North Carolina Airport Receives Approval For New Runway
The second largest North Carolina Airport RDU has received approval for a new runway, replacing the airport’s primary one. Approval was received last week from the Federal Aviation Administration according to local news station WRAL. The new runway will replace the airport’s primary one but will be built adjacent to the current one allowing for a seamless transition. The new runway is expected to be complete by 2028 according to the WRAL article.
Growing up in Charlotte I flew from here my whole life, but I have to say I enjoyed the ease of flying out of RDU last fall for the first time. The airport still offers a wide variety of flights to worldwide destinations. It’s just a little smaller and required a lot less walking! I have friends who live in the Raleigh area who I travel with often. So I’ll be excited to experience this new North Carolina airport runway in a few year’s time! You can read the full story from WRAL here.
The Odds of Your Flight Being Delayed At Each North Carolina Airport
It almost seems inevitable these days that if you fly you’ll have to deal with some sort of delays. But what are the true odds of your flight being delayed when flying in a North Carolina airport? I’ve flown for three trips (or six total flights) so far in 2023 and on the return trip of two of those my flight was delayed. And not just once, but several times over the course of a few hours. And unfortunately both times I had already arrived at the airport, so I couldn’t even enjoy the extra time on my vacation. That part may very well be what irritated me the most. Especially when I could have been at Disney World. The someone ironic part of this story? Both delays were flying out of different Florida airports. My family has since banned me from flying to Florida. Not sure I’ll listen though!
North Carolina Airports
There are 10 airports in North Carolina that service commercial passengers. And ahead of National Aviation Day, August 19th, researchers at BetCarolina decided to calculate the odds of your flight getting delayed at each of those airports. And it’s not your imagination, those odds are increasing over time. The Bureau of Transportation Statistics reports that the percentage of delayed flights in 2018 was 17.3%, and it now sits at 21.6% in 2023.
What are we considering a “delayed flight”? A flight that arrived or departed from the gate 15 minutes or more after the scheduled arrival or departure. And you may be surprised to learn that the odds of your flight being delayed is not the greatest at the largest North Carolina airport. No, I’ll spoil it now. Charlotte Douglas International Airport did not have the highest percentage of delays. Instead, a regional airport did. But CLT was close to the worst. Keep reading to see what your odds of your flight being delayed at each North Carolina airport are. And you’ll learn a little about the destinations each airport serves. Another interesting statistic- overall if you are flying from anywhere in NC you have a 22.5% chance that the flight will be late.
Melanie Day is a graduate of North Carolina State University. She has worked for Beasley since 2012 in a variety of behind-the-scenes roles in both digital and promotions. Melanie writes about a diverse range of topics some of her favorites include travel, restaurants, Taylor Swift, and college athletics. When not at work you'll find her at a country concert or NC State sporting event.
