If you don’t already know how fantastic our Raleigh, North Carolina area is, with it’s great housing market (making Realtor.com’s Nation’s Top 50 Zip Code List), job opportunities (ranking in the Top 5 @ #2) and Money’s #2 Best Big Cities to Live In Right Now, along with other accolades, then check out what else is coming.
As Raleigh, NC continues to grow and be a draw for those all around the country, it’s no wonder that RDU (Raleigh-Durham International Airport) is seeing positive changes as well. The monopoly of larger, traditional carriers has always been an issue for our area. For years, other cities have know the joy of having access to other carriers, which offered low cost fares between hub cities with their own special way of making it enjoyable and now it’s our turn. Only recently have we seen smaller, more cost efficient ones become available.
Florida based Via Airlines will be coming to RDU in April, adding direct flights to Birmingham, AL four times a week and charging from $98-$289 one way. According to an analyst with Delta Airport Consultants, we can expect more in the coming years, “Medium hub airports, they’re really the domain of the low cost carriers, and the ultra-low-cost-carriers, ultimately, will surpass the network carriers in those markets.”
We’ve already seen an announcement from Frontier Airlines, saying they’ll be adding 8 new non-stop destinations, which makes RDU their largest carrier in terms of destinations. Frontier will tackle our need for cheaper northeast fares, which is in great demand for Raleigh.
This is a great start, but not enough to edge out larger competitors who can offer more frequency and larger reach. For those in need though, it is very welcome and a hint of things to come!
