San Diego, San Jose, Mexico City and Montreal are among the destinations that Raleigh-Durham International Airport hopes Triangle travelers will be able to reach with nonstop flights in the coming years.
On Thursday, RDU’s vice president for community affairs, Kristie VanAuken, outlined the airport’s strategy for persuading airlines to offer new service. It involves making the case that there will be enough demand to fill planes, as well as offering airlines financial incentives, such as helping to market new flights or waiving landing fees for the first year.
RDU also hopes to add an airline its roster, VanAuken said. With the merger of Alaska and Virgin America, RDU is now served by nine airlines, led by Delta, American and Southwest.
In the past year, airlines have added nonstop flights to 10 new cities from RDU, including Kansas City, San Antonio, Milwaukee and San Juan, Puerto Rico. Triangle travelers can now fly nonstop to 57 destinations…
