When the COVID-19 pandemic hit, RDU’s traffic dropped to just ~3% of the levels the airport saw in 2019. In order to ensure the airport’s future, something had to be done.
“You could hear a penny drop in the terminals,” Crystal Feldman, VP of Communications for the Airport Authority, said. “We had cut the authority’s budget to a survival budget.”
A group of Triangle companies recognized the need for the airport to recover, and formed the Triangle Takeoff Coalition.
The finances
The airport operates on a self-generating revenue model — it isn’t funded by taxpayer dollars. Pre-pandemic, ~40% of RDU’s budget came from parking revenue.
Revenue also comes from sales at terminal stores + restaurants, but since no one was flying, no sales were happening.
RDU additionally receives revenue from the airlines, though the number of flights happening was reduced. The airport went from having 57 nonstop destinations, to at the lowest point of the pandemic having just 23.
The campaign
The coalition raised ~$480,000 to fund the Carry On Campaign to reintroduce the idea of air travel to the public. It aimed to explain the changes the airport had made since the pandemic began.
Campaign commercials included local celebrities, like Duke’s Coach K + Carolina Hurricanes coach Rod Brind’Amour.
Economic engine
The US Dept. of Transportation’s Division of Aviation released a report (using 2019 numbers) that showed RDU having a $15.1 billion economic impact in the region + supporting nearly 100,000 jobs, Crystal said.
When companies are looking to expand or relocate to the region, 1 thing they’re looking for is connectivity for their clients + employees.
“Recruitment wise, people want to live close to a well connected airport,” Crystal said. “They want to be able to fly and see family, friends, go on vacation, etc.”
Poll