As always, if we missed your favorite thing at CLT, please add a note in the comments section below. And keep in mind that some amenities mentioned may be temporarily unavailable due to health concerns, but we are sure they will be back.
5 Things We Love about Charlotte Douglas International Airport
1. The Rocking Chairs at CLT
CLT oozes charm with its signature rocking chairs.
The welcoming amenity first debuted at CLT in 1997 and since then hundreds of airports around the country have added rocking chairs of their own.
CLT also has towering Ficus trees in the terminal and a piano just waiting for volunteers to sit down and serenade passengers.
2. Selfie Stations at CLT
To add a bit of fun to layovers, CLT has several #TakeMySelfie stations in the terminal.
You will find giant CLT letters on the wall at Checkpoint E; a colorful vintage postcard on the Concourses A/B Connector; and a Queen Charlotte mural in the Concourse A Expansion.
3. Shopping at CLT
Take a look at some of the fun gifts and souvenirs you can pick up at CLT.
4. CLT’s Airport Overlook
CLT’s Airport Overlook is a large area near the airport (7300 Old Dowd Road) with parking, picnic tables, and benches. It is a perfect spot for watching aircraft take off and land.
Inside the airport, the best place to get great views of the Charlotte skyline is from Concourses D and E.
5. Art at Charlotte Douglas International Airport
The work of at least 14 artists, many of them local, is featured at CLT airport. Here are just a few of our favorites.
Charlotte is known as the Queen City and there’s a statue of Queen Charlotte by Raymond Kaskey in the garden area between the East and West Daily Parking Decks.
On the Concourse A Expansion near Gates A21 and A22 is Refik Anadol’s “Interconnected.” The piece is a series of three massive LED screens with ever-changing digital artwork modeled on real-time airport operations data.
It looks abstract, but the work is translating particles representing flight arrivals, departures, baggage movements and airport parking into millions of pixels.
And there’s there’s Journey 1 and Journey 2, by Ráed Al-Rawi. Charming!
Several U.S. airports will soon have branches of U.K.-based grab-n-go coffee and sandwich chain Pret a Manger. The cahin is known for its freshly prepared foods and organic coffee.
There are currently “Pret” shops in Chicago and a few other east coast cities, but at the end of May, a Pret opened in Las Vegas’ McCarran International Airport in the Terminal 3, E Gates.
Cantoro Italian Market Trattoria, a local, family owned and operated Italian market crossed with a modern corner store;
Air Margaritaville, Jimmy Buffett’s airport restaurant with a local twist;
Detroit Street Café featuring Zingerman’s Coffee;
And Atwater Brewery, a Detroit favorite, that debuted downtown in 1997 with the mission to bring German brew-styles to the area.
DTW says these restaurants are the first of a phased dining redevelopment project to open. Cantoro Italian Market Trattoria opened on April 18 and is located pre-security in baggage claim. Atwater Brewery opened on June 1 and Air Margaritaville & Detroit Street Café featuring Zingerman’s Coffee opened on June 5.
Skillet sizzles at SEA-TAC Airport
Whether or not your flight is taking off from the North Satellite at Seattle-Tacoma International Airport, you might want to make your way out there to have a meal at Skillet.
Born in a food-truck and a favorite in several Seattle neighborhoods, Skillet has brought many of its menu favorites to SEA airport. The entrees include brunch favorites such as Fried Chicken & Waffle, homemade Doughnut Holes and the gluten-free and vegetarian-friendly Chilaquiles.
I guess I’ll have to forgive them for closing the Skillet in my neighborhood…
To mark the day, Charlotte Douglas International Airport has scheduled a Kitten Cuddle on Wednesday, August 8 from 9 a.m. to 11 a.m. in the Atrium in front the 1897 Market.
The plan is to have at least 10 kittens on site and available for cuddling, so there should be plenty of cats to go around.
The kittens are coming to CLT courtesy of the Charlotte-Mecklenburg Animal Care & Control, which currently has more then 250 cats and dogs available for adoption.
Animals in the airport are nothing new at CLT.
While the Kitten Cuddle is a first for the airport, the CLT Canine Crew is mde up of 31 four-legged volunteers who are often on duty to greet passengers. Look for the pups wearing “Pet Me” vests.
What can you do when you’re stuck at the airport? Eat!
Lucky for you there are some new dining options at several U.S. airports.
If you’re hungry at JFK’s Delta Terminal 3 and don’t want to give up that seat you finally found by the power outlet, starting Thursday, May 5th they’ll be an app for that.
HMSHost and Airside Mobile are launching the B4YouBoard iPhone App that will let you use your smartphone to order food, pay for it and have it delivered to you within 20 minutes (they promise) at six delivery zones inside the terminal.
The service will expand in the future, but for now the app will only work at JFK’s Delta Terminal 3, only on iPhones and only if you want to eat something from Balducci’s Food Lover’s Market or Chili’s Too between noon to 8 pm.
Still, if it’s a busy afternoon and you’ve finally found a seat and spread out your stuff, you can see how having in-airport food delivery – to eat there or take on the plane – might be very convenient.
Elsewhere…
The first airport outlet for Papa John’s is open at the food court in Charlotte Douglas International Airport. On the menu: an 8-inch “Papa’s Pizza for One.”
