New air terminal makes its debut in Raleigh-Durham
RALEIGH, N.C. -- Raleigh-Durham International's new Terminal 2 opened on Sunday, with some of its largest airline tenants moving operations to the $570 million facility.
American Airlines amrand American Eagle, which operate more than 50 daily departures at RDU, will occupy eight of the 19 gates at Terminal 2's north concourse. They will run 12 ticket counters and 12 self-service kiosks.
American previously operated from Terminal C, which will be demolished in the coming weeks. As part of the move, American will open a new Admirals Club lounge across from gates C1 and C3. The club seats 121 travelers and offers free Wi-Fi, food and drinks.
Air Canada and United uaua have also moved to Terminal 2, and Delta dal will join them on Nov. 9.
Terminal 2's north concourse, which marks the first of two construction phases, features seven security checkpoint lanes and three baggage carousels, as well as 26 retail shops and restaurants.
In the second phase of Terminal 2 construction, the airport will build another wing with 13 more gates by the end of 2011. Once completed, Terminal 2 will be 920,000 square feet, nearly three times larger than the current Terminal C, and accommodate up to 11.4 million passengers each year.
NEWPORT BEACH, Calif.
Cast your vote at the airport
John Wayne Airport has set up voting booths to let traveling Orange County residents cast ballots for the upcoming presidential election. The booths, operated by the Orange County Registrar of Voters, are located in Terminal A and will be open until 9 p.m., Oct. 28. Only ticketed passengers, airport employees or tenants can use the booths.
NEW YORK
JFK-to-Amsterdam service starts
OpenSkies, the new trans-Atlantic airline from British Airways, launched service between New York's John F. Kennedy Airport and Amsterdam's Schiphol International. The new service, the airline's second route in the USA, will operate six days a week aboard Boeing 757 aircraft with 64 seats in business and premium class.
PROVIDENCE
New shops and restaurants get going
T.F. Green Airport has several new restaurants and shops, including some that feature local themes. Providence Oyster Bar showcases oysters, New England lobster rolls and other fresh seafood from the region.
Wolfgang Puck Express serves up food to go, including salads and sandwiches. Tenants of the new food court, in the center of the terminal, include Famous Famiglia, Quiznos, Johnny Rockets and Starbucks.
Among new shops: Only in Rhode Island, which sells locally made products and mementos; Sakonnet Vineyards, which stocks local wine; and Autocrat, offering the state's official drink of coffee milk.
NASHVILLE
Parking passes speed payment
Nashville International will launch a frequent-parker program that aims to process travelers through lots more quickly.
Starting Nov. 1, customers can sign up at flynashville.com and pay $20 for a pass that allows them to enter and exit parking lots automatically. The system will then charge the credit card provided at the time of sign-up.
Members may check their account status on the airport's website. The program doesn't apply to valet parking.
LOS ANGELES
Super-jumbo arrives
Los Angeles International's first regularly scheduled flight of the Airbus A380 touched down at the airport last Monday amid cheering spectators. Qantas' flight on the world's largest passenger jet landed early in the morning on Oct. 20, carrying 450 passengers from Melbourne, Australia. The Australian carrier is offering two weekly round-trip A380 flights between Los Angeles and Melbourne, and one weekly LAX-Sydney flight.