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RDU's Terminal 1 is Up Next for an Airport Renovation

There’s been so many airport renovations and remodels around the country that we kind of forget what was going on at the Raleigh-Durham International Airport. They finished off the second part of their brand new Terminal 2 earlier this year, but now they’re focusing their attention across the street to the dated—and one we find smelly—Terminal 1.

Airport officials are thinking that it will cost around $60 million to add all the niceties and upgrades to Terminal 1. Sure that sounds pretty expensive, but compared to the near $600 million they spent on the new Terminal 2—it’s just peanuts. Some of the features to get a facelift include the ticketing counters, security lines and baggage area. There will be glass elevators, a place to grab a coffee or snack before security, and plenty of translucent building materials to allow for some natural light. Architecture firm Pearce, Brinkley, Cease and Lee are still working on all the details, but the bulldozers are expected to roll through beginning this spring.

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Raleigh-Durham's Terminal 2 Is Open Just in Time for the NHL All-Star Game

A few years ago, we got to take a sneak peek inside Raleigh-Durham International Airport’s brand new terminal, and since then we’ve been in and out of it several times and have always been pleased. However, we’ve been eager to see what was behind the construction wall, as the second half of the terminal has been under construction for quite some time. Well, over the weekend things finally opened up to traffic—and just in time too—as hockey’s best players and fans are headed to the North Carolina’s Triangle for this year’s NHL All-Star Game.

This time we’re not on hand to check things out for ourselves, but we’re expecting a mirror image of the first half of the renovated Terminal 2—which is a good thing. High, soaring ceilings allow for plenty of waiting space for Continental and US Airways passengers as they will no longer be stuck in the outdated—and kind of smelly—Terminal 1. All in all, the new place cost around $600 million to build, so it’s only natural to expect the best of the best.

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This Year's Top Picks for Airport Concessions Include Vancouver and New York's JFK

We’ve done our share of taste-testing at airports around the country, and we certainly have our favorites when it comes to the fancy and not-so-fancy options for airport eats. Now we have the official opinion when it comes to airport concessions, as Airports Council International-North America released their picks for some of the best eats within North America.

Top honors go to our friends north of the border in Vancouver, as the airport scored the overall award of excellence thanks to its 167 shops, restaurants, and other businesses. Officials especially like their different plazas and “streets” that feature all kinds of different stuff from British Columbia. We’re sure a healthy dose of Tim Horton’s coffee—with Timbits of course—helped out their cause a bit. We’ve only been to Vancouver’s airport once, so we can’t give a full review, but we did think both the pre and post security options were pretty darn nice.

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Airport Construction Update: What's New In NorCal, SoCal and More

There’s many reasons to love airports. Sure we’re stuck in them more than we’d like, but they’re all unique and all offer an escape to somewhere else. That’s why we’re always on the look out for any airport activity or terminal trends. Here’s the scoop on three airport construction projects that you might run into sooner or later:

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New Terminals Travel: A Sneak Peak at T2 at RDU

There's nothing quite like spending the day at the airport when you have no intention of flying anywhere. Yet that's where we were over the weekend as the Raleigh-Durham International Airport flung open the doors on its new Terminal 2.

Families, business travelers and dorks like us were all on-hand to check things out and figure out where to charge the laptop before take-off. (Answer: At the copious plugs found at every gate.) There was a pretty good turnout, and airport staff provided novelty boarding passes and event programs.

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New Terminals Travel: Raleigh Aiport Hosting Weekend Open House

While we wait for the now-delayed opening of JFK's new T5, Raleigh-Durham International is wooing airport dorks with an open house on Saturday, 10 am-4 pm.

The new $570 million Terminal 2 at RDU will open in two phases. The party this weekend is in the North Concourse, which will have a dozen restaurants, 19 gates, two large art installations and seating areas with plentiful standard and USB power outlets. The airport is also planning family activities, live music and prize giveaways for the open house.

T2 officially opens on October 26, when American, Delta, United and Air Canada move in. Continental and US Airways are scheduled to join them by the end of 2011.

Related Stories:
· RDU Terminal 2 [Official Site]
· JetBlue Terminal 5 Opening Pushed Back! [Jaunted]