Subway Scoundrel

I have always wanted Southwest to make Raleigh a mini-hub but what I understand, they were waiting for US Air to fail and go under and then pounce on Charlotte for that. Maybe now that USAir and America West are back and Charlotte is definitely in thier plans, they will take a look at RDU. But they like it cheap so they may say do nothing to the terminal or do it on your own $$$. We have a decent numbers of SW flights but we also have a lot business travel that will not use SW.

I would like to see many restaurants in a row with outdoor dining like the old warehouse district in Vancouver, where you have people on the sidewalk and full inside. I would like to see these restaurants with windows that open up like doors to blur the line between indoors and outdoors. I want a theater and a library. I want more high end shopping or at least boutique shopping, mostly high end women's shops. I would like to see hidden simple bars right off Fay St. like Lizzies, under the Martin St Music Hall. I would like to see a live R&R music hall open along with the Lincoln. (Open back up MSMH). I want to see a boutique hotel like the one Greg Hatem is planning along with the Marriott and The Sheraton. (keep the Sir Walter as an old persons home since I don

Also, I do not think we are back or even that close to late 1990's traffic amounts at RDU when Midway had the hub. I remember riding to work and it was stop and go on I-40 and everyday, I would see 5 to 7 planes landing/taking off. It would take 45 minutes to an hour to get to work. It did have more of city feel to it. Now I get there in 25 and lucky to see one plane. That is what happens when so many companies go under and your biggest employers in the park get rid of 7K-10K jobs each................

I also fly to Denver a lot and the same guy who designed DIA is designing RDU. He is a native North Carolianian. I like the high ceilings. The plan looks like the new airports in Shanghai, Hong Kong and Detroit.

I think the new terminal is a good idea. Again, I travel quite a bit and have flown into many of the US and intenational airports. The first impression business people see isthe airport. It does say something about your area and how business operates and how much business is there. I think terminal C is very tired and buillt like a hub, not a regional airport. They still have the AA posters with Paris on the wall that they put up in 1989. Look up and you will see the faded banners from the mid 1980's. Yes, they could update TermC, but they looked hard and long at this and went back and forth on if they should remodel A or C. C won and it will be torn down. Even airports like Tucson are at least new and updated and we have 5 times the flights. It has been said before, the parking garage is the nicest thing out there. Walking to the grage and geting out of the garage is like a big airport experience, then when you get in the terminal, it is old and haggard. Good for travel, but does not give off that 1st class city feel like maybe Denver, Detroit (the airport) or even Tucson.

Again, so true, it is amazing how many people fly out of RDU and even stay here taht come from Virginia. I fly a good bit and talk to several people and many are from New Bern, Kinston or Wilmington.

I think Terminal A is a long way from being torn down and rebuilt. The new terminal which I think will be called Terminal 1, will be built to a certain size and then they built out as they grow. I believe all flights will move to this terminal. My guess is terminal A will become a service UPS/Fed Ex terminal or torn down. Not sure how much cargo they do out of RDU when UPS/FED Ex and DHL are not included. I don't think it is a big lift airport like others, with so much of the international mfg gone and much of that was sent to Charleston/Norfolk and put on ships (Tobacco, furniture, etc) . Some is still left in eastern NC, but not much "time sensitive" stuff like PCs, tech equipment where the margins drive "JIT" logistic systems. Most of the stuff today will go by the big 3 (FedEx/UPS/DHL) for US shipments. My guess is the first phase of Terminal 1 will be in 2008/2009 and the will build on this terminal until 2020. Depending on demand, will decide on how many gates they can fill. They could use more gates now, but the problem is we are running out of carriers. I would like to see Southwest to continue to grow to a mini-hub but they were eyeing down and still may be, Charlotte for that. (Now USAir is alive, maybe not). I would like to see Frontier Airlines come in as we need direct flights to Denver (RDU lost the UAL direct 50 seater). Another possibility is Jet Blue, but the NYC/RDU travel lane is full of competition now. We especially need direct flights to Denver, LAX, San Jose and San Fran. As for the comment on international flights, I don't see RDU being a large international destination/point and question if we will ever get another large flight in the next 15 years. (does not include junkets to Freeport or San Juan) With the airlines consolidated, that become less and less of a chance. They are shoring up, cutting costs and driving everything they can to hubs they will keep. One of the likely choices of direct flight is Frankfurt, but the airlines have that so wrapped up out of their current hubs, it is doubtful. We don't have the size needed for Asia as well as airlines sweep west to pick up people for those flights (LAX, ORD, Detroit, SFA, Seattle) with the few Asian east coast flights out of the big hubs Atlanta and JFK. I fly a lot and around the world and would love more direct international flights but we are lucky to have this ones we have like RDU-->LGW which is full of Eskers, IBMers, Body Shoppers and others. We would have to be a hub again........but I don't see that happening. But who knows what will happen in the next 15 years.

The walkway and people mover is still there and the connection is on the bottom floor of the parking deck. It is quite nice as I took it 2 weeks ago. No need to connect the terminals with brick and morter, the pathway with people mover is great.

One issue I wonder about is no office space. Sure, you don't want DT to compete, but an urban core needs office space, or there is not much life during the day. I like the plan and hope people accept, but Meeker may have showed a little too much "Bravo" when he tells the current occupants, who planned on moving more workers to the area, you can not do it so just move DT. Especially when the current occupants own the land (NC gov). Not sure how that will go over with "the Legislative peeps". I still think the key to this property is the rail that runs through it. Although not part of any TTA plan, it is about as close to the current plan as you can get. Nice spur that could feed farmers market, parks and homes that could eventually run into Garner, down 401, to Wake Tech and into Fuquay-Varina and back into RTP. Long ways a way but I can dream.

One of the best things about the Dix property is it has rail running right through it. Although I know it is not part of any future plans from TTA, imagine in the future where this property would be somewhat developed and have a stop on the line that runs to Garner/401 (I think). It connect right near the proposed main downtown station. Imagine 2 stops on the dix property. One for residential and the other for farmers market. Then let it run through that land along I-40 and the Caraleigh neighborhood into Garner all the way down to Wake Tech and Fuquay. Hey, I can dream !!

The theater in the building you asked about was "The State". It was a single big theater with a balcony. Of course, I was a child and maybe it was not that big. The Ambassador was on Fayetteville St. near the capital (115 Fayetteville St.) and across Fay. St from (the backside) the Olivia Raney Library.