- “What it costs to fly out of here is astronomical,” said council member Victoria Watlington. But, she added, “we’re not going to solve this problem tonight.”
- The City Council approved its lease with American — as well as Delta, Frontier, Southwest and United — in an 8-2 vote Monday.
Yes, but: Although the government cannot control private airline fares, airports can take steps to encourage competition through lease negotiations.
- William McGee of the anti-monopoly advocacy organization American Economic Liberties Project says the board missed a “golden opportunity” that it won’t get to see again for more than a decade.
What he says: “There’s no doubt that what happened … will have an effect on rates, but it’s not the effect that anyone traveling to or from Charlotte wants,” McGee said. “It’s going to be horrible, honestly.”
- Council Member JD Mazuera Arias, one of two “no” votes alongside Renee Perkins Johnson, told Axios on Tuesday that the “political will” isn’t there to actually encourage more competition.
The big picture: American operates 90% of daily flights to CLT, where the average domestic fare is $531.83, according to Bureau of Transportation Statistics second quarter 2026.
- That’s higher than the national average of $445.26 and Raleigh-Durham’s average of $406.63.
- The airline says its hub offers CLT more flights than a city its size normally would, because more than 70 percent of traffic is connecting.
Concrete example: A flight from CLT to Miami on American cost $1,041, compared to $126 on Frontier, a presentation from lease opponents showed.
- A Reddit post showed a nearly $700 flight to Orlando on American, while Frontier offered a $58 trip: “Americans are losing their minds,” the user wrote.
What’s inside: CLT CEO Haley Gentry outlined provisions intended to increase competition in leasing. But she added that they will not “guarantee that you will have more airlines.”
For example, Gentry said the number of doors for common use will increase from 10 to 17.
- But McGee says the proportion of doors in common use will actually decline as more doors are built for Americans.
- Common boarding gates are typically used by low-cost airlines, which play a vital role in pressuring larger airlines to offer lower fares.
Gentry also said the airport has the authority to reallocate the gates to another airline if they are not sufficiently used.
- But McGee says this will “never happen” because airlines will just claim they need it for longer periods between flights.
- “American will never say to the Charlotte airport authority, ‘Oh, you know what? We have three extra gates. … You take them and give them to Frontier.'”
- It’s unclear how the airport will determine “underutilized” gates, but CLT says it will conduct an annual review.
As part of the lease, the airlines agreed to help finance a $2.1 billion construction program, including expanding Concourse C and building a tunnel to it.
- American will operate all gates in this expanded concourse, which is in the middle of its hub, Gentry said.
- Asked by council member Dimple Ajmera whether other airlines were requesting gates there, Gentry did not respond directly. Instead, she said it would “provide more flexibility” in other parts of the terminal.
Zoom out: The opposition went beyond just ticket prices. The Service Employees International Union opposed the agreement because it did not address demands for better working conditions at airports.
- “We showed up in good faith to be heard, only to show ourselves that billionaires and corporations would once again be the only winners today. … This is a loss for every Charlottean who will continue to pay astronomical prices for their tickets,” SEIU Local 32BJ said.
The other side: Business leaders from Atrium Health, Novant Health and the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance, among others, made the case for the deal during a public hearing preceding the council vote.
- Outgoing Republican Sen. Thom Tillis also threatened to create an airport authority independent of local government if the deal failed.
What’s next: Ajmera, who voted in favor of the lease, is pushing for a “competition dashboard” to show whether residents actually have more choice when it comes to airlines.
- McGee says the board should study how much business Charlotte has lost because of its high airfares.
- “When you have a monopolized hub like this… it hurts Charlotte in ways they can’t even measure,” McGee says.
Gn bussni
