the preeminent business travel blogger for the Charlotte market as evidenced by page views and quotes in news outlets.
Step one towards this goal: Why do I live in Charlotte.
Unlike most workers and even many business travelers I have the luxury of living near any hub I want.
I could live in a glamourous city like NYC or LA
I could live near a mega hub airport like ATL or ORD
I could even live somewhere with super dirt cheap direct flights like MCO
I chose Charlotte and I think that is an important thing to understand. I moved there for the airport and I stay because of friends and because the airport still suits my needs.
What keeps me in Charlotte? A variety of suitable flights with plenty of mainline and larger regional jets on major carriers (US Airways and Delta), fast security, and convenient parking.
What would I like to see?
- Lower fares for sure. Charlotte may not always be the cheapest.
- More direct flights to the west coast. When I head over there US Airways is usually the the cheapest, but most west coast destinations require a hop in PHX. It’s crazy how many people on my flights between CLT and PHX are double hopping XXX-PHX-CLT-YYY instead of XXX-hub-YYY like I can usually do on Delta. It will be interesting to see how that plays out with the AA merger and adding DFW and ORD to the list of hubs in the middle.
- Fix the moving walkway from A concourse back to the terminal so it works more than 1 week before it breaks again!
- I wish there was still a parking lot to walk to the concourse, but I also see the big picture that things will be much better very soon.
What is CLT doing well? Unlike the impression I get at the NYC airports, there is no doubt CLT is a very light and airy airport. I think it is kept very clean (hence my post years ago about the bathroom attendants), the new signage put in before the DNC is very clear, bright, and inviting. There are a variety of places to eat from sushi to gelato Chilis and even Bad Daddy’s to bring some local Charlotte flavor.
Going forward I will do my best to be more timely with posts about this great city’s airport.
I graduated from UNC-C. Have always been fond of the area, and is one of a very short list of cities I would relocate to if the opportunity presented itself.
I know it sounds cheesy, but when people ask me if I could live anywhere where would I choose and I say Charlotte and articulate why. At BAcon they told us to blog our passion and this is my passion. I love coming home to Charlotte.
Charlotte is my absolutely favorite airport, bar none…. except when I have to make my way from the end of E gates to the end of B or C Concourse! 😉
I rarely fly out of E since those destinations are either prohibitively expensive or I can just drive there in less than 4 hours, but sometimes when I’m going from one meeting to another I’ll connect in CLT and experience that pain.
Honestly, i need to actually go to E and make sure the info in the airport guide is up-to-date since i go there so infrequently.
I live in Charlotte as well and love living here! Not too big, not too small, and the climate’s great as well.
I enjoy the CLT airport as my home town hub. Given the rather good weather, we tend to avoid weather delays and congestion issues that surround PHL and the northeast corridor. The airport is clean and easy to get around. They should start putting in pre-check at more than one security checkpoint.
And I can’t wait for the better parking.
Any tips on mileage runs from CLT?
@Aaron, I haven’t seen too many mistake fares or good mileage run opportunities out of Charlotte, but if I see anything I will post it.
I’ve never understood the bathroom attendants at CLT. Nothing against the people themselves, but I find it to be an anachronism that teeters on the line of condescension and brings up unfortunate echoes of the not-so-good Old South. (And does anyone take one of those mints out of the giant jar that has been handled by who knows how many people with their questionable hand washing.)
We moved from NYC to Lake Norman 20 years ago….my husband also had the choice of starting his business anywhere…the rocking chairs at the airport clinched it. I am now a subscriber of your blog…thanks for doing what you do!
What are your thoughts on the CLT airport authority controversy?
@Erik-do you still travel as much as you did? I like what I know of Jerry Orr and the direction of the airport, but i’m not up-to-speed enough on the politics to make an informed statement on the current situation.
@Sammy I do not care fore the attendants either. I can handle going to the bathroom myself thank you.
No, I don’t travel much anymore. I switched jobs almost a year ago and the new job was supposed to be @40% travel days but then they did some cost cutting measures so I almost never go out anymore. Strangely, I kind of miss it. Life on the road can be tough, but at the same time you internalize it and get used to the pattern. I’m still not used to being home all the time. Though, my wife and toddler appreciate it.