It has been 10 years since Southwest Airlines' LUV came to RDU.
The airline, known for using its LUV stock symbol in promotions, arrived at RDU on June 6, 1999 with 12 daily departures to five cities. Today, the airline offers 31 daily departures to 10 destinations.
The Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority will receive a $4.5 million Federal Aviation Administration grant as part of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009. The grant will be used to fund the replacement of more than 2,000 runway and taxiway lights with energy efficient light emitting diode (LED) fixtures.
April 1 kicked off the Airport Authority's 2009 – 2010 fiscal year. This year's budget reflects the current economic environment, while focusing on investments in airport infrastructure that will support future air service demand.
“There is no doubt that the economic downturn and the airlines' reduced schedules will impact this year’s operating revenue,” said Joe Styres, deputy airport director, finance, business and administration. “But RDU has a tradition of budgeting conservatively. This year is no different; we have developed a budget that places the airport in a strong cash position.”
Robb Teer was named by the Airport Authority Board of Directors as its new chairman at its March 19. Teer, who represents the City of Durham and has served on the board since 1998, began his appointment on April 1. He replaces former chairman Michael Weeks.
Planning for the Future Letter from the Chairman I am honored to take the chairmanship of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority Board of Directors. I want to thank Michael Weeks for his outstanding leadership during the past two years.
These are certainly interesting times for the Airport Authority. We are in the midst of one of the most severe economic downturns in recent history while at the same time celebrating the opening of the first part of Terminal 2, our newest passenger facility in more than 20 years.
The familiar red logo of Northwest Airlines has all but disappeared from signs around Raleigh-Durham International Airport. It's the most visible step to date in its merger with Delta Air Lines.
On March 23, crews worked overnight at RDU to replace signs around the airport. Northwest and Delta signs were replaced on overhead signs and other wayfinding to say Delta/Northwest, marking Northwest's move to Terminal 2. In the terminal, a combined Delta/Northwest logo appeared as joint operations began on March 24.
Economic Clouds Won't Dampen RDU's Mission Airport Director Editorial While not true over all of the nation, winter weather finally is behind us and spring has arrived. That may be true for the weather, but in the air travel sector of the economy, the feel of winter is still present and doesn't appear to be receding. Passenger travel through RDU in the first quarter of the year declined by 14% relative to the first quarter of 2008, and air cargo shipping dropped about twice as much.
Passengers with early morning and late night flights now have access to a longtime traveler resource — the information desk. The Airport Authority's visitor services staff recently expanded their hours to improve customer service in the terminals.
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