Tagged: Charlotte Airport

A bill to hand control of the Charlotte Airport over to a regional authority passed the Senate Finance Committee Wednesday and now heads to the full Senate for approval. The move comes over the objection of Charlotte city leaders and several Mecklenburg County lawmakers. 

Formal debate over the future control of Charlotte's airport begins in earnest Wednesday at a 1 p.m. hearing of the State Senate Finance Committee. Senator Bob Rucho of Matthews co-chairs that committee and is sponsoring the measure. Speaking on WFAE's Charlotte Talks Tuesday, Rucho argued a separate "airport authority" is the best way to keep Charlotte officials from drawing down airport coffers to pay for city services.

Charlotte air travel has been on the minds of many in recent weeks as US Airways and American Airlines merge and while North Carolina politicians push for Charlotte Douglas International Airport to be operated by an airport authority rather than as a city department. We'll talk about how the US Airways/ American merger might affect US Airways 3rd largest hub and travelers who come through Charlotte, and discuss how the idea of an airport authority may or may not change how the airport is run and whether any of it will affect the average Charlottean, when Charlotte Talks.

  Thursday's official news of a merger between US Airways and American Airlines brought a sigh of relief to Charlotte, which seems poised to maintain its prominence as a major hub. But WFAE's Julie Rose reports there's reason for some caution amid the optimism.

Adie Tomer of the Brookings Institution has one word for Charlotte – Cincinnati. It was a major hub for Delta back in 2008 when the airline merged with Northwest. Everyone was breathing a sigh of relief there, too, says Tomer.