On the Docket

Things are a'changing at the airport. For better or worse. Here's a look at the former.

Third Parallel Runway

CLT is building a third parallel runway, which covers 650-plus acres, and is scheduled for completion by January 2010.
Why you should care: Another runway means one more place for planes to take off, which also means you just might get outta there on time.

Terminal Expansion

In response to a 59 percent passenger increase since 1997, CLT began a $400 million, 150,000-square-foot expansion project modeled after high-tech European and Asian airports (think Tokyo), which is expected to be completed by 2012.
Why you should care: There will be more places for people to lounge, wait, eat, etc., which also means potentially a shorter line for that Bojangles biscuit.

New Parking Deck

A new, four-level parking deck is scheduled to pop up on the corner of Wilkinson Boulevard and Harlee Avenue in fall
2009, generating an additional 3,200 spaces.
Why you should care: Um, hello, more parking at the airport means you're less likely to see "Lot Full" on a Friday afternoon.

The Sprinter

Scheduled to make its debut in summer 2009, the Sprinter will shuttle passengers from the commercial lane of CLT, on Wilkinson Boulevard, into uptown. The five hybrid vehicles will "sprint" every fifteen to twenty minutes, making sixteen stops.
Why you should care: Say buh-bye to all those extra stops you'd have to make while riding the CATS line out to CLT.