Non-Stop Flight From NC to Ca

It was and will be a flight from NC to the West Coast.  Gov. Bev Perdue boarded United Airlines Flight 194 yesterday morning from Raleigh-Durham International Airport bound for San Francisco.  It was the inaugural flight of United Airlines’ direct non-stop daily service from RDU to San Francisco that was announced in April.   “North Carolina is already a great place for business, and this new non-stop flight to the West Coast will create more opportunities for companies to thrive in North Carolina by facilitating venture capitalists’ access to our state and by making it easier for business leaders to get to and from Asia,” Gov. Perdue said.  CNBC, Forbes, Site Selection, and Chief Executive have all ranked North Carolina as one of the best states to do business.  And recently, Southern Business and Development named North Carolina the “State of the Year” for its 2011 economic development efforts.  While on the West Coast, Gov. Perdue and a team of economic development and tourism leaders met with company officials to tout the benefits of doing business in the Tar Heel State. The San Francisco flight will depart daily at 7 a.m. and arrive in San Francisco at 9:50 a.m. local time.  The arrival time is aligned with outbound Asian flights that depart San Francisco in the 11 o’clock hour.   North Carolina passengers will now be able to easily connect to Tokyo, Hong Kong, Osaka, Shanghai, Beijing, Seoul and Hawaii.  Service to San Francisco has been a top priority for RDU officials and local business leaders who have business ties on the West Coast and to those seeking more connections to Asia. The return flight departs San Francisco at 12:50 p.m. and arrives at RDU at 8:50 p.m.