Jump to content

RDU International Airport

Rufus

By Rufus
in The NC Triangle

 Share

Recommended Posts

dmccall Burg

dmccall

Posted
Posted

Regardless of Terminal A's eventual fate, I have faith in the RDU Authority to make the right choices.

I, for one, do NOT have faith in them. Their history of band aid on top of band aid has led us to a complex consisting of two airports across the street from one another. There is and has never been any hint of a master plan for a complex that efficiently works as a unit out there.

As for Terminal A, it is tightly constrained by the tarmac on one side and the road on the other. I don't see how a different terminal can have much more depth than the current 3rd rate embarrassment of a building.

The big problem with the airport is that both runways are too close together and Umstead park lines the eastern edge of the old runway. The airport authority keeps ignoring these constraints and keeps setting us up for architectural disaster. I see no hint of change in the near future.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Replies 824
  • Created
  • Last Reply

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Top Posters In This Topic

Popular Days

Popular Posts

KJHburg
KJHburg

Velkomin til Norður-Karólínu!       First nonstop ever from NC to Iceland.  Great they allow free stopovers in Iceland. 

KJHburg
KJHburg

saw this on Twitter

KJHburg
KJHburg

RDU just got their 6th foreign flag carrier with Aeromexico with new nonstop from Raleigh Durham to Mexico City. Aeromexico Launches New Service to Raleigh-Durham Int’l Airport – Airways (airways

Posted Images

JeffC Hamlet

JeffC

Posted
Posted

The big problem with the airport is that both runways are too close together and Umstead park lines the eastern edge of the old runway. The airport authority keeps ignoring these constraints and keeps setting us up for architectural disaster. I see no hint of change in the near future.

The airport authority "keeps ignoring" these restraints, because there is nothing that can be done about them. Umstead isn't going anywhere (the Umstead Coalition watchdogs and second guesses everything RDUAA does), and neither is Cary. Their long-range plans for a third runway (which they have been quietly planning since before 9/11) would make it parallel to the other two, approximately where that road (can't remember name) used to parallel the second runway and connect the 40 side to the 70 side. If you look at maps of the area, it is impossible for this airport to have another runway in a different alignment to create that classic "V" or triangle arrangement.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
dmccall Burg

dmccall

Posted
Posted

  • The newer runway was built too close to the airport terminals. It should have been placed where the temporary bypass road was built.
  • The terminals should be arranged on the north end of the existing parking garage. There is plenty of room for expansion there, depending on the design used. IF the airport had actually looked at what designs really work out there, they would have planned for an airport design we can use for decades to come. Instead we will spend more money in the long run putting band-aids on second-rate airports

Link to comment
Share on other sites
architect77 Whistle-Stop

architect77

Posted
Posted (edited)

I have eveyone's comments and have learned things that i did not know.

Here is what i understood to be true, and i am not trying to contradict anyone:

1) If additional depth between the roadway and the tarmac/apron was absolutely necessary, terminal A could be extended above the roadway resulting in some sort of tunnel for vehicular traffic.

2) many airport of metro areas comparable to the triangle have only 1 runway today. Charlotte has much more daily traffic that it handles with 2 parallel runways. Is the intersecting runway ever used? Atlanta's 1,300 daily flights or so were accomodated with only 4 runways until their 5th opened last year. I say all of this because I cannot imagine RDU ever needing a third runway. And as far their distance to one another, they do handle simultaneous take-offs and landings and years ago you often saw American MD-80's land in pairs all the time over I-40.

3) I don't see why having separate terminal buildings is seen as bad planning. Almost every airport in the country has terminals that are entirely separate entities.

4) If wind or weather conditions never affect landing ability on RDU's two parallel runways, why would orienting a third one in a different direction be necessary?

Edited by architect77
Link to comment
Share on other sites
dmccall Burg

dmccall

Posted
Posted

3) I don't see why having separate terminal buildings is seen as bad planning. Almost every airport in the country has terminals that are entirely separate entities.

2 security points

2 baggage claim operations

2 drop off zones

2 ticketing areas

2x dining facilities for visitors

confusion for new visitors

no annoying circular bus route of the damned (like JFK has)

This would all be more efficiently handled with a central core - Atlanta, Orlando, Tampa, and others.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
avery Hamlet

avery

Posted
Posted

I think the renovation of Terminal C should buy the Triangle a sufficient amount of time before an additional terminal will be needed at RDU. If the airport authority decides to proceed with renovations/replacement of A, they could always start at one end and reopen it in phases.

I personally like the idea of a two terminal system. In my opinion, it makes it easier to travel. Splitting up the traffic count into seperate terminals relieves the congestion. Also, not many travelers will be going from Terminal A over to Terminal C to catch a flight. RDU is not a place where people make connecting flights. Even if this did happen in the future, I would imagine that individual carriers will stay within a single terminal.

As far as the layout of RDU goes, there is still plenty of room for expansion. The northern end of the airport would make a good connection for a future terminal to A and C. As long as airfares do not increase too much, I could care less how much the airport authority spends on a new airport. If the demand is there, then the revenue is there to expand.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
  • 2 weeks later...
ERJ170 Whistle-Stop

ERJ170

Posted
Posted

All I can say about this route is..............."Wal-mart" !!!!!!!!!!!

The only reason the airport exists.

Well what in the world does Wal*Mart and RDU have in common? Or are they gonna get flights to every city they have stores? I still don't get this one...

Link to comment
Share on other sites
RDUairport Whistle-Stop

RDUairport

Posted
Posted

Both XNA and RDU are considered to be focus cities for AA/AE. XNA also has maintanence facilities for American Eagle which works well for rotating planes through from RDU. I wouldn't expect to see any other expansions from American to smaller markets such as this one. I know you may argue that American has done a lot of smaller expansion lately out of RDU but if not for ExpressJet, that would not be the case. Don't mean to sound so negative because this news really excites me, so dont get the wrong picture. I hope this route works for American. It'll be flown once daily on an EMB-135.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Sammy00 Whistle-Stop

Sammy00

Posted
Posted

All I can say about this route is..............."Wal-mart" !!!!!!!!!!!

The only reason the airport exists.

Definately because of WalMart.

But I do believe that every metro with about 500,000 people, like Northwest Arkansas, requires an airport.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
RDUairport Whistle-Stop

RDUairport

Posted
Posted (edited)

To add to my earlier statment and partly correct myself; Walmart actually does have a big part in the route also. Walmart requested the flight which will allow passengers coming from XNA a way to connect to New York, Newark, N.J., Hartford, Conn. and Columbus, Ohio. Around 70-80% of the passengers will be connecting passengers. This isn't a movement to make RDU into a hub again but rather a way for AA to do more with less. AA is streching its regional jet out and these connections through RDU allow more routes without necessarily more planes. But again Walmart deserves the thanks this time.

Edited by RDUairport
Link to comment
Share on other sites
Subway Scoundrel Hamlet

Subway Scoundrel

Posted
Posted

Well what in the world does Wal*Mart and RDU have in common? Or are they gonna get flights to every city they have stores? I still don't get this one...

XNA is in Bentonville, Ark which is the WW HQ for Wal-Mart. It not only allows Wal-mart guys a way to get out, it allows suppliers and business people a way to get into Bentonville to work with them.

Link to comment
Share on other sites
Subway Scoundrel Hamlet

Subway Scoundrel

Posted
Posted

Raleigh-Durham International Aiport's website has some updated photos

The main page also states the terminal will open next Summer

http://www.rdu.com

http://www.rdu.com/airportdev/termc-photos.htm

construction-35.jpg

construction-36.jpg

construction-38.jpg

I flew out/in 2 weeks ago and it is taking shape. I am out again on Monday and I bet it will have made improvement. Will be good to watch and see.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Paste as plain text instead

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

×
 Share
Go to topic listing

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...

Important Information

By using this site you agree to our Terms of Use and Privacy Policy. We have placed cookies on your device to help make this website better. You can adjust your cookie settings, otherwise we'll assume you're okay to continue.