Two For Tuesday | November 21, 2023

1.  Charlotte Douglas International Airport is a Huge Economic Driver!

During the upcoming Thanksgiving holiday, roughly this Thursday through next Monday, Charlotte Douglas International Airport is bracing for the impact of more than 900,000 travelers.  To put that into context, it’s nearly the population of the entire City of Charlotte.  Here are a few more interesting facts:

• Terminal opened May 2, 1982
• 118,000 daily passengers
• 21,000 parking spaces
• 6,000 acres of land
• 2022 stats – 47,758,605 passengers, 505,589 arrivals & departures, 207,608 tons of cargo
• 179 nonstop destinations
• 36 international destinations

For an interesting discussion about the airport as well as the activities of American Airlines, please take a few minutes to listen to our podcast with Tracy Montross, Regional Director of Government Affairs for American Airlines. 

My take:  In case you were not aware, Charlotte Douglas International Airport is a really big deal.  The efficiency with which it conducts its operations, its ease of use, and its proximity to established infrastructure make it one of the best airports in the country and perhaps the world.  It’s a top ten facility in terms of number of annual flights and American Airlines’ second largest hub.  The fact is we are very fortunate to have an airport like CLT considering Charlotte’s population has not yet reached a million people.  So, as you embark on your holiday travel, and are grinding your gears a bit about how long it’s taking you to get through security, think about what the presence of CLT means to the economic health and well-being of our region.   

 2.  Thoughts on the Run – Heads you Lose.  Tails, You Also Lose.

A coin toss is a reasonable way to determine who will receive first possession of the ball in overtime during a football game. It’s been the standard and accepted practice for years at every level of the sport. Now we’re learning that the outcome of elections can be determined in a similar manner. The outcome means someone wins and someone loses. But our low voter turnout this season means we are all losing!  Click here to read on…