A century in the sky: How American Airlines made Charlotte an aviation hub
Passengers boarding AA Flight 3091 from Charlotte to New York’s LaGuardia Airport Wednesday walked the red carpet to much fanfare, receiving greetings from American Airlines officials.
American Airlines celebrated 100 years of flights during a celebration at Charlotte Douglas International Airport, one of several centennial events held at major hubs across the country. The Carolina Panthers TopCats Cheerleaders and Sir Minty from Charlotte FC also celebrated. The Wednesday morning flight represented the 100th departure of the day at Charlotte, said Ralph Lopez Massas, senior vice president of American’s CLT hub operations.
“And yes, that’s right, we operate 100 flights before some folks finish their morning coffee,” he said to the audience.
He boasted about American being the world’s largest airline, operating more flights than any other carrier. And Charlotte plays a major role. The Fort Worth, Texas-based company accounts for about 90% of the flights at the airport. CLT is the airline’s second-largest hub.
“The strength of this hub helps fuel momentum across the region, highlighting Charlotte on the map and driving business development, tourism, economic growth and global connectivity,” Massas said, claiming the airline contributes $30 billion to the North Carolina economy.
Its foothold as the dominant carrier in Charlotte stems from a century of aviation milestones and major mergers. There are also new rumors of a potential merger between American Airlines and United Airlines. United CEO Scott Kirby pitched the idea during a meeting with President Donald Trump, according to media reports.
The airline declined to comment on the rumor.
Here’s how American Airlines secured its dominance of the Charlotte skies.
The early days of American
The airline’s history dates back to April 15, 1926, when aviator Charles Lindbergh flew a bag of U.S. mail from Chicago to St. Louis. At the time, he was chief pilot of Robertson Aircraft Corporation.
From 1929 through 1930, more than 80 small airline groups were consolidated into Aviation Corporation, which formed American Airways.
In 1934, the company reorganized and became American Airlines.
1948: Piedmont arrives in Charlotte
Founded in Winston-Salem, Piedmont Airlines operated its first flight between Wilmington and Cincinnati in 1948. Charlotte was one of the first stops along the way.
In 1982, Piedmont moved into a new $64 million terminal at its Charlotte hub. This was a major expansion for the airport. At the time, this included 25 gates in two concourses, with 86 flights.
This happened after former aviation director Jerry Orr (who was the airport’s engineer at the time) convinced Piedmont founder Thomas Davis to choose Charlotte over Greensboro.
“Mr. Davis told me what he envisioned for the airline and asked me how we could make space for him here,” Orr said, according to a CLT post. “I took a piece of scratch paper and drew it out for him. He didn’t say anything. He just folded up that paper and put it in his pocket, and I knew what he was thinking.”
1989: Piedmont merges with USAir
In the late 1980s, Piedmont merged with USAir, which would later be known as US Airways. A year later, a maintenance base and flight training center were established in Charlotte.
When USAir bought Piedmont, it created the seventh-largest airline, according to the airport.
Around the mid-1990s, Charlotte Douglas built the Atrium to connect concourses B and C, creating more space for travelers to change flights.
2009: The miracle
One of the most famous moments in the airline’s history was the “Miracle on the Hudson.”
On Jan. 15, 2009, US Airways pilot Capt. C.B. “Sully” Sullenberger and his crew landed Flight 1549 safely in New York’s Hudson River after a flock of geese struck both engines. The plane had taken off from LaGuardia Airport and was headed for Charlotte.
All the passengers and crew survived.
In January 2022, officials announced that the former Carolinas Aviation Museum would be renamed for Sullenberger. The US Airways plane Sullenberger flew is one of the exhibits. It has been part of the museum’s collection since 2011.
2013: The final merger
Following the 2013 merger between US Airways and American Airlines, Charlotte Douglas became the second-largest hub for the airline.
The last US Airways flight made its way across the nation on Oct. 17, 2015, flying from San Francisco to Philadelphia with a stop in Charlotte.
After announcing the merger, American worked on changing reservation systems, flight schedules, luggage tags and airport signs.
About 40 to 50 extra workers from Dallas/Fort Worth assisted Charlotte with the final switchover the weekend of Oct. 16, 2015.
2022: Celebrating 40 years at CLT
The company celebrated 40 years at CLT in 2022 with state and city officials.
Some of the festivities included a team member parade with participants wearing Piedmont, US Airways and American uniforms, and a proclamation from the city.
“Over the past 40 years, our partnership has endured mergers, bankruptcies, expansions, renovations, recessions and a global pandemic — and, with each, we’ve come out stronger,” CLT CEO Haley Gentry said, according to the Charlotte Regional Business Alliance.
Looking Ahead
In partnership with American, CLT broke ground on a fourth parallel runway in June 2023.
The $1 billion project features a 10,000-foot-long runway designed to accommodate increasing air traffic.
Though delayed by the pandemic and environmental requirements, construction is now underway with an anticipated opening in 2027. Once complete, the runway is expected to reduce taxi times, fuel consumption and passenger wait times.
In 2024, American announced its largest-ever trans-Atlantic schedule out of Charlotte, including new service in 2025 to Greece and other nonstop overseas destinations.
This story was originally published April 15, 2026 at 12:30 PM with the headline "A century in the sky: How American Airlines made Charlotte an aviation hub."
