Economy Hasn’t Grounded RDU’s PR
One of the global industries most impacted by the recession has been the aviation and travel industry. Even our own Raleigh-Durham International Airport, situated in the midst of Research Triangle Park’s hotbed of business travelers, has seen major declines in traffic as businesses have often resorted to telephone conferences and other means of cutting travel costs. As a former intern at the RDU Airport Authority, I like to stay informed on their happenings.
While the recession has been felt by the authority, it has continued to operate smoothly, even enjoying some growth and development. The construction of Terminal 2 is expected to be completed in the winter of 2011. As the largest construction project in the history of the airport, the completed terminal will add 36 new gates and 41 shops and restaurants. Being in the middle of such a large project when the economy tanked has surely been stressful for RDU, but the authority has continued to celebrate the project, hosting a well-attended open house and keeping the media informed all while receiving recognition along the way.
RDU has also continued to explore opportunities to expand service. Service to Milwaukee is scheduled to begin on April 1.
As finances have tightened, the authority has explored both innovative and traditional ways to cut costs. A major switch to LED runway and taxiway lighting began in July 2009 and is set for completion later this spring. It is expected that the conversion will cut energy costs up to 60%. RDU has also tightened up the budget, recommending no new hires and practicing frugality within departments.
Following in the footsteps of other major airports that are using Twitter to communicate with passengers, RDU launched a new Twitter account on November 4. The account has provided a valuable real-time communication option with passengers, especially helpful earlier this year with the frequent weather-related delays.
Things are starting to look up at RDU. January marked the second out of the past three months to see an increase in traffic, with more than 10,000 more passengers traveling through RDU in January 2010 than January 2009.
RDU has done a great job staying focused on the things they must do to operate effectively and successfully. There’s no doubt that poor economy and low passenger counts are something the authority has had to face constantly in recent months. However, their continued efforts to grow and stay up-to-date in their communication and customer service departments is an indicator of great PR in the midst of challenging circumstances.



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