|
Raleigh-Durham International Airport is an airport located near Morrisville, North Carolina, between Raleigh and Durham. Its IATA Airport Code is RDU.
History
RDU opened for commercial service on May 1, 1943. Eastern Airlines, then led by Eddie Rickenbacker, wanted to make the Raleigh/Durham area a stop on its New York-Miami route. After World War II, Capital Airlines and Piedmont Airlines joined Eastern at RDU. Delta Air Lines and Allegheny Airlines began service in the 1970s, and Trans World Airlines and American Airlines began service in the 1980s.
In 1987, RDU doubled in size when American opened a north-south hub in a new terminal with a new apron and runway. The hub was operational until 1996, and brought RDU its first international flights (to Bermuda, Cancun, and Paris Orly). American's hub drew most of its profit-generating traffic from the nearby Research Triangle Park, which came to host many key companies in the strong IT and biotechnology industries. The 1995 merger of RTP-based Glaxo Pharmaceuticals and Surrey-based Burroughs Wellcome (now both part of GlaxoSmithKline) prompted American to start nonstop service to London Gatwick Airport.
However, after Miami International Airport became an AA hub in 1989, the need for concentrated service at RDU gradually diminished. American's hub was having difficulty competing with USAir's hub in Charlotte and Delta's hub in Atlanta for passengers travelling between smaller cities in the North and South. American began downsizing its RDU operation in 1993 and eventually discontinued almost all of its mainline flights there, although it still runs a daily service to Gatwick and a number of commuter flights through American Eagle.
American's presence at RDU was replaced by Midway Airlines, which opened a new hub in Terminal C as American pulled out. In 2000, RDU set its all-time traffic record, thanks to the strong high-tech economy, the Midway hub, and the growing presence of Southwest Airlines. However, after the dot com bust and the September 11, 2001 attacks, Midway went bankrupt and the airport's traffic numbers plummeted.
Terminals
In December 2003, the airport authority announced plans to expand and renovate the existing 300,000 square foot (28,000 m²) Terminal C, transforming it into a new 900,000 ft² (84,000 m²) facility. Construction is expected to begin in 2005 and be complete by 2008. [1] (http://www.nbc17.com/travelgetaways/2716372/detail.html) There are also long-term plans to link the airport to the proposed Triangle Transit Authority light rail system.
Terminal A
Terminal A opened in 1981.
- AirTran (Atlanta)
- America West Airlines (Las Vegas, Phoenix)
- Continental Airlines (Houston Bush, Newark)
- Continental Express (Cleveland, Houston Bush, Newark)
- Delta Air Lines (Atlanta, Cincinnati)
- Delta Connection (Comair) (Boston, Cincinnati, Dallas/Fort Worth, Fort Lauderdale, New York JFK, New York LaGuardia, Orlando)
- Independence Air (Washington Dulles)
- Northwest Airlines (Detroit, Memphis, Minneapolis/St. Paul)
- Southwest Airlines (Baltimore/Washington, Chicago Midway, Las Vegas, Nashville, Orlando, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Tampa)
- US Airways (Charlotte, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh)
- US Airways Express (Chautauqua Airlines, Mesa Airlines, Piedmont Airlines, PSA Airlines, Trans States Airlines) (Asheville, Charleston SC, Charlotte, Greenville/Spartanburg, New York LaGuardia, Norfolk, Pittsburgh, Washington Reagan)
Terminal B
Terminal B was the airport's first terminal, built in 1955. After the opening of Terminal A, Terminal B housed Piedmont and Allegheny, which later merged into US Airways. The terminal was permanently closed in the mid-1990s, and was eventually torn down.
Terminal C
Terminal C was built in 1987 to house American Airlines' hub.
- Air Canada Jazz (Toronto)
- American Airlines (Chicago O'Hare, Dallas/Fort Worth, London Gatwick, Miami)
- American Eagle (Austin, Boston, Columbus, Fort Lauderdale, Hartford, Nassau, Newark, New York JFK, New York LaGuardia, Orlando, Philadelphia, Providence, St. Louis, Washington Reagan)
- Falcon Air Express (Freeport)
- United Express (Air Wisconsin/Mesa Airlines) (Chicago O'Hare, Denver, Washington Dulles)
External Links
|
