RDU International Airport

[rancenc]

Video of Raleigh-Durham from a few weeks ago.

 

[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 (airwaysmag.com)

so three European carriers with Icelandair, Air France, Lufthansa (starting next year) and Air Canada, BahamasAir and now Aeromexico.   Charlotte  has 2 Mexican airlines, AirCanada and Lufthansa.  So 4 foreign flag carriers at CLT  so RDU has us  beat in that department.  

[RALNATIVE]

On 11/11/2023 at 4:59 PM, KJHburg said:

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 (airwaysmag.com)

so three European carriers with Icelandair, Air France, Lufthansa (starting next year) and Air Canada, BahamasAir and now Aeromexico.   Charlotte  has 2 Mexican airlines, AirCanada and Lufthansa.  So 4 foreign flag carriers at CLT  so RDU has us  beat in that department.  

I'm so ready for that flight!

On another note, passenger traffic out of RDU has exploded. During high peak hours the Pre-check lane is ridiculously long. Worse than most other airports that I travel through, and I travel extensively. The airport authority needs to seriously consider how to expand that airport this go around to adequately support growth for the next 40-50 years instead of continually kicking the can down the road.

[Richhamleigh, DC]

Charlotte has 2 Mexican airlines?

[KJHburg]

23 hours ago, Phillydog said:

Charlotte has 2 Mexican airlines?

yes Volaris and Viva Aerobus they go where American doesn't.  

[Richhamleigh, DC]

GREAT!!!   Wiki needs an update.   As an aside, I hate to say this, but Delta seems to treat its hubs much better than AA...or, UA.  RDU seems to be really benefitting from its hub-lite status.

[Richhamleigh, DC]

On 11/11/2023 at 4:59 PM, KJHburg said:

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 (airwaysmag.com)

so three European carriers with Icelandair, Air France, Lufthansa (starting next year) and Air Canada, BahamasAir and now Aeromexico.   Charlotte  has 2 Mexican airlines, AirCanada and Lufthansa.  So 4 foreign flag carriers at CLT  so RDU has us  beat in that department.  

Interesting that RDU now serves more European destinations nonstop than Austin, Texas (a place that get 10000X more attention) and with the withdraw of Virgin Atlantic from that market, RDU has more international carriers than AUS.  There are no other airports in RDu's class that come even close to RDU's service and carriers.  I feel like we should take a snapshot because this moment may go away soon and not return for decades?  

[KJHburg]

this is being discussed in the Nashville UP an Aer  Lingus nonstop flight from Dublin to either RDU or Nashville.

""Nashville International Airport officials are trying to secure a nonstop flight to Dublin via Ireland’s Aer Lingus.

Metropolitan Nashville Airport Authority (MNAA) officials during its most recent board meeting noted landing service with the Irish air carrier might involve a competition with Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU).

During that Dec. 18 meeting, Doug Kreulen, MNAA president, said the following, according to the meeting’s minutes:

“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.”

MNAA confirmed the discussions with Aer Lingus.

MNAA emailed the Post the following:

“Given our city's rapid growth and its status as a sought-after destination, we consider Nashville a compelling option for Aer Lingus in its potential expansion into the Southeast. We look forward to engaging in further discussions with Aer Lingus regarding our strong business case.

More behind the Nashville Post paywall here:

https://www.nashvillepost.com/business/tourism/airport-officials-seek-to-land-nashville-dublin-service/article_50c1ee3e-ab3e-11ee-9f8b-f36ffab1c7ff.html  ""

from post in Nashville UP

Lets go RDU! 

 

[KJHburg]

Just looking at your nonstop flights out of RDU vs another city and RDU is very impressive.

Nonstop Destinations - Raleigh-Durham International Airport (rdu.com)

here is Austin's often a competitor to Raleigh Durham for economic development projects

Nonstop_Map_2023_white.ai (austintexas.gov)

[carolina1792]

15 hours ago, KJHburg said:

Just looking at your nonstop flights out of RDU vs another city and RDU is very impressive.

Nonstop Destinations - Raleigh-Durham International Airport (rdu.com)

here is Austin's often a competitor to Raleigh Durham for economic development projects

Nonstop_Map_2023_white.ai (austintexas.gov)

Another international route being announced on Monday, according to Ishrion Aviation today. Though it could also mean that BA is taking over the London route. 

"Another week, another new (international) airline and route for Raleigh/Durham. RDU's air service developments over the past years have been exceptional, and the next big one is this coming Monday"

 

[Richhamleigh, DC]

7 hours ago, carolina1792 said:

Another international route being announced on Monday, according to Ishrion Aviation today. Though it could also mean that BA is taking over the London route. 

"Another week, another new (international) airline and route for Raleigh/Durham. RDU's air service developments over the past years have been exceptional, and the next big one is this coming Monday"

 

I'm thinking Aer Lingus, but BA could be it.

[KJHburg]

27 minutes ago, Richhamleigh, DC said:

I'm thinking Aer Lingus, but BA could be it.

the folks in Charlotte think it will be Aer Lingus.  

29 minutes ago, Richhamleigh, DC said:

I'm thinking Aer Lingus, but BA could be it.

British Airways is codeshare partner of American so that is not really a new route but it is good from the prespective of a foreign flag carrier.  

[CLT2014]

Bermudair to Bermuda is a wildcard too. They've been targeting mid-size underserved cities to Bermuda like Baltimore and Orlando. 

I know the Aer Lingus rumor has been swirling, but they don't have the planes for this summer. The timing of their announcement would be better in the fall to keep the media hype up closer to when ticket sales open for 2025. That's just my 2 cents though.

WestJet is another possibility to Canada. 

Edited February 2 by CLT2014

[Richhamleigh, DC]

On 2/2/2024 at 4:24 PM, CLT2014 said:

Bermudair to Bermuda is a wildcard too. They've been targeting mid-size underserved cities to Bermuda like Baltimore and Orlando. 

I know the Aer Lingus rumor has been swirling, but they don't have the planes for this summer. The timing of their announcement would be better in the fall to keep the media hype up closer to when ticket sales open for 2025. That's just my 2 cents though.

WestJet is another possibility to Canada. 

I was thinling the same, Westjet could be a good fit.  I think, though, the insinuation was something European?  Here's a wild idea given Raleigh and NC's south Asian connections... Qatar.

[CLT2014]

It ended up being Copa Airlines to Panama. 4 flights per week on a 738 starting in June. 

Copa's Panama hub will provide a one-stop option for Star Alliance to Central and South America from RDU to compete against American via Miami and Delta / LATAM via Atlanta. 

[KJHburg]

""Copa Airlines, the flag carrier of Panama, is coming to Raleigh-Durham International Airport.

The airline is bringing a nonstop flight to Panama City in Central America starting in June, officials announced Monday.

Dennis Cary, a Duke University graduate and chief commercial officer at Copa Airlines, said it’s the carrier’s 16th connection in the U.S.

"Today we take an important step in enhancing our footprint in the U.S. by connecting the Research Triangle area to Copa Airlines’ hub of the Americas in Panama City," he said.

Michael Landguth, CEO of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority, called it a "coveted airline" for RDU.

"Leisure and international travel have fueled the growth at RDU, but demand for business travel is returning," Landguth said, adding that the new flight will provide unprecedented service to Latin America.

Landguth said that 270 passengers travel daily between RDU and Central and South America, making the new flight a “great fit” in terms of demand as Panama borders Colombia and Costa Rica.""

from the Biz Journal today.  RDU's 7th international flagged carrier which is beyond impressive. 

[CLT2014]

1 hour ago, KJHburg said:

Landguth said that 270 passengers travel daily between RDU and Central and South America, making the new flight a “great fit” in terms of demand as Panama borders Colombia and Costa Rica.""

from the Biz Journal today.  RDU's 7th international flagged carrier which is beyond impressive. 

Wow, I thought it would be more than 270. Will be interesting to see how it goes. 270 passengers is actually not that much as Copa will also be competing against one stop options with Delta in Atlanta and American in Miami as well (since Panama City is largely a connecting city). To run a 85% load factor, Copa would need to capture 50% market share of the 270 people headed to Central and South America today. That's stealing a lot of market share from Delta and AA who are the largest airlines at RDU. 

For the popular deep South America destinations like Rio, Sao Paulo, Buenos Aires, Santiago, et... AA and DL are also running widebody aircraft with better business class hard products with all lie flat seats having direct access to the aisle + privacy to sleep better overnight. 

Edited February 5 by CLT2014

[KJHburg]

Copa Airlines announces 3 new destinations to tulum, mexico, florianopolis, brazil, and raleigh-durham, usa   Copa Airlines press release and flight times.

Since Copa Airlines uses Panama City as a  hub to other central and south American destinations I can see quite a bit of traffic coming through this flight from RDU  and this connecting hub. 

[KJHburg]

one more story about Copa Airlines from Axios and nice international route map from RDU   okay that is weird the city names did not populate the image just look at the link 

RDU adds a new direct flight to Panama City - Axios Raleigh

Edited February 6 by KJHburg

[Richhamleigh, DC]

Lufthansa says it's looking for space near RDU to "support" its flight to Raleigh.  This seems like overkill for a flight that will operate 5 days a week, or not?

[KJHburg]

On 4/17/2024 at 12:17 PM, Richhamleigh, DC said:

Lufthansa says it's looking for space near RDU to "support" its flight to Raleigh.  This seems like overkill for a flight that will operate 5 days a week, or not?

it for cargo storage.  This flight will do great on freight alone.  They have one in Charlotte for their freight operations on their single flight from CLT to Munich.  

[Richhamleigh, DC]

Copa envisions expanding service from RDU.  RDU-SJO makes sense...

[KJHburg]

Here is the Biz Journal article about Copa Airlines and their new route to RDU from Panama City Panama

Copa Airlines CEO sees more RDU flights ahead as Triangle grows - Triangle Business Journal (bizjournals.com)

some highlights

""CEO Pedro Heilbron spoke at a forum sponsored by the Regional Transportation Business Coalition. He touched on his carrier’s connectivity and said the RDU opportunity wasn't on Copa's radar until the airport's recruiters reached out.

The flight starts June 21 and will run four days a week, Monday, Wednesday, Friday and Sunday. But that’s just the start as Copa builds up its fleet.   

“If this market continues growing the way we think it’s going to grow … I’m sure we’ll see growth from Copa very shortly,” Heilbron said.

He said the plan is to "grow our frequencies as the market develops."

While Copa's investments would be additional flights to its hub in Panama, he told the crowd he would not be surprised to see other airlines flock to the opportunity, creating new destinations at RDU.  

Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority CEO Michael Landguth said the new flight has been a longtime coming, as 275 passengers were traveling between RDU and Central and South America daily pre-pandemic, even without a nonstop flight.

Landguth said most of that traffic has recovered, prompting renewed conversations about how to secure a flight. Landguth said the airport’s air service incentive was part of its aggressive strategy to secure Copa, as was a site visit from Copa executives, supported by area chambers of commerce and elected officials.

“We really felt we needed to connect to this region,” he said.

Emails were sent. Phone calls were made. And they kept at it.

“They’ve been on our tail since pre-pandemic,” Heilbron said. “RDU was not on our map. Well, now I can say it’s an amazing place. I knew about it. I had never visited.”

RDU will be the 16th location for the airline in the U.S. Previously, it’s flown to the “logical places,” Heilbron said, such as tourism hotspots Orlando and Las Vegas.  And the bet appears to be paying off, as Heilbron said “bookings are trending ahead right now” compared to other cities it flies to in the Southeast.""

[rancenc]

RDU gains a flight to Albany NY

https://www.msn.com/en-us/travel/news/albany-airport-adds-new-airline-makes-progress-on-renovations/ar-BB1ilxMi?ocid=weather-verthp-feeds

[KJHburg]

Nice handy list of nonstop flights from RDU.

Direct flights from Raleigh - Axios Raleigh