From Thanksgiving to New Year’s, the bustling holiday travel is in full swing. The expected 93 million passengers taking U.S. flights this time of year will experience the usual airport suspects: crowds of people, bags galore and longer than normal TSA security wait lines. Those traveling through Charlotte Douglas International Airport (CLT) will add construction to that list.
CLT is undergoing a massive expansion to its terminal lobby area as part of a multi-year, $3.1 billion investment in capacity enhancement projects dubbed Destination CLT. Right now in pre-security, there is a mix of old and new structures, walls and finishings – including a veiled Queen Charlotte statue, giving passengers a peek at the final (monumental) reveal.
CLT understands the ongoing construction can add more frustration to the holiday travel experience and aimed to own the royal mess while putting a smile on passengers’ faces and relieving some of that stress.
Chernoff Newman has the great pleasure of working with CLT and the fun challenge of decking CLT’s lobby for the holiday. Being able to embrace the construction was an honest and self-deprecating theme, but we needed to do so in an over-the-top and creative way.
Decking the halls – err, terminal lobby
Repeating what was installed during the 2021 holiday season, extension cord artwork that also pays tribute to the construction, can also be seen on both lower and upper levels. These festive masterpieces feature bright, barricade construction lights and a reminder to passengers that CLT is busy “plugging away” at improvements this holiday season. (See video with motion shots and process here!)
This year, two 20-foot-tall, bright orange caution cone trees were constructed in the terminal lobby. Each is surrounded by eye-catching stanchions that are guaranteed to stop you in your stockings. Sing with me, “O Caution tree, O Caution tree, we’re sprucing up CLT.”
What’s the holiday season without a garland? Bright orange and yellow garland bunting, complete with caution tape and hard hats, adorns the walls surrounding the cone trees and can be seen on the upper and lower levels of the lobby.
Creating shareable moments
The holiday installations are popping up all over social channels, with passengers posting snapshots, stories and videos of the unusual (and very orange) decorations. Chernoff Newman is passionate about creating extraordinary like this, and we always hope our work engages people, if only for a moment. If you’re looking to create shareable moments, contact us today to get us constructing for you.
