Southwest moved aggressively into all of American’s former north-south hubs (RDU, Nashville, San Jose). One might or might not like the recent policy changes at Southwest, but they were an instant success when they began at RDU in 1999. By then it was becoming clear that Midway was in trouble. Southwest has 14% market share here, as of December 2025. They also opened the door for other low-cost carriers like Avelo, Breeze, Frontier, and JetBlue to enter the market. This changed the pricing dynamics at RDU forever. ValuJet was here before Southwest but didn’t have the market power to effect much change.
Look at fares in CLT to see what happens when one airline utterly dominates an airport.
Notoriety is not always a positive. I think losing the hub was really a blessing, let me suggest a couple reasons why. Yes, some people know about hub airports - but the vast majority of them just fly thru. The city sees little economic benefit from all those passengers. Worse, if the hub struggles with delays and an over crowded terminal, than the hub can damage a city’s reputation. I think Charlotte is dealing with this - that terminal is way over crowded, and things rarely seem to run on time. Even worse is when 1 airline dominates, locals pay the cost in higher tickets. It is actually cheaper on many flights from me to fly out of BHM to ATL, then to drive over and start my flight at ATL. Reputation, costs, diversity of offerings - I think that in the end RDU is lucky not to be a hub and much better for it.
Another factor was that for the business flyer, the AA/Midway hub had flight banks that weren’t always helpful. For trips east of the Mississippi, most business flyers want a same-day round trip that leaves at sunrise so that you can get close to a full working day at the destination before coming home in the evening. But AA’s hub schedule had 3 northbound and 3 southbound rushes a day, and the first didn’t start until about 9 am… pretty useless for the RDU-based business traveler. Over time AA and Midway did add some sunrise flights (LGA, ATL, etc) but the situation was never ideal.
One long-lasting result of the AA hub, however, is the London nonstop. I believe it would have happened eventually anyway, but much later in the game.
Ah man I didn’t check back here before the flight so only seeing this now, but would have gladly met up for a beer!
Highly recommend others taking the trip down. From leaving my front door in DTR to arriving at the hotel in Key West was less than 3.5 hours total. Phenomenal little getaway option to escape the cold.
Classism Xenophobia (Nimby) has unfortunately plagued our beautiful community. A light rail line is nice, however this city has graduated to the status of supporting subway rail.
Screw the money laundering studies, we need this immediately! Imagine a line that ties the entire Capital Blvd, Dowtown, and South Saunders st corridor together!
Raleigh is the densest under counted city in NC due to politricks, but the transportation system is almost non existent. Don’t forget the fact Wake County is the largest county in the Southeast outside of Florida and Texas.
We should broaden our view and become more critical of our city leaders. That’s all.
NC aviation history is being made right now as Etihad Airways has taken off from Abu Dhabi UAE for its 15 hour nonstop flight to Charlotte. The first nonstop passenger flight from Asia ever to NC and this will help many in the Triangle get to family and friends in India, southeast Asia or the Middle East through their hub in Abu Dhabi. Flightaware ETD 15 if you want to see where it is at right now.
This new video had some interesting footage and MOSTLY correct information about the 80’s to 90’s American Airlines hub at RDU. The narrator’s voice is less annoying than the citynerd, but both still kind of cringe. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8Uuk1oRXAkY
Also, I haven’t seen it reported yet anywhere but Air Canada seems to be quietly shutting down its RDU-Vancouver nonstop flight. I have a flight booked back from Vancouver in August and was just notified it will now be routed through Saskatchewan and Montréal, and there are no longer any direct flights shown after July.
BREAKING: Spirit Airlines is shutting down operations effective immediately, sending shockwaves across the aviation industry and leaving thousands of passengers scrambling overnight. In a statement released early Saturday morning, the airline confirmed that all flights have been canceled and customer service has been shut down, telling travelers not to even go to the airport. The sudden move impacts thousands of scheduled flights and puts more than 15,000 employees out of work, marking a dramatic end for one of the most recognizable low-cost carriers in the U.S.
The company, which had been struggling financially since the pandemic, said it would begin an “orderly wind-down” after efforts to stay afloat fell apart. Rising fuel costs, failed negotiations, and ongoing financial pressure ultimately pushed Spirit to this point. At its peak, the airline was once among the most profitable in the country, known for its ultra-low fares that changed how millions of people traveled. Now, after 34 years in the skies, it’s over, and passengers across the country are waking up to canceled trips and a major airline disappearing overnight.
Looks like there is a big airport authority meeting this week about figuring out the solution for moving Lumley Rd./completing the new runway. Hopefully much ado about nothing but what a debacle if it doesn’t get addressed in a timely matter.
