Carry On: RDU announces plans to get travel back on track

The Triangle Take-Off Coalition held a press conference at 10:30 a.m. to announce the launch of a multi-phase advertising campaign to promote global connectivity. The campaign is called Carry On.

The Carry On campaign is funded by companies across the region who are invested in RDU's recovery.

The goals of the campaign are:

Former NC State football player Terrance Holt of the Holt Brothers Inc. spoke at the conference, saying that joining the Coalition was a "no-brainer."

"The Triangle has always been home for us," he said. "But our work isn't bound to our region alone."

He pointed out that travel through RDU allows the Triangle a unique opportunity for companies to have access to work in other regions. Likewise, the airport itself provides jobs to thousands of employees and small businesses -- from the contractors to the restaurants and shops inside RDU.

"Almost 100,000 people are put to work thanks to the bustling activity you see around here today," he said.

It's no secret the airport industry took a hit during the pandemic.

In the past month or so, the airport has been busier than it has been in months. On Memorial Day weekend, RDU saw 221,0000 people shuffling through their gates and taking to the skies for travel.

However, a lot of the travel so far has been leisure – and Monday's announcement will focus on the airport's efforts to bring business-related travel back to RDU.

Mike Landguth, president and CEO of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority, is expected to explain how a new coalition plans to encourage travelers to return to the skies – and facilitate regional economic recovery.