Heck, make it regional! Ask for cash from some of the collar counties. Less then Wake/Durham/Orange, but every bit would help. RDU is a hellavu an important piece of infrastructure that a vast area benefits from.
2 Likes
We’re still paying off the debt from the light rail debacle.
2 Likes
They forgot to add charging a noise fee to the neighborhoods in the flight path. 
2 Likes
Hey now, don’t shoot the messenger 
I’m just summarizing the article and white paper. I’m not a fan of the access charge idea, either, as much as I understand why they’re bringing it up.
3 Likes
Seems like charging more per flight would do it. Would piss off people a lot less then charging a pick-up fee. Not sure why it takes an act of Congress.
3 Likes
It’s because it’s literally written within the US Code.
Airports, by right, can only charge $1 to $3 (see paragraph (a) of the same section) for this fee. The USDOT legally can’t allow for a higher charge unless this law gets changed.
There’s lots of things about airport management like this that are more strictly regulated than you’d think. I think that’s why there’s a big chunk of the RTA paper that goes into seemingly-boring things like federal classifications of airport sizes that end up tying RDU’s hands.
3 Likes
And then get lectured about going to jail for 10 years if you remove your mask. It’s such a lovely experience, I really like when they say it a 4th time on each flight. Makes me feel like such an adult. Just ask nicely and people are happy to comply, stop being an ahole and people will stop punching your teeth out.
Still waiting for the temporary bag fee from 7 years ago to go away. Oil went down to nothing but these greedy airlines won’t let it go, they get billions from bag fees, screw them and the airport, stop screwing the customers.
Wow. Who knew. I didn’t at least.
1 Like
I do wish RDU would try out a program like SeaTac or DTW have where someone can get a pass to enter the post security part of the airport. It seems mostly geared to greeting or sending off friends or family. Though I think it can be used to just enjoy the shops or restaurants to plane/people watch. RDU could charge a small fee for it, on top of additional parking and shop revenue.
7 Likes
Who are the crazy people going to the airport just to eat at a terminal restaurant
7 Likes
In their defense if customers acted like adults, then this wouldn’t need to be mentioned 4 or 5 times. The amount of entitled people surprise me at the airport. The staff there not only needs to fight with customer’s who refuse to put masks on, but they also have to fight with international travellers who argue about COVID requirements and with the customer who complains that they won’t be able to make their flight due to them coming late then having to deal with the line.
I’ve told a few friends who work at RDU they should do massive walk outs. Their job isn’t worth it. Even part timers get screwed over when flights are delayed since they have to wait until their flight departs.
2 Likes
There is nothing at RDU worth visiting right now post-security. Also I was just at the airport and figured I’d grab something for dinner before my flight - LaFarm, Popeyes, BurgerFi, Jason’s Deli were all closed at 6 PM……
6 Likes
Yikes, that is bad news that all that stuff was closed at 6:00.
It felt like RDU had some real momentum before the pandemic, then it just got hammered.
4 Likes
Same, I was there Monday and it was ridiculous. 42nd was packed, but still stopped taking new customers at 7. Popeyes was the only thing I saw open.
It’s like this at other airports too, even Atlanta only had a handful of places open in the evening.
2 Likes
I left my place at 6:10 and was seated at the gate by 7. And that was after the TSA agent and a 4-year old had a minute-long “disagreement” over TSA rules. Whatever else, I do enjoy a quick and easy airport departure.
4 Likes
Terminal 1 is even worse.
You still have to take into account that fast food restaurants and even sit downs have less workers. This issue is probably worse at the airport because there are more frequent customers, which makes the job more frustrating for workers given the fact more people = more work and more impatient assholes that didn’t think to get to the airport earlier.
4 Likes
Midway (remember them?) and American flew nonstop RDU-SJC for a while. Some airline will restart the route someday. The irony is that RDU and SJC were once hubs for American.
4 Likes
With Apple and Google coming that seems likely.
3 Likes