http://www.bizjournals.com/triangle/stories/2008/08/18/daily40.html?f=et85&ana=du_B Thursday, August 21, 2008 - 2:44 PM EDT Modified: Thursday, August 21, 2008 - 3:40 PM RDU sets opening date for new Terminal 2 Triangle Business Journal - by Chris Baysden The governing body for Raleigh-Durham International Airport finally has picked a date to open the new Terminal 2 to the public. The RDU Airport Authority voted Thursday to make the first phase of the $570 million terminal operational the morning of Oct. 26. To make that happen, RDU and airline staff will start late Oct. 25 and work all night to move airlines from their old gates in Terminal C to their new gates in the north concourse of Terminal 2. RDU passengers on Oct. 25 will use the current gates on the south concourse of Terminal C. Starting the next morning, passengers will use the 19 gates on the new north concourse. The security checkpoint for the new concourse will open at 5 a.m. Oct. 26. Airlines affected by the move Oct. 25-26 include American Airlines, United Airlines, Air Canada and Charter Express. Officials have said in the past that the new terminal would open sometime between the middle of September and the end of October. But the September dates were no longer under consideration when Airport Director John Brantley presented the board with three sets of dates Thursday: Oct. 18-19, Oct. 25-26 and Nov. 1-2. After hearing from airport staff, the board voted unanimously for the Oct. 25-26 changeover for the new terminal. Airport staff recommended the mid October date due to concerns that the new terminal's IT infrastructure might not be ready until then. Officials hope to obtain the certificate of occupancy in the next week. Airport authority member Rob Teer calls the opening of the terminal a monumental time in the airport's history. Addressing the complexity of the project, Teer says, "What we've done with this terminal is really kind of a miracle." Fellow board member Terry Yeargan likened it to an Olympic swimming race. "We're on that last leg of that relay. We're going to touch that wall shortly and I'm excited about it." Terminal 2 is an extensive expansion and replacement of the old Terminal C. The 550,000-square-foot first phase of Terminal 2 has been built where the old north concourse of Terminal C used to stand. The section of Terminal C being vacated Oct. 25 will be torn down and rebuilt as the south concourse of Terminal 2. The project is to be completed in 2011. Also moving into Terminal 2 is Delta Air Lines, which currently is in Terminal A. The Delta move will take place a week or two after the other airlines move. Terminal A will undergo a name change to Terminal 1. <<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>> If you wish to unsubscribe from the AIRLINE List, please send an E-mail to: "listserv@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx". Within the body of the text, only write the following:"SIGNOFF AIRLINE".