The massive makeover of Raleigh-Durham International Airport's Terminal 1 will cost more than previous projections.

RDU officials on Thursday approved spending $5 million more on a new commercial curb and exterior painting, bringing the total cost of the project to $65 million.

AirTran and JetBlue recently moved out of the terminal, in preparation for construction to begin next year. A rebuilt Terminal 1 is expected to reopen in 2014 with modern amenities such as a new bag handling system and glass elevators.

Officials also announced that RDU director John Brantley, who had been scheduled to retire July 31, will stay on through the fall. The RDU board asked Brantley to remain until a successor can be found.

Assuming the recession hasn't wiped out your vacation plans, here's some good news: Soaking up the sun or gambling in the Bahamas will soon get a little easier.

Vision Airlines plans to begin direct flights between Raleigh-Durham International Airport and Grand Bahama Island on Nov. 4. The flights will start at $99 each way and run on Mondays and Fridays.

It's the first commercial service for Vision at RDU, although the company has offered charter flights at the airport since 2008. The new flights are part of a broader expansion by Vision in other markets.

"There is definitely potential to add more flights to RDU," said Vision spokeswoman Gini Strobel. "We are sure the flights to Grand Bahama Island will be successful, and we hope to consider more routes for RDU in the future."

Air travelers in eastern counties trying to reach the Windy City have a new choice for nonstop flights.

American Eagle, the regional sister of American Airlines, has started two daily flights between Wilmington International Airport and Chicago O'Hare.

The airline expects to draw business and leisure travelers, and the new service could create some competition for Raleigh-Durham International Airport among passengers in Eastern counties.

"There is plenty of demand in the Research Triangle region and eastern North Carolina to support additional service to Chicago," said RDU spokeswoman Mindy Hamlin.

Southwest Airlines, the busiest carrier at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, is running a fare sale tied to its 40th anniversary.

Tickets start at $40 each way for flights up to 450 miles. Flights of 451 to 1,250 miles are $80 one-way, and 1,251 miles or more are $120 one-way. The sale ends Thursday at midnight and tickets are good for travel between Aug. 23 and Nov. 16.

There are other catches, including a limited number of tickets available at the sale prices and blackout dates around Labor Day and Columbus Day. Oh, and taxes and fees aren't included.

But still, given the recent surge in ticket prices as oil prices spiked, the sale is likely to attract travelers.

Tom Parsons, CEO of Bestfares.com, told USA Today that the anniversary promotion is the "biggest airfare sale of 2011."

"This is the first time that I can remember in my 30 years of tracking airfares that I have seen airfares from over 100 U.S. cities as low as $40 one-way," Parsons said.

Twenty-nine years and four months after it opened at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, the ugly blue box formerly known as Terminal A will serve its last passengers today.  It will not be missed.

AirTran Airlines, with four daily flights to and from Atlanta, is the last carrier still operating in the big central section of what RDU now calls Terminal 1.  After the last flights tonight leave at 7:59 p.m. and arrive at 11:40 p.m., the security checkpoint and bag-claim carousels will shut down.

Starting Tuesday, AirTran will be housed in the old north end of Terminal 1 -- sharing desk space, security checkpoint and baggage carousels with its new corporate parent, Southwest Airlines. AirTran will use Gate A24.

What happens next? RDU will close off the central section of Terminal 1 later this year in preparation for a $60 million makeover.  ... [MORE]

Frontier Airlines is ending the only nonstop service between Raleigh-Durham International Airport and Milwaukee next month and ceasing operations at RDU.

Frontier, a subsidiary of Indianapolis-based Republic Airways, will stop its two daily departures from RDU on June 6.

The airline resumed the nonstop flights in April 2010, when it was known as Midwest Airlines.

While travelers can still reach Milwaukee from RDU, it will involve the extra hassle of changing planes in another city. RDU officials and economic developers are eager for more airlines add nonstop flights, which can be a powerful recruiting tool for this region.

"We are always disappointed when an airline ceases operations," RDU officials wrote in a prepared statement. "However, we have a very strong market, and we have learned that when demand is strong, airlines will step in to meet it."

A new club has opened at Raleigh-Durham International Airport that is open to all customers no matter the airline they are flying or have an affiliation with.

The Club at RDU, located in Terminal 1 across from gate 21, offers complimentary snacks, including alcoholic beverages, as well as PCs, printers, phones, free Wi-Fi and satellite television.

The price for a day pass is $29.95, though the club says it is offering a special initial rate of $24.95.

The RDU Airport Authority receives $5 for every paid visitor to the club, spokeswoman Mindy Hamlin said.

After one full year of operations, the authority will also receive 25 percent of any operating profits generated by the club, she said.

The club also offers special programs for frequent flyers, corporations and group travel and accepts members of Priority Pass, the independent airport lounge program.

The club is operated by Airport Lounge Development, Inc. The company also operates a similar club at the Dallas-Fort Worth airport.

Club at RDU is open from 5:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.

It will feature art from local artists.

Following the splashy January opening of Raleigh-Durham International Airport's Terminal 2, plans for remodeling Terminal 1 are taking shape.

On Thursday, officials with the airport authority received a design from Pearce, Brinkley, Cease and Lee, the architecture firm in charge of the $60 million renovation.

Plans include: a new bag handling system, larger security checkpoint, glass elevators, new exterior, concession space before security, and more glass and translucent material to let in natural light.

In May, AirTran and JetBlue are scheduled to vacate the central section of the terminal. Construction is expected to begin next spring.

The Durham Bulls won't ditch their team bus.

Just in time for next week's season-opening games, the minor league baseball team announced today that Delta Air Lines will be their official airline for the 2011 and 2012 seasons.

The partnership reinforces Delta's interest in the Raleigh-Durham market, said airline vice president Jeff Robertson.

Delta will install advertising on signs and scoreboards at the Durham Bulls Athletic Park, and airline employees at RDU will wear Bulls hats and logos.

Southwest Airlines, one of the busiest carriers at Raleigh-Durham International Airport, is raising fares for the first time in 2011.

The increase of $4 to $10 per roundtrip ticket is being matched by other major airlines including American, Delta, United, Continental and US Airways, the Associated Press reports.

Southwest spokesman Brad Hawkins told the AP that the increases will help offset higher fuel and operating costs. Airlines, which lost billions in 2008 and 2009, turned profitable again last year, fueled partly by higher ticket prices and various fees. Most carriers are expected to make money again this year, even with surging oil prices, as the economic recovery spurs more travel.

Southwest raised prices $2 each way on trips up to 500 miles, $3 for 501 to 1,000 miles, and $5 each way on longer flights, the AP reports.