American Airlines To Expand Its Hub in Charlotte

In a sign that things are continuing to get better for the industry, American Airlines is making an investment.

American is planning an expansion of its hub at Charlotte-Douglas International Airport, the carrier said during its earnings call this week.

The airline will open three new gates at the airport and plans on creating “hundreds” of new jobs starting this year and next, according to The Charlotte Observer.

Despite a net loss of $1.1 billion for the second quarter for American, industry observers agree air travel is recovering significantly from the pandemic.

“We’re still in the early stages of the rebound,” American Airlines President Robert Isom told reporters and analysts on the call.

The airline has brought back more than 3,000 employees from leave during the coronavirus pandemic and has already hired nearly 3,500 new employees so far this year. American, in particular, plans to hire an additional 350 pilots this year, and more than 1,000 pilots and 800 flight attendants in 2022, Isom said.

The new gates at CLT will be regional ones in Concourse E, American spokesman Andrew Trull told the Observer. The gates are part of the airport’s ongoing capital improvement plan, he said.

American became the dominant carrier at Charlotte-Douglas after the merger with USAir. It will not have 94 gates at the Charlotte airport with the addition of the three new gates, Trull said.

The airport plans to expand Concourse E, adding 34,000 square feet on the north end of the concourse. The $50.5 million project is expected to be complete by next spring.