Gearing Up For Back-to-Back US Opens

In just a few days, the golf world will descend on central North Carolina for both the men’s and women’s US Open tournaments in Pinehurst. We are excited to be one of the gateway airports for one of the sport’s premiere events. Thousands of visitors are expected through RDU over the next two weeks, and we’re getting ready to welcome them. 

[caption id="attachment_778" align="alignright" width="300"] A remote lot at RDU has become a staging area for official U.S. Open vehicles that will transport players, officials and staff to and from Pinehurst.[/caption]

Whether you’re flying in for the U.S. Open, traveling through RDU on other business or simply coming to the airport, here’s what you can expect, over the next few weeks.

Signs Galore

You’ll be hard-pressed not to see signs welcoming to the region visitors for the US Open. This Sunday, crews will be installing large banners and signs in both terminals. Digital signage will start appearing on monitors throughout the airport. Already, a large roadside display pointing the way to Pinehurst is in place on Aviation Parkway near Sheetz, courtesy of the N.C. Department of Transportation.

Welcome Desks

Staff and volunteers from the Moore County Convention and Visitors Bureau will be manning our special events desks in both Terminals 1 and 2 from Sunday, June 8 through Saturday, June 21. These desks are located in bag claim. Staff and volunteers will be handing out literature and information on the tournament, as well as assisting with transportation, directions and other information about the Sandhills Region.

Other Preparations

Behind-the-scenes, hundreds of official event vehicles are slowly trickling out of one of our remote parking lots, where they’ve been staged for the past few days. These vehicles will make their way to Pinehurst to transport players, officials, staff and to and from the event. Also, our fixed-based operators are making preparations to welcome a larger than usual number of private aircraft flying in. We don’t expect much celebrity spotting, however, as the sports’ biggest names and famous spectators will likely fly into smaller airports closer to the event site.

Stay Connected

Throughout both U.S. Open tournaments, we’ll be sharing travel tips, airport information and even some of the cool U.S. Open merchandise you can find at RDU. Make sure you stay connected via our Twitter, Facebook and Google+ pages, as well as right here on RDU Cruising Altitude.

We’re looking forward to a great U.S. Open.