I flew through Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) this past spring for the first time in several years. I’ve flown through the airport since 2002, using Terminal 1 on the majority of my flights. Terminal 2 used to be the secondary terminal at RDU, but recent renovations have made it the much better looking terminal. Terminal 2, with its sweeping wooden arch roof and glass exterior is now the home to the legacy airlines at RDU. Delta, Continental, United, U.S. Airways, etc. used to be housed in Terminal 1, but now call Terminal 2 home.
Left behind at Terminal 1 are all the low-cost carriers (LCCs): Southwest, AirTran, and JetBlue. As low-cost carriers, their business model doesn’t necessitate having a flashy new terminal, and the cramped corridors of Terminal 1 which once housed legacy airlines, are perfectly suitable for the LCCs. The three LCCs can’t possibly fill up all the gates which once bustled before, so Terminal 1 is now being operated below capacity. As seen in the photos below, Terminal 1 is a haunting shell of what it once was. The check-in counters are almost all boarded up, the gate areas are almost all boarded up, and the hallways are mostly void of life. The airside departure hallway is lined with potted plants, a last ditch attempt to make the terminal seem cared for. The gate areas have art which looks like it was bought at a garage sale, not the interesting posters advertising foreign destinations that the legacy airlines used to hang. Only one restaurant and a couple of shops seemed to be in business. It was incredible to see such a change to the terminal which one was RDU’s main building.
