John Brantley Airport Director

Indicators Signal Return to Growth
Editorial: John Brantley,
Airport Director

As winter turns into spring, not only are the trees and flowers generating new leaves and buds and the temperatures rising, but activity is again beginning to grow at RDU. The past two years clearly have been “winter” overall for all parts of the air transportation industry, but, like the climate, the winter has bottomed out and “spring” is emerging. The road ahead is more likely to rise at a much slower rate than the road behind plunged downward, but sustained growth even at a slow pace is far more preferable than decline. As air travel activity in the past has proven to be a leading indicator of the approach of both good and not so good economic times, we are hopeful that the signal being received also indicates better times ahead for our region, our state and our country.

Construction of the second phase of Terminal 2 continues on schedule with the building expected to be finished by the end of 2010. Allowing a couple of months for installation and testing of information technology equipment and systems extensions, we are planning for full operation in mid-winter 2011. At that time, Continental Airlines and US Airways will join Air Canada, American, Delta, Midwest and United in operating in Terminal 2. When that happens, the current 50:50 split of traffic between Terminals 1 and 2 will change to about 30 percent in Terminal 1 and 70 percent in Terminal 2. That pressure relief in Terminal 1 will allow us to move ahead with our next large capital improvement — reconfiguring some of the space on the lower level and renovating the main building. Upon completion of that work in 2012, Southwest will relocate to that building along with other functions such as the USO, and the original 1955-58 building and its 1972 three-story addition will be permanently closed.

A related subject to which we're paying attention is how vehicles that are destined to Terminal 2 can move by Terminal 1 more quickly and safely as there will be more of them with the two additional airlines quartered there. The conceptual plan for doing so has been developed and involves some vertical separation of traffic, as well as some road realignment. That plan will be coordinated with the forthcoming changes to Terminal 1 so all elements work in concert with one another. Thus, construction in that area is several years away.

The facilities housing our eight on-airport car rental companies will be a subject of study this year. While the car rental business has been adversely affected by the economy and the decline in air travel, it will return to growth as air travel grows and at some point again begin to outgrow the current space in which it is quartered. By then a consolidated service center facility needs to have been developed that will be able to accommodate growth for many years to come. We conceptualized that facility several years ago and this year will move on with detailed functional and configuration planning on a site of about triple the current area.

On April 1, we welcomed Midwest Airlines to RDU for the third time as it re-established service between RDU and Milwaukee. On May 1, JetBlue began two additional flights between RDU and Boston, on May 9th Southwest began one flight between RDU and St. Louis, and on June 10, also for the third time, service between RDU and Los Angeles resumes operated by Delta. All of these services will offer improved access as well as connecting opportunities for RDU travelers. We also hope they will offer further proof of the strength of the RDU air travel market and bring about even more air service additions, including resumption of service between RDU and Salt Lake City, more West Coast service and encouragement to begin the RDU-Paris international service that was announced in late 2008 but subsequently postponed due to the declining economy.

We believe 2010 is going to be a very good year for RDU and for the Triangle region of North Carolina. We hope you find it to be the same for you, your family and your business.

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