Charlotte advocates report extent of airport benefits to carrier

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A report published by Housing Justice Coalition details the extent of benefits Charlotte Douglas International Airport provides American Airlines. The coalition is pushing city leaders to strike a new contract that obligates American to improve pay and benefits for contract workers and address displacement in communities impacted by airport growth.

An alliance of housing and labor advocates want the next contract between the city of Charlotte and American Airlines to empower service workers and communities near Charlotte Douglas International Airport.

Housing Justice Coalition released a report last week at its annual Housing Justice Assembly detailing demands for the city to negotiate a better lease agreement between the air carrier and Charlotte Douglas International Airport. The sides are negotiating a 10-year deal between the city and American after the most recent contract expired in June. The airport and airline agreed to use terms and conditions of the existing pact and will have no impact on customers or operations at the world’s sixth-busiest airport.

“Both the airport and the airlines remain deeply committed to Charlotte and maintaining CLT's role as a critical driver of connectivity and economic growth for the region,” Charlotte Douglas said in a June statement.

The coalition’s report, “A Bad Deal: How the City of Charlotte is Bankrolling American Airlines,” details how the Dallas, Texas-based corporation profits from local and state initiatives that pump millions of dollars into the airline’s coffers along with lower lease rates for space. The paper also argues American, which controls 80% of the gates at Charlotte Douglas, benefits from contractors paying lower wages to employees while charging higher ticket prices. 

The advocacy coalition, which aligns with Service Employees International Union, is lobbying city leaders to negotiate a contractual obligation to improve salaries and benefits for workers as well as compensate people impacted by airport expansion. 

The city, housing advocates insist, should include:

• A 90-day public review and comment period for the lease agreement before City Council approval.

• Encourage American and its contractors to adopt standards for service workers in accordance with the proposal from SEIU 32BJ and negotiate in good faith.

• Create an economic impact fund funded by American for neighborhoods facing displacement due to airport-related growth in ZIP codes based on Charlotte Douglas expansion plans.

• A fund for community block grants funded by the air carrier to support small businesses, neighborhood organizations, and neighborhood-led nonprofits.

“The City has significant contractual leverage to demand community benefits,” the report’s authors wrote. “Airlines benefit from long leases with airports. Other airports have similarly leveraged leases to pressure airlines into acting for the good of the greater community. In December 2025, the Denver City Council rejected a lease with the airline Key Lime over its contracts with Immigration and Customs Enforcement (ICE).

“As the movement to bring fair wages to CLT has grown in size and power, Charlotte’s corporate lobbies petitioned North Carolina Republican lawmakers to quietly add a provision to the 2026 NC State Budget. The provision attempts to block labor standards gained through contract negotiation. Corporate interests’ efforts to erect legal roadblocks show the movement for a fair lease threatens the status quo.”
According to American, the air carrier employs more than 16,500 people in Charlotte, with an annual payroll of more than $2 billion.

“American has been committed to Charlotte for decades and supported $4 billion worth of infrastructure improvements at the airport in just the past decade,” an American spokesperson said upon announcement of the extension. “We are proud of the vital role our hub plays in connecting the region to the world – driving more than $30 billion in economic activity annually across the state and supporting more than 150,000 jobs. We continue to make meaningful progress toward a long-term lease agreement, and this extension will support continued discussions.”

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