You might expect the CEO of one of the biggest airlines of North America to be flying his own airline in the premium cabins, if not first then and the very least business class. However, that's is not the case for Doug Parker, the chief executive of American Airlines, as he told The Points Guy, one of every three American flights he takes he travels in coach (economy) class. Nor does the boss of the mega-carrier get special VIP treatment at the airports. "They absolutely do not do anything at DFW." he told Micheline Maynard, adding "There’s nobody meeting me at the flight. Now, if I’m flying to a smaller airport, the station manager sometimes wants to say hello."
The carrier has recently just celebrated the airlines continuous growth of 700 daily scheduled departures from Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT).
As one of the fastest-growing airports in the country, CLT is American’s second-largest hub with 149 destinations available from CLT. The increased schedule was made possible after American leased four new gates at CLT’s Concourse A. “With the addition of these new gates, we were able to add frequencies on popular routes and we now operate nearly 80 flights per day to Florida, 30 flights per day to the New York metro area and 25 flights per day to D.C. metro area,” said Brian Znotins, American’s Vice President of Network Planning. “We’ll continue to be the best airline with the most choice in Charlotte for both business and leisure customers.”
The airline added ten new routes in 2019, including flights to Erie, Pennsylvania (ERI); Bangor, Maine (BGR); Ithaca, New York (ITH); New Haven, Connecticut (HVN); Champaign, Illinois (CMI); Santo Domingo, Dominican Republic (SDQ); Traverse City, Michigan (TVC); Munich, Germany (MUC); Grenada (GND) and Georgetown, Bahamas (GGT).
With the addition of the four recently acquired gates, American now operates out of every concourse at CLT — utilizing 93 of the airport’s 114 gates.
The renovated concourse that houses American’s new gates offers expanded dining and retail options and waiting areas with power ports in every seat. The terminal also gives American team members refreshed break space and amenities.
American’s commitment to the Charlotte region
American’s success in Charlotte has stimulated the region’s economy. The carrier contributes $14 billion annually in economic output and employs more than 12,000 team members in Charlotte.
“American is excited about our growth in Charlotte,” said Dec Lee, Vice President of Charlotte Hub Operations. “With more than 12,000 CLT-based team members dedicated to running a safe and reliable operation — coupled with the support of customers, civic and community leaders — we will continue to deliver a world-class product and experience.”
American collaborates with the Charlotte Business Regional Alliance and the Charlotte Regional Visitor’s Authority to advance the region’s economic development efforts, convention recruitment and local tourism promotion.
American is the fifth largest employer in Mecklenburg County and hired more than 450 team members in 2019 — including aircraft maintenance professionals, customer service agents, flight attendants and more.
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