Who needs multi-million dollar airport renovations? I’ve figured out a way to make the Raleigh-Durham airport seem much bigger, cheaply! Jaded air travelers know that landing at a large airport like Atlanta’s Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport is only half the battle. The other half is taxiing to the gate, which sometimes seems to take longer than the flight itself. Two-runway Raleigh-Durham Airport doesn’t have this problem. When jets land at RDU, they are frequently within sight of their gates. This ease of movement contributes to the image of Raleigh-Durham as a small-town airport. A “hick” airport, if you will.
From now on, pilots should immediately do a lap or two around the terminal building before pulling up to their gates, with more laps added if the plane arrives early. It would also be helpful to ask passengers to close their window shades so as not to attract attention. If that raises suspicion, the pilot could turn around halfway around the building so that the terminal passes on opposing sides of the plane. Figure-eights, if you will. That way passengers on each side see a diffferent view all the way through.
By implementing these new taxiing procedures, Raleigh-Durham will join the ranks of the big-boy airports with long taxi times and thus rise in esteem in the minds of the traveling public.