Raleigh-Durham Int’l Adds New Routes with Support of Local Businesses
(Airport Improvement, September 2017)
In May, Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) received a giant shot in the arm when it was named the best-connected medium-sized airport in the United States. Industry analyst William S. Swelbar cited 47 nonstop routes and a diverse group of carriers as major factors in the North Carolina airport's top ranking.
The airport convinced Delta to add the Paris route with help from the Regional Transportation Alliance, a 10-county coalition of 23 chambers of commerce and more than 100 leading businesses.
The airport's incentive package included $1.25 million in landing fee waivers and $500,000 in marketing funds. The Regional Transportation Alliance provided about $250,000 in additional marketing funds. Support from the Alliance came in the form of paid advertising for billboards along major roadways and in-kind donations from members and partner organizations promoting the route within the region, explains Joe Milazzo II, the group's executive director. Ads ran prior to the May 2016 launch, and then again several months later after the initial buzz quieted down.
In addition to promoting the new Paris flight, the Alliance also spent tens of thousands of dollars boosting American's existing flights from RDU to London. "We wanted to show our commitment to both airlines for their service to the community," explains Milazzo.
American has since updated the daily London route with Boeing 777 service. Previously, it used a 767.
Beyond the marketing package provided by the Regional Transportation Alliance, prominent members of the local business community pledged contingency funds in case revenue from the Paris flight did not meet the carrier's expectations. Many of the companies that extended the "good faith" gesture are members of the Alliance, notes Milazzo.
True to previous form, the Regional Transportation Alliance plans to help the airport implement its 2040 master plan. "We have made this a top priority," Milazzo says. The group recently supported the airport authority's efforts to secure a $52 million appropriation over the next two years from the North Carolina legislature to help fund elements of the master plan; those recurring state funds were approved in June. The Alliance also plans to make a case for complementary federal funding.
"We think the world of our partners at RDU and what they have done for the community," says Milazzo.
Clearly, the regional business community has embraced the mantra that guides Landguth and his team: "Air service development is economic development."