RDU Update
SPRING 2006 

 

Headlines

From the Chairman
What a Difference a Runway has Made
RDU Names Employee and Volunteer of the Year
RDU Welcomes New K-9 Team
IAMS Provides Free Food for K-9s
RDU Hosts Customer Service Survey
Delta Service Expansion Continues
Annual Report Available Online

Contact Us

Subscribe

Unsubscribe

Newsletter Archive


Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority Board

W. Stephens Toler
Chairman
Durham County

Michael A. Weeks
Vice Chairman
Wake County

Craigie D. Sanders
Secretary
Durham County

Terry K. Yeargan
Treasurer
Wake County

Tonita F. Lipscomb
City of Durham

Robert D. Teer, Jr. 
City of Durham

David T. Clancy
City of Raleigh

Kim D. Frazier
City of Raleigh


www.rdu.com

RDU Update
is published quarterly by the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority for its corporate and community partners and air travelers.

Suggestions and comments should be sent to:

Editor
Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority
P.O. Box 80001
RDU Airport
North Carolina 27623 USA
Phone: (919) 840-7700
Fax: (919) 840-0175
Email:
rduupdate@rdu.com

RDU Lands JetBlue


JetBlue, the air carrier known for its low-fares and high-tech appeal, will inaugurate service to RDU beginning on July 20 with four daily nonstop flights to New York's John F. Kennedy Airport.

“JetBlue had Carolina on its mind for several years and was drawn to RDU for the vibrant air travel market generated by the Research Triangle region,” said Teresa Damiano, director of marketing for the Airport Authority.


Photo courtesy of JetBlue


JetBlue is not just another low cost, low fare carrier to New York for RDU, but will offer connecting service through JFK to Buffalo, Rochester, Syracuse, Burlington, Portland (Maine) and Bermuda.

JetBlue will give RDU travelers who are going to the West Coast and Rocky Mountain area additional low fare alternatives with transcontinental service between JFK and San Diego, Ontario, Burbank, San Jose, Oakland, Sacramento, Portland (Oregon), Seattle, Phoenix, Las Vegas, Salt Lake City and Denver.

The airline begins service at RDU during the heart of the busy summer travel season, and during a period of increasing passenger growth. In 2005, passenger traffic increased eight percent, and so far has increased three percent over 2005 numbers for the first two months of 2006.

JetBlue will begin operations at RDU with its brand-new Embraer 190 aircraft. This 100-seat aircraft offers customers comfortable all-leather seats and the most live entertainment options in the skies today, with 36 channels of DIRECTV programming and more than 100 channels of XM Satellite Radio.

JetBlue currently serves 35 locations, not including RDU and Charlotte Douglas International Airport, which was also announced as a new market. JetBlue has been in operation for six years.

To take advantage of JetBlue's introductory special fares and make reservations, visit www.jetblue.com.


Groundbreaking Celebrates Terminal C


With the general contracting portion of the Terminal C project awarded, Airport Authority Board members marked the occasion by breaking ground for the new terminal during a recent ceremony.

The celebration coincided with a major milestone for RDU — the 20th anniversary of the opening of the 10,000-foot runway adjacent to Terminal C.


The groundbreaking ceremony was
marked by a symbolic turning of the
earth at the construction site by the
RDU Airport Authority Board members.


The runway marked the beginning of the airport's long-term development plans on the west side of the airport, and helped convince American Airlines to build the original Terminal C hub.

Today, that development comes full circle as RDU builds its primary terminal on the west side of the airport.

Initially, the Authority developed plans to construct a new terminal where Terminal A is located. After acquiring the lease on Terminal C in 2002, the Authority realized it could build a new terminal with far less customer inconvenience and at less cost by expanding and redeveloping Terminal C.

Today, more than 95 percent of passenger traffic is by people using RDU as either their point of origin or their point of destination. Therefore, the terminal design includes more space to accommodate today's traveler, with an expanded ticketing area, security checkpoint, concourse and baggage claim.

In February 2006, RDU awarded Atlanta-based Archer Western Contractors the general contracting portion of the project for $257.6 million. While Archer Western begins work immediately, visible signs of the north concourse building, such as steel framing, will be seen by the fall of 2006.

The north concourse and one-half of the terminal building are expected to be complete in mid-2008, with the rest of the terminal coming on line in 2010. Once the north concourse is complete, airlines located in the south concourse will move to the north end. Legacy carriers will relocate from Teminal A to C beginning in mid-2008.

Current plans are to demolish and rebuild the south concourse as well, with work on the entire terminal being complete by the end of 2010.

RDU is proud of its Terminal C redevelopment efforts and invites the traveling public to keep up with the project's progress by visiting the Terminal C section on RDU's Web site.

Marketing Communications Department, Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority
P.O. Box 80001, RDU Airport, NC 27623
www.rdu.com (919) 840-7700 / (919) 840-0175 fax