A little off topic, but what’s up with the birds flying around inside terminal 2? Anyone know?
This might help…
They come in through the jetways. I’d rather them be in the terminal than getting sucked in to an engine.
Oddly, I’ve never seen them in any other airport.
Saw these notes in an article.
A representative for the airport mentioned:
… in the short term, RDU is unrolling all-electric buses, online parking reservations and new wireless internet inside the terminals.
“WiFi issues are among the top complaints we get,” Feldman said. “It will be unlimited data with no ads, for free.”
These all-electric buses are interesting. I wish they would prioritize an RDU to DTR rapid-bus type of service. It would demonstrate the demand for traffic for this route and pave the way for a more permanent service.
Yes it was Midway and American, and America Eagle
More particularly, it was built as an American hub, then it was Midway, until the dot-com bust in conjunction with 9-11 basically sunk the airline. I think that that original terminal C was opened for AA around 1987 if my memory serves me correctly.
I used to fly Midway all the time and racked up hundreds of thousands of AAdvantage miles along the way since they partnered with American.
Interesting article about how airline deregulation fueled the growth of some regions over others: Why More Air Traffic Is Good for a City's Economy - Bloomberg
Key quote:
The study found that a 50 percent increase in annual air traffic leads to a 1.6 percent increase in annual population growth, a 1.7 percent increase in annual income growth, and a 2.7 percent increase in annual employment growth.
Good thing RDU air traffic keeps growing.
I don’t know that I believe everything that Richard Florida says. I used to like his writings, but he’s become increasingly narrow in his viewpoint.
When Raleigh was small, it was still growing fast despite not being connected to the Interstate system and having a tiny airport. Without those two things, Raleigh and the Triangle in general, were still the state’s capital city and home to the lion’s share of its major universities.
While there may be a correlation between airline service and prosperity (like duh), I don’t know that I’ve seen data to suggest causation for it just yet. Both the Triangle and Austin are among the fastest growing metros in the nation and neither one of them has an airliine hub.
WSJ put out airport rankings last week and RDU was essentially middle-of-the-pack in the midsize category, between DAL and DCA. Strengths were cheap onsite parking, the fact that no airline has over 20% share, and, interestingly, WSJ reader satisfaction. Weaknesses were on-time arrivals and cancellations. Strangely, there doesn’t seem to be consideration for transit options, as they only really consider the cost of an Uber ride to the city center.
Our ‘WSJ score’ landed us somewhere between LAX and IAH from the large category (and also above CLT).
2 posts were merged into an existing topic: Show Off Things From Other Cities
I’ve been slacking and it’s been over 2 weeks since I’ve been to Terminal 2. Updates:
Gordon Biersch is now Bond Brothers
And Ale House is now Cantina Grill
Your @OakCityDylan blends in with those photos.
That’s actually not a bad name for a cafe.
Oak City Dylan in Terminal 2. Beers and brats!
I’ll get right on that.
I took your advice and set up shop in the Charlotte airport
Coming soon to RDU! @Oak City Dylan’s Candy Bar!
Great - Frist MLS, and now this!
Fun fact. Dylan’s Candy Bar is owned by Ralph Lauren’s daughter.
My family lives in Palm Beach County so I’d love to see direct flights go from RDU to PBI become available.
@joe I’m curious if you guys ever consider Amtrak for Florida destinations.
We take it to the Orlando area about every other year (we get a ‘sleeper car’ which has 2 bunk beds for sleep mode that then push up to the ceiling to expose the seats for ‘day mode’). About $400 (close to air fare, but you can bring lots of stuff with you like wine and such). Also a lot less stressful compared to flying. No TSA or long lines. And a fun view all the way down.
Did it. Loved it. Got a rental car there at the station