As a weekly flyer, this is much appreciated. Getting off a crowded flight only to get dunked on trying to cross the road to the deck blows. I’ll take function over form on this one.
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The curbside aesthetic of RDU T2, with the exception of the big cantilever over the walkway (which is going to be kept) isn’t really anything special anyway. (It ain’t Dulles, let’s just say.)
The fantastic part of T2’s architecture has always been the interior. Those curved glulam beams… 
Now when are they going to build the bridge and tunnel so people can access the terminal from the parking without having to frogger across terminal traffic?
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Like I’ve said, I’m not going to die on the hill of opposing the canopy.
But, I am not going to abandon my comment that the proposed canopy destroys the terminal’s design. I don’t see how anyone can look at that sketch and objectively say that it doesn’t.
I will say that if the intention is to keep folks dry, the canopy should have a piece that more broadly connects the terminal to the parking garage.
Yes, that’s the case for JFK or EWR, but the main beneficiaries have been slightly smaller but less constrained hubs like IAD or CLT. United has been shifting connecting traffic to IAD, which has ample airside space, and reducing connections at EWR, e.g.:
EWR flights can then sell more seats to local passengers, who get themselves to the airport and are more flexible about when the plane leaves (not within a tightly defined “bank” of flights).
What RDU benefits more from is overall market growth and the move towards more point-to-point flying.
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No thanks to IAD, simply atrocious…
I’m at REF (Iceland) right now and it’s completely packed with almost every gate having flights board. I’m going to Boston, but noticed that the Raleigh flight started boarding and had a long line.
The Raleigh plane has to be pretty large based on the line that I saw. It’s definitely not as big as Boston’s plane though (300 people).
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Interesting. We’re flying to Scandinavia via Reykjavik with a stopover both ways in June. Curious to see how it is, but it seems like an amazing opportunity to beat some of the long flight/jetlag stuff while relaxing in a cool new country.
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And you’ll have 24 hour daylight!
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Delta is opening a “base” in Raleigh this Spring I was told by a flight attendant. This means a small crew of pilots & attendants will be “based” out of RDU……which, in theory, if successful will allow for more direct flights.
This is not a “mini-hub”……BUT this does bode well….if successful….for longer term growth.
So….FLY DELTA!!!
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They already had one here before Covid but had to close it. They are reopening it, along with some other cities for union purposes
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So that was the public-private partnership Delta was planning before COVID-19 okay that’s awesome.
Allegedly, they were planning to pay for T1 expansion
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Expanding and clarifying what was quoted: Delta had a seasonal flight attendant base at RDU from April 2023-Sept 2023. They never planned to keep it past September 2023 (traditional end of the busy summer travel season).
In an effort to appease the Delta Flight Attendants many of whom are signing cards to form a flight attendant union at Delta (they’re the only work group at Delta that’s not union; pilots and mechanics are all union workers), management decided to expand their seasonal bases for 2024 beyond just re-adding RDU for Summer 2024.
Last month (February) they notified those who applied based on seniority and accepted 150 transfers for each of these cities to be 2024 seasonal bases:
- Las Vegas
- Dallas
- Tampa
- Phoenix
- Raleigh
. The 750 total (150 per new base) relocated flight attendants begin their flights April 1st in whichever city they transferred to. After September 2024 flights, they all must return to wherever they transferred in from. The five seasonal bases are more work for Delta management to operate, but are missing things like supervisors and crew facilities that the full bases (hubs) have to support the flight attendants.
I know some of the FA’s organizing for the union, and they are definitely being met with resistance from management (no surprise) but Delta execs have to legally not treat the union organizing activity in any way that would look like “union busting.” Current count is about 40% pro-union, i.e. having signed cards to allow a vote on whether to indeed unionize… so it’s likely only a matter of time before they actually hold the vote, but not a sure thing that a union would pass. It almost passed when the union vote was held years ago pre-COVID, but many of the old-timers who may have liked the status quo are long gone as early-retirees from 2020. So it’s anyone’s guess if Delta’s flight attendants become union-represented like literally all their coworkers are.
If RDU is successful and Delta flights increase at RDU, there’s a possibility the base may become year round and additional FA’s would be allowed to transfer here. There are tons who live here and commute to other cities which serve as Delta hubs to start their flying, especially Atlanta since it’s so close.
Still no pilots based in RDU, but a lot of commuting pilots here.
I’m skeptical if Delta was approaching RDU about expanding Terminal 1. There’s no international arrivals there, and unlikely to ever be one there anytime soon (need a second customs/immigration facility to do that). It’s hard enough to adequately staff the one in Terminal 2. Maybe in 10 years though. IF an airline was wanting to pitch in on fast tracking expasion of T1 (a big IF), I think it was a different airline, NOT any of the “big 4” United/AA/Delta/Southwest. There are still like 12 or 13 others serving or used to serve RDU besides the big 4, and I am inclined to think it was one of the other smaller ones. Definitely not one of the 5 international flag carrier airlines.
I dont think Delta will be turning RDU into a hub or mini-hub or whatever. They’ve stated Austin and Raleigh (and sometimes mentioned Cincinnati) are all that is left of their “focus” city efforts, and being a “focus city” doesn’t necessarily mean a ton of flights. Delta seems to treat focus cities as more sales support staff doing community outreach, corporate contracts for business customers, etc. Lots of blogs go into way more detail, just google “Delta Focus cities RDU Austin” and there’s TONS you can wade through.
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I suppose if you can get a base in Raleigh in the Summer and then have a Winter base somewhere warm, it wouldn’t be a bad thing, but you need to have tons of flexibility in your life. I also imagine that housing could be a really difficult thing to manage unless you are commuting to RDU for work for 6 months.
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I think it’s a great idea…but 40 million for a canopy? Hope they got more than 1-2 quotes lol. Sheesh
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It’s less than the original one.
Are you flying Air France from Raleigh to Durham? Fun
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Fundermont airlines, you will never no you are off the ground, cause your’re not! Fundermont.
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