Direct flights are now connecting the Quad Cities with Charlotte, North Carolina.
After years of planning, hard work and a few delays, the inaugural flight to Charlotte left from the Quad Cities International Airport (QCIA) in Moline at about 5 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 20.
That initial flight took place in the midst of ceremonies, welcoming speeches, gifts and cake for passengers as well as a ribbon-cutting prior to American Airlines Flight 5402 boarding at Gate A4 at the airport. (The only portion of the ceremony that did not take place was the traditional water cannon salute over the aircraft as it left Moline. Airport officials canceled the cannon late Wednesday afternoon because it was getting too dark and cold by the time the flight left.)
“This is a tremendous win for our region. … It’s been an ongoing effort to bring more service to the Quad Cities,” said Benjamin Leischner, the QC airport executive director, just before the initial flight with about 76 passengers took off.
In addition to attracting passengers who wanted to get to Charlotte, the event included community and business leaders who wanted to be part of the first-flight ceremonies. Some took a quick round trip to Charlotte and back to show support for the new service.
Among them was Steve Geifman, managing partner of GRT QC Properties. He was on that flight to show his support for the new route, and visit with other community and business leaders.
Flight offers more options
“I’m very excited about all this. … This is going to give us more options to get people to the Quad Cities and get people to different places around the country,” said Mr. Geifman, who was to board the return flight to Moline this afternoon.
A number of the other community and business leaders were at Wednesday’s event. They included Mara Downing, John Deere’s vice president of global brand and communications; Dave Herrell, president and CEO of Visit Quad Cities; and members of the Quad Cities Chamber of Commerce.
Starting Friday, Dec. 21, there will be two daily scheduled flights between Moline and Charlotte. One will be in the morning and one in the afternoon, said Mr. Leischner. In fact, the next flight to Charlotte – American Airlines Flight 5421 – is scheduled to leave Moline at 5 a.m. Friday. The scheduled flight duration is just under two hours.
In addition to direct flights to Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT), the new service from the QC airport opens up additional destinations for local travelers. Mr. Leischner said passengers can now get on a flight to Charlotte and be connected with around 180 destinations the North Carolina airport currently serves.
“Charlotte Douglas International Airport is ranked among the world’s busiest airports, offering nonstop service to 180 destinations. CLT is home to eight major carriers, 15 regional carriers and three foreign flag carriers. In 2022, nearly 48 million passengers traveled to, from and through CLT,” according to information provided by the Charlotte airport.
Other destinations available
In addition to Charlotte, some of the other destinations from the QC airport include Chicago, Atlanta, Denver, Dallas-Fort Worth, Las Vegas, Orlando-Sanford, Phoenix-Mesa and Punta Gorda-Fort Myers.
Airport and community leaders on Wednesday said they are pleased the Charlotte route is now open. But they also pointed out that it has been a long journey to get Wednesday’s inaugural flight.
The upcoming Charlotte route was announced during a news conference in July.
“We’ve been fighting for more air service during and post-pandemic, using all the tools in our toolbox to advocate for the Quad Cities,” Mr. Leischner said in July. “So we encourage you to log in and start planning that next trip and book through Charlotte.”
Many people in the QC apparently took that advice to heart. Airport officials said that Wednesday’s flight was full or almost full. As passengers boarded, each received a small gift to commemorate the event. That gift was a clear plastic, hexagon-shaped ornament bears the message: “MLI to CLT Dec. 20, 2023.”
During Wednesday’s ceremony, Mr. Leischner added that planning for the Charlotte route started long before this summer. In fact, there were plans in place to start the flights in early 2020, but the pandemic put a stop to that schedule.
“This has been a long time in the works. … We want to see this route flourish,” Mr. Leischner added, shortly before that first flight left Moline.
