The Up-And-Coming Airline
3
CLT spells relief: E-x-p-a-n-s-i-o-n
Beginning next month, con
struction will begin at the Char
lotte/Douglas International Airport
to double the size of Piedmont’s
present concourse and provide us
with four additional gates. The $6.2
million expansion, financed by the
City of Charlotte with a commit
ment from Piedmont to lease, is
scheduled for completion by the
end of the year.
“We're expanding our gates from
12 to 16 but certainly not anywhere
comparable to the square footage
we’re adding," Leonard Martin, vice
president passenger services, said.
"Our intent is to increase the
comfort level of our passengers.”
Piedmont’s facilities at the new
Charlotte terminal — viewed less
than two years ago as the remedy
for the many problems brought on
by our rapid growth — have been
outgrown by our massive opera
tions. When we moved to the new
terminal in May 1982, we had 86
flights a day and boarded 145,000
passengers a month from our 12
gates. By April 1 of this year, we’ll
have 140 daily departures and
estimated monthly boardings in
excess of 270,000.
"We’ve known for over a year that
continued from page 1
LA's the Place
Coast. Pam Horton (ORF), Brenda
Lilly (ORF), Tiara Roberts (GSO),
Barbara Graham (ROA), and Judy
Littrell (ILM) spent several days
working with VanDuser to plan
inflight service.
“Once we’ve finalized all the
procedures, we’ll go out to our
bases ajid help train our flight
attendants," Horton said.
“By April 1, all 1,300 flight
attendants will have gone through
a two-hour training course for the
long range 727s."
Flight attendants will rotate
between coach and first class so
that everyone will stay current on
all aspects of service.
"The first flight might be a high
seniority trip,” Lilly said, "but if
someone gets sick, a reserve could
be called, so everyone has to be
ready for the start-up April 1.”
Our Systems and Programming
Department, which collects data
such as our daily traffic statistics
on tapes and disks, has also been
faced with major changes due to
first class service.
“We’re making approximately
150 changes in our computer pro
grams to allow for the new serv
ices,” Norm McAllister, projects
manager, said.
Normally when Piedmont adds a
new destination. Systems and Pro
gramming makes 20 to 30 changes.
But Los Angeles posed some new
challenges. First, we're entering
another time zone and that re
quires a new routine. Secondly, the
long-range 727-200s and the new
we needed more space but finding
that space hasn’t been easy,” Mar
tin said.
“Several options have been con
sidered including moving to an
entirely new concourse, but we
didn’t want to give up our present
location. We decided the best solu
tion is to expand out beyond the
end of our concourse even though
it requires a great deal of site
preparation.”
Beginning in March, the City of
Charlotte will bring in tons of fill to
build up the area at the end of
our concourse, after which the City
will grade, pave, and prepare the
ramp and taxiway for service.
Actual construction will not start
until August.
“This way we can have all the
building materials ready and on
site by the end of the summer,”
Martin said. "Wlien construction
begins, it will look like an erector
set going up."
Filling in the area at the end of
our concourse is no small task. It
will take a half million cubic yards
of fill — a large dump truck carries
only 10 cubic yards — and 200
trucks have been committed to the
project. The work will be done at
seating chart demand new
procedures.
“But adding firstdass service
has required the most work,"
McAllister said.
“Now we have two sets of statis
tics to record, one for first class and
one for coach. That means we have
to keep track of twice as much
information as before."
McAllister estimates that it will
take 10 people working two months
to make all the program changes.
Employees in many other areas
at Piedmont are feeling the effects
of transcontinental service. Agents
at stations are being trained to
night so as not to irnterfere with our
flight operations.
The building will be constructed
in two phases. During the months
of August, September, and October,
one of our present gates. Gate C-14,
will be closed while the new build
ing and a connector between the
present building and the new
structure are cornstructed.
In early November, the second
phase will commence. At that time.
Piedmont will begin operations
from the new building's four gates.
Gates C-12andC 17 on the pres
ent concourse will be closed so that
construction can take place on
both sides of the connector. That
construction is scheduled to be
completed by January 1 when all
16 gates will be ready for use.
"We think there's a real possibil
ity that construction will be com
pleted by mid-December, in time
for the holiday rush,’’ Martin said.
The addition will give Piedmont
30,000 more square feet of space
on each level. The length of the
present concourse will be extended
295 feet. The first half of the new
area will be 90 feet wide and the
second half, 115 feet wide. The
handle the new aircraft, and agents
in our reservations offices are now
selling the new services. A new
marketing strategy, including an
advertising campaign, is being
developed for California, and new
fares are being calculated.
"We also need to remember that
at the same time we’re adding non
stop {lights to California, we’re
going to begin flying the smallest
jets we’ve ever operated into the
smallest markets on our system,"
Bill Howard, president and chief
executive officer, said.
"Certainly, California is impor
tant to us, and represents great
existing concourse is only 80 feet
wide.
“'rhe wider concourse will allow
for a full service area where shops
can locate," Martin said, "and more
restroom facilities will be added."
The Piedmont Presidentitil Suite
will be moved, tripling (he amount
of space we currently have for our
members.
By the time construclion is com
pleted, all gates will be equipped
with preconditioned air and
ground power. The lower level will
be dedicated primarily to a new
adequately sized baggage and irrail
transfer area, and the present bag
gage area will be renovated for crew
rooms and support areas as well as
a large breakroom for agents.
"We are going to great lengths to
keep our down lime to a minimum
during construction," Martin said.
"We’re also working on other ways
to handle traffic during the three
months when we'll have only 1 1
gates.
"After ayear of study, we are con
vinced this is the best way to
insure our future at Charlotte."
opportunity. But the places where
Piedmont began are equally impor
tant to us, and represent proven
profitability and loyal customers.
We don’t intend to be so mesmer
ized by the glitter of California that
we forget the people and places who
brought us where we are today."
J.
routes will haue /irst class as well as coach
sect ions.
new first-class service with Pete VanDuser.
director-food services. The long-range 727
Flight attendants (I tor) Judy Littrell. ILM.
(far right) Brenda Lilly. ORF. discuss our 200s which will be used on our California