Summary
- American Airlines operates 88% of all flights at the North Carolina airport in March.
- No other US hub is so highly controlled by one operator.
- American plans to serve 164 destinations non-stop from the airport this month.
Charlotte Douglas International is the US – and the world’s – fifth-busiest airport by flights in March, based on examining schedules supplied by carriers to Cirium. Services have risen by 12% versus March 2023 (good), but they remain down by 2% compared to the same month in 2019 (bad).
It is a different story if seats for sale are considered. Aircraft upgauging and fewer flights on single-class, 50-seat regional jets mean that Charlotte’s seat capacity has increased by a massive 18% versus 2019.
Naturally, this is heavily influenced by the very dominant American, whose seats per flight at the airport have risen by a fifth from 110 to 132.
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Almost nine in 10 of Charlotte’s flights
If you’ve ever been to Charlotte, you’ll immediately appreciate how dominant American (and its regional unit) is. Examining all flights in March shows that the carrier accounts for 88% of services. However, its recovery and equipment changes mean this is two percentage points lower than in 2019. (It rose to 92%+ during the pandemic.)
Photo: Bui Le Manh Hung | Shutterstock
Its dominance in Charlotte cannot be overstated. Of all the US Big Three carriers, only American at Dallas Fort Worth comes close (84%), as shown in the following figure. For readability, not all hubs are included. But worry not: they are even less dominant at them than the lowest-ranked in the chart.
Source: Cirium. Figure: James Pearson
Fortress hubs: a summary
Note the black horizontal line in the figure above. This highlights 70%, i.e., the point above which a hub is often deemed a fortress. Multiple hubs meant that criterion, but none more so than American at Charlotte. United at Houston International, for example, is a significant ten percentage points less dominant.
Photo: Mystic Stock Photography | Shutterstock
The US has long been considered a country where airlines develop fortress hubs to control their markets. It is where operators (and fellow alliance members and other partners) are so dominant that competition is challenging, such as from a lack of spare gates or slots. It also keeps fares to/from the hub higher than they might otherwise be, partly offset by a vast network and the convenience that it brings.
American at Charlotte in March
Based on this one month, American (and Eagle) plan to serve 164 destinations non-stop from the North Carolina airport. A considerable 155 routes have at least a daily flight, with the median triple daily. Such is the need for connectivity and competitiveness.
It is helped by Charlotte’s geographic location, with American’s average
domestic
route from the airport being just 557 miles (896 km), less than from its other hubs.
Image: OAG
Its network includes various new or coming routes, as follows. I have not looked at the others, which will begin later this year. None of the three airports have had non-stop Charlotte flights before.
- Tulum, which takes off on March 28, 2024 (daily, 737-800)
- Moline, which began on December 23, 2023 (double daily on the CRJ900)
- Orange County, which launched on June 1, 2023 (daily, A321ceo)
