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I was told as a child learning my history about the state that the geographical center of the state was Seagrove. So when someone uses the term "central North Carolina," I associate it with pottery and not Greensboro, Winston-Salem or High Point.
I agree with the majority on this post that "Greensboro/Winston-Salem International Airport" would be a much better name here. For those who feel High Point is being slighted here--and I have relatives who live there, so I can sympathize--might I add that Cary is bigger in population than High Point but doesn't feel slighted in not being part of the title for RDU airport. Neither do Chapel Hill or the many growing municipalities in Wake County from Morrisville (which is closer to the airport than Raleigh or Durham in fact) to Zebulon. The same thing applies to Concord and Gastonia in relation to Charlotte International Airport.
Airports need to be identified by the largest cities around them, not geographic locations. Very few are designated as such in the U.S., and it's confusing for the ones who are. Do you know what main municipalities are served by Southwest Georgia Regional Airport, for example? Central North Carolina International Airport is confusing and murky. It won't help drive much new plane traffic to the area, I'd wager.
I agree with the majority on this post that "Greensboro/Winston-Salem International Airport" would be a much better name here. For those who feel High Point is being slighted here--and I have relatives who live there, so I can sympathize--might I add that Cary is bigger in population than High Point but doesn't feel slighted in not being part of the title for RDU airport. Neither do Chapel Hill or the many growing municipalities in Wake County from Morrisville (which is closer to the airport than Raleigh or Durham in fact) to Zebulon. The same thing applies to Concord and Gastonia in relation to Charlotte International Airport.
You know this how?
Quote:
Originally Posted by ozmoe571
Airports need to be identified by the largest cities around them, not geographic locations. Very few are designated as such in the U.S., and it's confusing for the ones who are. Do you know what main municipalities are served by Southwest Georgia Regional Airport, for example? Central North Carolina International Airport is confusing and murky. It won't help drive much new plane traffic to the area, I'd wager.
RDU (Then called the Raleigh-Durham Aeronautical Authority) was chartered in 1939. Cary had a population of about 1,000 people, it wasn't big enough to even be considered in naming the airport. Chapel Hill wasn't part of the airport authority...the airport was owned by Wake and Durham Counties, and Raleigh and Durham.
On the other hand, PTIA was started by Greensboro, High Point and Guilford County. W-S was not part of the airport authority and the airport was called the Greensboro-High Point Airport, competing with Smith Reynolds airport in W-S. It was only after Piedmont consolidated its hub in Charlotte in the 70's that Smith Reynolds declined and W-S joined what then became PTIA.
And again, I'm just pointing out the historical and political reasons that naming the airport after G'boro and W-S alone isn't going to happen. I'm NOT saying its right or wrong, I'm simply defining reality.
I know because I've lived in the Triangle all of my life except for a few years, and there's never been a credible campaign by any of these cities besides Raleigh and Durham to rename the airport. If you know of one, please let me and the others on here know, because it would be news to most of us.
Quote:
Originally Posted by BC1960
RDU (Then called the Raleigh-Durham Aeronautical Authority) was chartered in 1939. Cary had a population of about 1,000 people, it wasn't big enough to even be considered in naming the airport. Chapel Hill wasn't part of the airport authority...the airport was owned by Wake and Durham Counties, and Raleigh and Durham.
On the other hand, PTIA was started by Greensboro, High Point and Guilford County. W-S was not part of the airport authority and the airport was called the Greensboro-High Point Airport, competing with Smith Reynolds airport in W-S. It was only after Piedmont consolidated its hub in Charlotte in the 70's that Smith Reynolds declined and W-S joined what then became PTIA.
And again, I'm just pointing out the historical and political reasons that naming the airport after G'boro and W-S alone isn't going to happen. I'm NOT saying its right or wrong, I'm simply defining reality.
I'm defining reality as well then. I'm not arguing with your history lesson. I'm just saying that to sell your airport best to travelers, you go by the biggest city or cities it serves, not by the location name of Central North Carolina, which is the issue we're discussing here. If you're looking for the best economic benefits for all of the Triad, naming the airport by its region is not going to help any of the major cities it serves. People have no problem saying "I'm flying out of Charlotte" or "I'm flying out of RDU." Do you really think they're going to enjoy saying "I'm flying out of Central" or worse yet, "I'm flying out of CNC?" I don't.
I'm defining reality as well then. I'm not arguing with your history lesson. I'm just saying that to sell your airport best to travelers, you go by the biggest city or cities it serves, not by the location name of Central North Carolina, which is the issue we're discussing here. If you're looking for the best economic benefits for all of the Triad, naming the airport by its region is not going to help any of the major cities it serves. People have no problem saying "I'm flying out of Charlotte" or "I'm flying out of RDU." Do you really think they're going to enjoy saying "I'm flying out of Central" or worse yet, "I'm flying out of CNC?" I don't.
Thats a fair point, but good luck selling to to High Point. I'm sure the PTI board considered it already.
With Nido Qubein being the cochair of the Triad Partnership, there was no way he was going to allow Greensboro and Winston-Salem being in the name without High Point and he seems to get his way.
Btw, this made the Seattle Times. Guess they are trying to sell the story across the country lol.
I know because I've lived in the Triangle all of my life except for a few years, and there's never been a credible campaign by any of these cities besides Raleigh and Durham to rename the airport. If you know of one, please let me and the others on here know, because it would be news to most of us.
I'm defining reality as well then. I'm not arguing with your history lesson. I'm just saying that to sell your airport best to travelers, you go by the biggest city or cities it serves, not by the location name of Central North Carolina, which is the issue we're discussing here. If you're looking for the best economic benefits for all of the Triad, naming the airport by its region is not going to help any of the major cities it serves. People have no problem saying "I'm flying out of Charlotte" or "I'm flying out of RDU." Do you really think they're going to enjoy saying "I'm flying out of Central" or worse yet, "I'm flying out of CNC?" I don't.
This kind of silly debate would never happen in the Triangle. Each municipality knows its role in the greater Triangle area, and is more focused on cooperating in order to make the area greater as a whole. The same appears to be true in the Charlotte metro.
I have to imagine that the board of PTI, which consists of representation from the different municipalities, made the decision to go with the new name based on objective data that pointed to the new name being better for the area than the previous name. If the decision in fact came down to petty discussions about High Point's or Winston-Salem's or Greensboro's concern over it's name not being included, then the Triad has a lot of work to do before it reaches the level of maturity needed to truly compete with larger metros.
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