by Heidi Reid | Aug 5, 2024 | 2024, Do, July 2024/August 2024
Passport or no, here’s where to go wheels up this summer—and beyond.
Skipping Borders
In a relationship with: our passports. All we need is a three-month vacation four times a year—really not asking too much. But until that happens, fun fact: It takes less time for these international direct flights from RDU to Europe than it does to travel to many indirect West Coast locales. So catch flights and feelings with these five destination hot spots worth digging out your passport for—or peep a trio of tropical hot spots you can go wheels up without the added paperwork—plus the hotels worth booking your vacation around. Once again, we rest our suitcase.
RDU DIRECT | Freeport, Bahamas | Our pick: Pelican Bay—Because it’s the “happiest hotel on Grand Bahama Island” duh. Where better to live out your White Lotus fantasy?! pelicanbayhotel.com
RDU DIRECT | Frankfurt, Germany | Our pick: Roomers—The swank, dark and seductive atmosphere makes for an ultrahip stay nestled between the train station and the Main River. roomers-hotels.com
Gustavia, St. Barts | Our pick: Hotel Barriere Le Carl Gustaf—A stone’s throw from Shell Beach in the lap of luxury will have you uttering “Toi là! Je t’aime!” (Hey there I love you), indeed. hotelsbarriere.com
RDU DIRECT | Paris | Our pick: Hyatt Regency Paris Étoile—Joie de vivre found atop Paris’ highest skyscraper hotel with nonparallel Eiffel Tower and City of Lights views. hyatt.com
Cancun | Our pick: Excellence Playa Mujeres—No bad rooms exist at this luxe adults-only 2022 “World’s Best Winner” (!) idyllic beachfront paradise that pretty much defines the bueno life. excellenceresorts.com
No Passport? No Problem
Tropic like it’s hot at a trio of tropical destinations sans passport.
St. Croix, U.S. Virgin Islands | Resort pick: The Fred—And we’ll never be royals at these adults-only King Frederik V-dubbed boutique beachfront digs inviting you to “sleep with Fred.” sleepwithfred.com
San Juan, Puerto Rico | Resort pick: Condado Vanderbilt Hotel—Nee 1919, PR’s first luxe hotel is an art deco beachfront haven for luminaries and wanderlusters alike. If it’s good enough for JFK… condadovanderbilt.com
Tumon Bay, Guam | Resort pick: The Tsubaki Tower—Dubai feels, but make it on a U.S. island territory towering over azure waters so vibrant you’ll have to squint to see it. tsubakitower.kenhotels.com
Handy Passport Hacks
Need a passport—or yours expiring soon? Navigate “law & border” with our handy hacks.
by Anna Beth Adcock | Apr 5, 2024 | April 2024, Buzz
April marks the beginning of a lineup of 15 new destinations rolling down the runway at RDU.
Springtime travel bug: activated. RDU has been consistently rolling out new flight announcements, runway groundbreakings and restaurant openings over the past few months—clearly showcasing its ability to soar into a new caliber (read: the official airport of college basketball!).
What’s more, more people are flocking to fly than ever before, with the Transportation Security Administration totaling 3 million+ more passengers in October 2023 than during the same month pre-pandemic.
Now, the excitement continues to build with a plethora of upcoming international and domestic flight debuts (hallo, Germany!) Prepare for boarding as a batch of 15 nonstop flights take their inaugural trips off the Raleigh runway in early April. Here’s the lowdown of which destinations are on the docket to fuel your wanderlust. Ready for takeoff?
Boarding in April
April 10
Boston (BOS) | Frontier Airlines
Miami (MIA) | Frontier Airlines
New York (LGA) | Frontier Airlines
Tampa (TPA) | Frontier Airlines
April 11
Chicago-O’Hare (ORD) | Frontier Airlines
April 30
San Diego (SAN) | Breeze Airways
Boarding in May
May 3
White Plains, New York (HPN) | Breeze Airways
May 10
Albany, New York (ALB) | Avelo Airlines
May 16
Milwaukee (MKE) | Frontier Airlines
May 23
Burlington, Vermont (BTV) | Breeze Airways
Syracuse, New York (SYR) | Breeze Airways
May 24
Portland, Maine (PWM) | Breeze Airways
Boarding this summer:
June 6
Frankfurt, Germany (FRA) | Lufthansa
June 21
Panama City, Panama (PTY) | Copa Airlines
July 1
Mexico City, Mexico (MEX) | Aeromexico
by Raleigh Magazine | Jun 29, 2023 | Do, July/August 2023
Our local airport flies above and beyond.
Airplane mode: on. I’ve been to 15 airports on three continents during the last two years alone. I’ve dealt with delays, TSA traumas, disappointing dining options and airports that simply don’t pass the vibe check (cough, cough, O’Hare). I’ve also bopped through boujee travel pads touting nap rooms, capsule hotels, customer service robots, eye-catching artwork and droolworthy fare (s/o to the noodles at Narita
International Airport!).
Yet, as they say, distance makes the heart grow fonder. After all my travels, one airport continues to soar above the rest for me. *Cue the drumroll* … it’s none other than our local, lovable and what some might call little Raleigh-Durham International Airport (“though she be but little she is fierce,” and I’d even argue RDU’s smaller size adds to its appeal).
To wit, our airport has friendly TSA agents and local eateries boasting our city’s impressive foodie scene (La Farm Bakery! Char-Grill! Raleigh Brewing!), with more hometown eats and drinks on the way—think Conniption Cocktail Bar, Raleigh Beer Garden and Lonerider Brewing, to name but a few. And going the extra mile, RDU continues to extend its direct flight options. Translation: way less layover drama.
Then there’s the unbeatable vibe. Call me sentimental, but there’s no feeling quite like returning to Raleigh after a long flight and rolling my suitcase past the iconic Raleigh mural toward my pickup point. The whole airport gives off a warm ambiance—so much so that I would just visit for fun… and I have (don’t @ me).
Whether it was love at first flight or I’ve got my head in the clouds, RDU will forever be an airport standout in my heart. And I can’t wait to see how it keeps spreading its wings and flying higher in the future. Essentially, if I’m starting my travels from Raleigh… consider me ready for takeoff.
—Infatuated frequent flyer
Got a rant or rave?
Email it to [email protected] for print consideration.
by Raleigh Magazine | Jan 21, 2021 | Buzz, February 2021
Flights from RDU are on the up and up.
Jet-setting around the world was clearly not in the cards for 2020, but flights are finally starting to take off again at Raleigh–Durham International Airport—so those travel dream boards you built when you hit the bottom of Netflix could actually materialize, which is pretty fly.
Over the recent holidays, and more specifically, the week of Dec. 20 to 27, TSA screened 52,812 departing passengers from RDU: a 14% increase over the previous week—but, for perspective, still down 63.5% from the same week in 2019. That said, it was RDU’s highest passenger count since mid-March—when the pandemic hit North Carolina and airlines were grounded to a halt.
As airlines saw the upward trend, many began resuming or adding nonstop flights to various destinations. “RDU is extremely fortunate to add new destinations at a time when airports continue to lose airlines service,” says Michael Landguth, president and CEO of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. “We are optimistic that passengers will support the new routes by traveling to these warm-weather destinations during the winter months.”
It’s an understatement to say we could all seriously use a vacation right about now. With so many more direct flights available at RDU, there’s no better time than now to plan a getaway to one of these nonstop destinations once it’s safe to do again. Bon voyage!
In December, American Airlines brought back nonstop service to Cancun, and, in January, to DC (Reagan International). Direct flights to LA are scheduled to resume in March, with pond-jumping direct flights to London slated to return in late spring.
Well-known for its Boston and New York markets, JetBlue launched five new nonstop destinations in the fall: including Fort Myers, Florida; San Juan, Puerto Rico; LA (the airline’s first West Coast-bound flight from RDU); Cancun, Mexico; and Montego Bay, Jamaica—the latter two serving as RDU’s first nonstop international takeoffs since the pandemic began. This month the airline will add daily service to Austin, Jacksonville, Newark, Orlando and Tampa, and, in March, Las Vegas and San Francisco.
Delta Air Lines will resume direct flights to Austin and Jacksonville on Feb. 11, and Las Vegas (daily) on March 2 and plans to resume its nonstop flight to Paris this spring.
