Yes but not having a hub doesn’t benefit in landing Fortune 500 companies, and at bigger airports like Orlando there hub for a Florida based airline that’s small like Avelo they’re both still not a established or competitive to AA, or Delta Silver airlines is at MCO and yet the other airlines there are still competitive including being a focus for JetBlue and a base 4 several other airlines. I believe were in Orlando’s predicament now you could argue its busy there because of Disney, Universal, Legoland, Icon, Seaward, but there busy for the top industry amusement park attractions our is technology so we could use there model.
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RDU is definitely not a hub, nor especially likely to become one. A paltry 0.6% of passengers who board a plane at RDU are connecting from another flight.
That said, while overall traffic is up about 24% compared with a year ago, connecting traffic is up 282%. Still insignificant, but growing.
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That what a hub does connects people.
So does an airport. And a Chinese finger trap.
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we dont need RDU to be a hub to be a wildly successfull airport, which it already is. The airport leadership says they don’t want a hub again, that being one limited opportunities for the other airlines and the airport itself. Look at other former airline hub cities besides Raleigh/Durahm, like Memphis, Cincinnati, Pittsburgh, San Jose, and even Greensboro…Most have really struggled post-hub status. RDU has been the wild exception, and that’s as much to do with the popularity of NC itself on so many lists of up and coming/growing/popular to move to cities, the things drawing people here. I mean have you been in side the G’boro airport terminal lately? It’s pitiful and sad. Their “hub” (Continental Lite and several other tried and failed experiments) and “airport development” that never panned out to what was promised (the FedEx hub and the recent supersonic aircraft boondoggle there) leaving G’boro the short end of the stick. Most of the people there come to RDU or Charlotte; way may choices and better fares.
While it may be a great boost to a community’s ego or pride to be a hub, it’s something that can be fleeting, too. I trust that those leaders being paid to run the airport and the community leaders appointed to guide those paid staff, have a very good vision of where they airport is going, better than any of us here second guessing and saying an airline needs to set up a hub here at RDU. We just don’t need anyone’s hub. Better to be a LOT of airline’s spoke, from all over the place. Lots of international and US flights all over. Still have some major holes in the map like San Diego. People say Portland too, but ewww, Portland. Gross. Hard pass.
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I mean Orlando not really with the exception of that little-known Florida-based airline. I just would like to see RDU a little busier and a magnet for Fortune 500s. I believe that a hub would attract that but you maybe right, it doesn’t have to be one for that. But I remember hearing 99.9 the fan I don’t really listen to radio that much if not at all, but I do remember listening to a story about the NFL and Goodman’s confident but not realistic intentions of bringing one here and cited AA as an example. However I like busy airports and that’s probably why I’m for one.
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Adding to the Europe growth, Air France is upgrading to the a350-900 this upcoming summer. That’s an additional 13 seats and will be the largest aircraft at RDU by 10 feet.
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Did not hear about this coming! Was it due to the 787 being damaged so they are switching to the A350-900, or is it due to high demand? Delta flew a 767 this summer so I believe they think they need a bigger plane.
Yes it’s official in this link: https://corporate.airfrance.com/en/news/air-france-unveils-new-destinations-summer-2024
Also in the United States, the Paris-Charles de Gaulle – Raleigh-Durham (North Carolina) service inaugurated in winter 2023 will be extended to summer 2024, with up to 7 flights weekly (compared to 3 flights a week in winter 2023-2024), operated with Airbus A350-900.
I’m still waiting for the Dublin and Amsterdam flights! Great news!
~Tolbs
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Yes this is due to demand. They originally operated the 763 (226 seats), and then upgraded to the 764 (238 seats). Then AF took over with the 787-9 (279 seats) due to high demand, and now the a350-900. This will either seat 292 passengers or 324 passengers. I expect that upgrade to be summer seasonal with the flights going to 5x weekly in the winter. I’m also aware that the inaugural CDG-RDU flight had 256 passengers.
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I also recall that Delta first flew a 757-200 when it first started back in 2016, but upgraded to the 767-300 the following year due to high demand. So this route is doing very well!
From the 752 to the 763, to the 764, to the 787-9 and now to the A359, this is a game changer here.
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Raleigh vs Nashville for the Dublin Flight Allocation
“We are trying to sell Ireland right now, and it appears to be between Raleigh-Durham or [Nashville]. We have a better business case than Raleigh-Durham, although we are 300 miles further distance [to Dublin]. Raleigh-Durham can get a nonstop flight to Dublin out of Charlotte. We would have to drive to Atlanta. There are a lot of other business reasons why Aer Lingus should come to Nashville vs. Raleigh.”
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But for an argument in our favor, I’m half Irish and will definitely go to Ireland at least once every 10-15 years. So there’s that.
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Nashville is about to take two fats L’s to us in MLB expansion and nonstop routes to Dublin.
We’ll come for their music next.
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Well that one flight will be enough to lend your enormous prestige to the flight. “The GLP’s fly …” Personally, I know that me knowing that you flew on this flight will play an oversize role in me determining the air speed of an African swallow.
You know what they say about when GucciLittlePigs fly… This flight seems likely
These folks think that we drive to Charlotte for flights? Well, I suppose then that they can drive to Atlanta.
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According to the article, they do drive to Atlanta… but I find that hard to believe. Right now, with connecting, it is only a half hour longer than it would to connect from Raleigh, despite Nashville being further inward.
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RDU to SAN and HPN (westchester) on Breeze.
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After Dublin, what’s next? Amsterdam? I know a lot of folks here are wanting a flight to Dublin.
But with CLT down the road and IAD not to far, I feel like they might go to Nashville since RDU already has 4 TATL flights and Nashville only has one.
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Amsterdam would make sense for the delta focus. I think a dark horse would be a direct to Dubai, I don’t think it’s unrealistic. Easy business case imo Lots of folks connect there to go to India, East Asia, Europe etc.
Istanbul is another contender with a similar business case
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