New airport terminal will be roomy, flexible

The first phase of the $570 million structure will go into operation Oct. 26. The rest is to be finished by early 2011

The first big difference is how big it is.

When travelers walk or fly into the new Terminal 2 at Raleigh-Durham International Airport -- set to open for business Oct. 26 as the replacement for Terminal C -- they'll have plenty of room to move and little trouble getting around.

The airport's old terminal lobbies, by contrast, are cramped and chaotic.

Passengers struggle to find their way out of a cluttered concourse at Terminal A. At Terminal C they fight through a narrow corridor to find their bags and loved ones.

The broad entry hall of Terminal 2 is sunlit and unobstructed by columns. Walls and counters are wrapped in maple, granite and steel beneath Douglas fir trusses supporting an undulating roofline.

Airport officials provided a media tour of Terminal 2 on Thursday to show how the new $570 million building will work. The first phase opens in two months with 550,000 square feet of space. The complete terminal, with 32 gates and 920,000 square feet -- almost triple the size of Terminal C -- is scheduled to open in early 2011.

There's no sign of the eight-ton baggage screening machines that squat beside check-in counters in the old terminals. Terminal 2 has a $20 million automated baggage system hidden beneath the floor.

Raleigh-Durham is one of the nation's first airports to open a terminal designed after the terrorist attacks of Sept. 11, 2001. Denver architect Curtis Fentress, a Guilford County native, gave Terminal 2 room to accommodate post-9/11 security needs and expansion space for future changes.

RDU saw air travel decline from 300 departing flights a day in mid-2001 to a low of 171 a year later. The airport had as many as 250 daily departures in 2004. High fuel prices this year have cut that number to 205.

"We know the aviation industry is cyclical," said Mindy Hamlin, an airport spokeswoman, on Thursday. "There will be times of growth and times when flights are reduced. We focused on building a terminal that is flexible to meet the needs of a growing region."

Travelers will check in at 40 electronic kiosks and ticket counters grouped around two islands in the center of the hall. The security checkpoint is seven lanes wide.

The passenger concourse is clad in grays, muted browns and pale greens, with a terrazzo floor patterned after an Appalachian quilt. The richest hues are reserved for green and brown marble tiles that line the restroom entranceways.

Terminal 2's first phase has 19 gates and a mix of 25 national and local shops and restaurants. About 15 percent of the waiting area seats will be fitted with electrical outlets and USB ports -- for passengers with power-hungry phones, laptops and other gadgets.

Raleigh-Durham has one international flight now -- an American Airlines flight to and from London's Heathrow Airport, with 150 to 200 arriving passengers each day. Terminal 2 is geared for more globetrotters, with three international gates and a customs-immigration area designed to handle two wide-body jets at the same time.

International arrivals will walk down a long hallway over the concourse, called a "sterile corridor" because it separates them from domestic travelers. The 780-foot corridor is lined with a $481,000 artwork -- a translucent blue glass installation by Brooklyn artist Ellen Driscoll.

After London passengers finish with customs and pick up their bags, they'll go straight outside.

That's an improvement over the setup in Terminal C. Heathrow arrivals now undergo security screening -- like departing travelers -- before passing through the concourse en route to the exit.