In August 2025, American Airlines announced plans to invest in its premium ground experience at Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), and this can’t come soon enough. At the time we learned how American would open both a new Flagship Lounge and Admirals Club at the airport. The airline has today announced some additional details, including that the new Admirals Club will be the largest in the system.
American plans huge Charlotte lounge improvements
Charlotte is American’s second largest hub, though as a premium traveler, it has to be one of the least pleasant to travel through, given the current state of lounges. The primary Admirals Club is an outdated and crowded disaster, though last year we at least we saw the opening of the Provisions by Admirals Club concept, essentially a grab & go lounge.
Fortunately there are some positive changes on the horizon. American plans to open a new Flagship Lounge in Charlotte, as well as a new Admirals Club. This will represent a significant increase in lounge space at the airport. While exact details still remain limited, we have just learned some additional information:
- The new Admirals Club will be 40,000 square feet, making it the largest lounge in American’s system
- Construction on the new Admirals Club will start before the end of 2026, though an opening date has not yet been announced for the Admirals Club or Flagship Lounge
The first rendering has just been released of the new Admirals Club, and here’s how the design is described:
The design of the new space draws inspiration from Charlotte’s unique character, incorporating elements that reflect the city’s tree canopy, rich textile heritage and blend of modern sophistication with southern charm. Once complete, the space will feature distinct zones tailored to traveler needs, including spa-style shower suites, bars and serveries and multiple areas where customers can relax, dine, work and recharge.
As you’d expect, the updated lounge spaces will follow American’s new lounge design concept, matching what we recently saw in Philadelphia (PHL), with the opening of a new Flagship Lounge and Admirals Club. American has also announced plans to open a new Flagship Lounge in Miami (MIA), so there’s a lot to look forward to.
Where will American’s new Charlotte lounges be located?
As was reported by JonNYC a few years back, the initial plan here seemed to be for the new lounges to be located on the mezzanine level near the Concourse D & E connector.
Here’s what I find interesting. Based on what we learned at the time, there’s expected to be around 40,000 square feet of lounge space in this new area. So it sounds like that space won’t actually be a combined Admirals Club and Flagship Lounge space, unless something about the overall available space has changed.
Interestingly, the new press release has no additional details about the Flagship Lounge, or when construction will start. That makes me wonder if something about the plan has changed.
The initial plan was for the new lounge space to eventually replace the existing primary Admirals Club, as it’s supposed to be used by the airport for something else. So if American plans to open a new 40,000 square foot Admirals Club, where will the Flagship Lounge go? Or is there maybe a new plan, and could the existing Admirals Club eventually become the Flagship Lounge?
Regardless, this is a huge step in the right direction, and it will be a massive improvement. Now we’ll just have to see how long it takes until these new lounges actually open, as there’s still no official opening timeline. With construction on the Admirals Club only starting at some point this year, I imagine it could well be 2028 or beyond when this new lounge opens… and that says nothing of the Flagship Lounge!
Bottom line
American Airlines plans to make a huge investment in its lounges in Charlotte. This includes a first-ever Flagship Lounge for the airport, plus an all-new Admirals Club. The new Admirals Club is expected to be around 40,000 square feet, making it the largest in the system. However, since the new lounge complex is expected to be around 40,000 square feet, it sounds like the Flagship Lounge will actually take up some other space.
I’m delighted to see American continuing to invest in its lounges, as there was no airport more in need of an investment than Charlotte. Now we just have to be patient, since we have no clue when the lounges will actually welcome their first guests. There’s no timeline for construction starting on the Flagship Lounge, while construction on the Admirals Club will start later this year.
What do you make of this Charlotte lounge news?
Finally, CLT gets treated as a hub. Now let's see what's planned for PHX. Very doubtful a FL but maybe a much larger lounge.
More that CLT is finally getting treated as a city of some importance. CLT remains one of the fastest growing cities in the US, and will only continue to do so. The fact that Delta cared to open a Sky Club there as well as Capital One tells you that it's becoming much more relevant of a station.
CLT is AA's 2nd largest hub? Learn something new every day. Surprising cause even as an AA loyalist, I've been through there exactly 1 time in the last 20yrs.
Yup, it’s sorta surprising. Of course, DFW #1. Then, you might think maybe MIA for #2 (nope, it’s CLT). MIA is 3rd, then ORD, PHX, PHL, DCA, LAX, LGA, JFK. (MIA is Latin America; Philly is Europe; LA & NYC are mostly O&D; everything else, mostly domestic.)
Airlines and CCs can throw all the new lounges into CLT as they want--it's still a crap set of terminals to actually get through. Absent a (several) billion-dollar rebuild, it's still going to be one of the worst airports to connect through [DEN and PHL].
CLT is really leapfrogging with the recent lounge improvements.
40k sqft Admirals Club + Flagship Lounge + Capital One Lounge. And the new Delta Sky Club is top tier as well.
Good first step(s) - - CLT needs so much help.
AA has neglected the CLT for far too long! While those rocking chairs are cute, they are not very 'premium.' Both the new Flagship lounge (TBA) and updated Admirals Club (now by 2028, supposedly) "can’t come soon enough." Glad AA is finally getting around to this. For now, old ACs, Amex, and The Club, if not overcrowded. (Isn't that Amex 'Sidecar' outpost and C1 lounge due to open in the next year as well? Eh, probably will be delayed.)
Typically airlines and lounges are managed by those who are from the old major markets and have a hard time realizing the world has changed and continue to change. People are moving...they are leaving the frozen tundra of the North and coming South. For CLT to wait so long for a Flagship lounge proves the point. No wonder Delta has been destroying AA for years. It is sad that Delta actually built a nice new...
Typically airlines and lounges are managed by those who are from the old major markets and have a hard time realizing the world has changed and continue to change. People are moving...they are leaving the frozen tundra of the North and coming South. For CLT to wait so long for a Flagship lounge proves the point. No wonder Delta has been destroying AA for years. It is sad that Delta actually built a nice new lounge at CLT before AA could figure out their strategy to deal with their volume at CLT.
Interesting. Yes, but many are now saying that the north is becoming the new hotspot, as the climate bakes the Southside. Still, CLT was definitely a newly developed superhub for finance.
Based on reading these comments, Ben might want to write a fresh piece about best/worst domestic hubs. Personally, I consider CLT far from the bottom. Lounges aside, food options are ok here, the walks from gate to gate and concourse to concourse aren’t all that bad (I think PHL/ORD/MSP gate-to-gate experiences and distances are usually much worse). When I book travel, connecting hub is always a factor, and CLT is usually on my short list.
But taxiing times are horrendous. The airport is poorly designed so often you will have to snake around the rest of the terminals to get to the runway, gets very congested.
American has been renovating their current primary Admirals Club so I’d be surprised if they abandon it.
Happy for AA to continue growing CLT! AA isn’t for me, though know plenty who enjoy AA and now with citi, we shall see more choosing AA potentially
I prefer United
Name a more inconvenient to transit, more uncomfortable US hub than CLT. Better Admiral's Clubs and a Flagship lounge are good move. Does not make up for the other shortcomings of CLT.
I feel this way about Charlotte as a whole. Maybe it's the Triangle/Charlotte rivalry I learned in college. My friend put it well: "Charlotte is like if LinkedIn and HGTV collaborated to create a city."
DTW and DFW aren't great to transit through but at least you can get some great, cheap eats delivered to your hotel on an overnight.
I'm a bit confused. You say early in the article that American is adding the Flagship Lounge "in addition to opening a new Admirals Club," but then later lament that ideally they would keep both the Flagship and their main Admirals Club open. So are they actually opening a new Admirals Club too after giving up their current main one?
Does this now make MCO the new king of major US airports with a complete lack of any premium lounges or any kind of premium experience at all?
MCO is also the king of leisure, low yields, and LCCs.
@yolo For sure but considering Disney is still a destination for the richest and their kids globally, it's wild MCO doesn't have premium services.
(Disney stans kind of weird me out, especially the Fortune 500 CEO I met once who talked my ear off about EPCOT.)
No one airline has significant enough operations at MCO to open such a lounge.
Gotcha, Plaza Premium isn't a thing.
@Santos - A premium lounge at MCO won't bring in meaningful revenue premium to AA/DL/UA.
A premium lounge at hubs attracts both O/D passenger & connecting passengers that may otherwise be choose to fly a different airline via a different hub.
The Disney pax is going to pick the carrier that has the non-stop from their home airport to MCO.
Even the credit card companies have limited incentives in opening one. Chase...
@Santos - A premium lounge at MCO won't bring in meaningful revenue premium to AA/DL/UA.
A premium lounge at hubs attracts both O/D passenger & connecting passengers that may otherwise be choose to fly a different airline via a different hub.
The Disney pax is going to pick the carrier that has the non-stop from their home airport to MCO.
Even the credit card companies have limited incentives in opening one. Chase opening a Sapphire Lounge in PHL could pull in new CSR customers from Philly and travelers connecting via PHL across the network. That business case is not as strong in MCO.
So MCO isn’t a hub and doesn’t have major international service for AA, DL or UA (ok a bit of Delta) to justify them bringing a prem lounge beyond their standard clubs. But there is a lot of premium and international tourism so that Amex could open something? I guess the issue is the airport layout with all its satellites and Term C isn’t great for a single lounge location.
As a Charlotte-based international flyer this is certainly welcome news and finally places CLT where it should be…on equal footing with other markets with fewer customers. AA is finally realizing the growth in the area (Charlotte plus those places that connect in at CLT) is worth the investment. Kudos to AA for stepping up. My only fear is that it will take years to complete and until the the paint is dry, economic uncertainty and...
As a Charlotte-based international flyer this is certainly welcome news and finally places CLT where it should be…on equal footing with other markets with fewer customers. AA is finally realizing the growth in the area (Charlotte plus those places that connect in at CLT) is worth the investment. Kudos to AA for stepping up. My only fear is that it will take years to complete and until the the paint is dry, economic uncertainty and other events could delay or cancel. I hope this moves quickly and I can soon be treated like an actual FLagship customer versus paying like one and being treated like a second-class citizen. I suspect the Delta lounge in Concourse A helped give the needed motivation to announce this for fear of defections.
I was a day 1 believer. I've been saying it's only a matter of time for CLT to get a Flagship lounge.
It's one of the fastest growing markets in the US still, it's not to be ignored. It's crazy that CLT may get a Flagship lounge before ATL does.
why crazy? CLT is a bigger AA mkt than ATL
As in ATL getting a Flagship lounge equivalent in a D1 lounge by Delta
I guess the challenge and delay was there aren’t that many eligible Flagship flights departing CLT (yes there are connecting passenger that can use it) but most flights ex CLT are North American non Flagship.
Except: Athens*, Frankfurt, London (x3), Madrid, Munich, Paris*. * seasonal
Big investment for 6-8 daily eligible direct flights. Maybe looking at further expansion? Or it will be very small?
However maybe I will stop avoiding the CLT-LHR when it is built.
That admirals clubs are Charlotte are horrific. Thank god. Having said that - I've had amazing experiences with the ground team there. Sadly, I'm now over the idea of connecting as much. And CLT just isn't a city I'm going to be based in. So UA winning on their route network again.
Wait, I thought American's advantage was its network!
I started by thinking About Damned Time, then I saw about the closing of a current club. So American thinks that the solution to vast overcrowding in their critical fortress hub is to close an existing lounge rather than adding another? Could these idiots statistically be any worse at managing an airline?
Hopefully the CLT is appropriate size. Nothing conveys "unpremium" than sitting in between a family and feeling like you're invading their family vacation because seating is so limited.
Hopefully the CLT is appropriate size. Nothing conveys "unpremium" than sitting in between a family and feeling like you're invading their family vacation because seating is so limited.
40k sqft sounds pretty solid to me.
That's larger than Delta's JFK lounge, basically the largest in the US afaik.
I really disagree that CLT is the worst major connecting airport in the US. Their food and beverage is WAY above average. I think the options in the E concourse are super impressive when considering it is primarily used for regional flights. Most airports treat these concourses/zones as an after thought, I think CLT really invested in this area. Not to mention all the options you pass on your way to this area such as...
I really disagree that CLT is the worst major connecting airport in the US. Their food and beverage is WAY above average. I think the options in the E concourse are super impressive when considering it is primarily used for regional flights. Most airports treat these concourses/zones as an after thought, I think CLT really invested in this area. Not to mention all the options you pass on your way to this area such as Shake Shack and the smoothie/acai bowl spot.
Yes the concourses are unbearably crowded, the end of the piers can feature five A321s all boarding at once (what in the world!). Personally I find longer walks between gates as refreshing after getting off a flight from Seattle, I know that's not the case for everyone. It is a far from ideal setup, but within the limitations they delivered to themselves I think they are making the best of it.
I will grant you that there are some decent food choices in CLT. It isn’t helpful when you have a 40-minute connection, a 15-minute walk to your new gate, and would need to wait 30 minutes in line to get something to go. I think if I worked at one of the food vendors there I’d wake up in cold sweats every morning thinking about the stress to come, and I’ve spent a good chunk of my life in foodservice.
Not a great airport to transit thru because of the lack of trains. You may have to walk loooooong distances to get to your gate.
Funnily enough the Delta area is actually quite nice in CLT.
Good news in concept, but I'm sure they'll find a way to muck it up. American seems to be perversely proud of having the nation's worst major hub in CLT. Connecting there is endlessly and deeply unpleasant. The lounge probably won't have a bathroom, or it will only be accessible from an internal stairwell, or it will be called Provisions by Flagship Lounge. Maybe all three - AA does love innovating around new ways to make Charlotte terrible!
Looks like AA is still committed to long haul international flying from CLT.
Crazy to think that such a small market could handle all those flights
I've flown transatlantic dozens of times from CLT, typically in the shoulder or off season. My flights, especially to/from LHR, have been consistently packed (sometimes 100% full). It's likely most of the passengers on these flights are connecting in Charlotte but there are plenty of local people on the flights too.
CLT is hardly a "small market". It's solidly a top 20 metro and continues growing quickly.
It definitely punches above its weight, but no one ever says that about hubs like SLC, which is actually smaller than CLT, and sees similar levels of service.
I'd imagine that CLT acts to AA as ATL does to DL: a connecting hub for the enormous spread out population of the entire South and East Coast. So I wouldn't think of CLT's market as being Charlotte, or even just the state of North Carolina, but also everybody in TN, AA fliers in GA, SC, Kentucky, and some of the Virginias.
CLT is playing catch up in every aspect of infrastructure. 485 has been under construction for the past five years, housing infrastructure to support the housing construction is beyond current capacity, the airport continues to be under construction (for the past five years) and this additional lounge will only make the terminal another mess to deal with (that will take two plus years)
CLT is trying so hard to be a grown up city (like...
CLT is playing catch up in every aspect of infrastructure. 485 has been under construction for the past five years, housing infrastructure to support the housing construction is beyond current capacity, the airport continues to be under construction (for the past five years) and this additional lounge will only make the terminal another mess to deal with (that will take two plus years)
CLT is trying so hard to be a grown up city (like ATL) and fails miserably at each turn due to the NIMBY’S that live there and have won local government seats. They absolutely HATE & LOATHE the newcomers that are moving in and are not afraid to let the newcomers know that. CLT will forever be a wannabe player in trying to become relevant whether it’s growing this sad excuse for a hub or expanding as a city center. They just want to go back to the Old South in CLT.
There’s not that many transatlantic flights for a major east coast hub. 6-8 daily flights across the Atlantic. And 3 of those to Heathrow and 1 to Madrid because of the oneworld hub feed on both ends.
More surprised at Frankfurt and Munich. Legacy from the US/LH Star partnership?
CLT-MUC on LH is basically to support the BMW corporate contract, along with all the other companies supporting its factory in nearby Spartanburg, SC. AA probably started the same route to capture locals locked into AA corporate contracts and Citi credit cards.
Etihad also started CLT-AUH because of the large and growing South Asian population here, thanks to finance, fintech, healthcare, etc. One of the local public high schools now has about 60% Indian...
CLT-MUC on LH is basically to support the BMW corporate contract, along with all the other companies supporting its factory in nearby Spartanburg, SC. AA probably started the same route to capture locals locked into AA corporate contracts and Citi credit cards.
Etihad also started CLT-AUH because of the large and growing South Asian population here, thanks to finance, fintech, healthcare, etc. One of the local public high schools now has about 60% Indian and Indian-American students. The convenience of a one-stop trip to HYD, BLR, MAA, BOM, DEL, etc. is surely a huge selling point.