The Up-And-Coming Airline
5
As Charlotte grows, so grows Piedmont
What Piedmont has done at Char
lotte defies the odds and the rules.
It has been successful, but it hasn’t
been easy.
How successful?
"The rest of the industry looks at
Piedmont's efforts at Charlotte as
one of the greatest success stories
since deregulation. Every Piedmont
employee should feel the same way,"
Leonard Martin, vice president-
passenger services, said.
How difficult?
“It's been a tremendous chal
lenge,” Martin said. “Forecasts have
just about been meaningless. How
does anyone reasonably predict a
station will go from 72,000 en-
planements in June of 1981 to
160,000 in June a year later?"
But that's exactly what Piedmont
did at Charlotte. There are trunk
airlines that do not have that
number of enplanements at any
station on their system.
Charlotte didn't just happen. It
was built by Piedmont people, and
it was built faster than most expe
rienced airline people would have
dreamed to be possible.
new terminal
The biggest obstacle to overcome
was also probably the most desir
able one. That was our move to the
new Charlotte terminal.
“It certainly meant better facili
ties for our passengers. It was less
confusing, more comfortable —just
about eveiything we wanted to give
them," Martin said. “But it was also
a major challenge for our people."
They have not gone without the
Company's support. Here are some
of the investments Piedmont has
made at Charlotte to respond to
that challenge:
82 additional agents
8 additional supervisors
15 portable communications sets
3 additional fuel trucks
6 additional tractors for
pushouts
And, of course, more has been
added. All of it has come in the
three months since Piedmont
moved into the new terminal.
These resources have been in re
sponse to phenomenal growth at
Charlotte. Here’s how it breaks
down in year over year comparisons
for the month of June:
Passengers enplaned, 1982 —
157,935 vs. 72,035 in 1981.
Passengers deplaned, 1982 —
161,035 vs. 73,785 in 1981.
Air Mail, 622,754 pounds, vs.
260,702 pounds in 1981.
Air Freight — 670,206 pounds,
vs. 345,428 pounds in 1981.
“Obviously Charlotte is working.
Those figures demonstrate it," Mar
tin said.
Those figures represent 120 per
cent more passengers in a single
year: 139 percent more air mail,
and 94 percent more air freight.
It was not done without a great
deal of problem solving. Here are
some that had to be met.
Communications problems. Air
craft, employees, and passengers
were spread over a greater space, let
alone in greater numbers. The solu
tion: walkie-talkies" on the ramps
to better coordinate the movements
of all the elements around our
growing complexes.
more trucks
Fueling. With a hydrant fueling
system coming on line this Fall, we
wanted to avoid capital invest
ments in more fuel trucks. But the
growth couldn't wait, so Piedmont
added three more fuel trucks to its
Charlotte fleet.
Cargo handling. As volumes in
creased, it became apparent that
there wasn't enough time to
transfer both baggage and cargo in
35-minute ground times. The pas
sengers’ needs were put first, and
cargo has been held until the next
complex, leaving more time for sor-
tation, and reducing delays.
"We still need more room near the
aircraft for baggage sortation. We're
negotiating that with the airport
management now," Martin said.
alone accounted for 200 individual
passenger handlings on an average
day at Charlotte in June.
"We think we're getting close to
the right mix at Charlotte to deal
with these challenges like a typical
Piedmont operation does," Martin
said. He points out that Charlotte
has one of the system's lowest ratios
of complaints for 10,000 pas
sengers boarded.
"It’s a good operation. It's attract
ing people to Piedmont, customers
we all need to pay our salaries,"
Martin said. "But it isn't perfect. We
want to know what’s wrong there as
well as what's right. But I’m confi
dent we're finding solutions to old
problems a lot faster than we’re
finding new problems. That's
progress."
Agent Darla Wiggins Is one of the over 400
employees noiv ivorking In CLT. Since the
new terminal opened in May. 82 additional
agents have been hired.
Randy Hadfield calls the captain to tell
him theJllght Is ready for departure and
that the engines can be started.
rrrri
Cathy Linebergerprepares to load cargo onto ajllght.
/n July, Piedmont boarded over 170,000passengers in
CLTand handled approximately 340.000pieces of
luggage.
"So far as people go our only
problem has been numbers, finding
the right numbers," Martin said.
“Our people have worked harder
and smarter. They’ve tackled eveiy
problem with a good attitude and a
good effort.”
special request
Again, some things had to be
learned by experience. In June, for
example, there were 1,741 requests
for wheelchairs. Each of these re
quests required individual atten
tion, and this was happening 50
times a day. Like everything else at
Charlotte, these figures are growing.
Piedmont also had 4,020 un
accompanied minors pass through
Charlotte in June. Each had to be
individually met and watched over
until the youngster's next flight de
parted, or the youngster was met.
Those two categories of requests
More than 4.000 unaccompanied minors pass through CLT each
month. Agent Bill Widenhouse talks with two girls who are aivaiting
their flights.
A
Dan Traverla [foreground) and Randy
Curde send in formation on flights to the
next stations. In the background are flight
monitors, the only ones on Piedmont's
system, which give employees In opera^
lions visual contact ivlth each of Pied
monl's 12gates.