RDU airport expects a record number of passengers over the Thanksgiving holiday
Airports are still a bit less crowded than they were before the COVID-19 pandemic, but that won’t be the case this week.
Raleigh-Durham International Airport expects nearly 333,000 passengers to pass through the airport this week, 14% more than during Thanksgiving week in 2019, which happens to be RDU’s busiest year on record.
People will see the biggest crowds on Wednesday, with more than 55,000 passengers expected, and Sunday, when nearly 60,000 people will head home through the airport. Sunday’s total could set a new single-day record for passengers at RDU, exceeding the current one of 54,840 set on Thanksgiving Sunday in 2019.
Overall this year, business at RDU is down 17% from where it was at this time in 2019, mostly because fewer people are traveling for business. Post-pandemic leisure travel has been strong, and the airport tends to be busiest on weekends and holidays.
Here are some tips for making the process go easier:
▪ Arrive two hours before your flight. You may need that time to park, get through security and check in. Plus, many airlines begin boarding planes 40 minutes before the scheduled departure time.
▪ Before you leave for the airport, check the status of flights, both incoming and departing, at www.rdu.com.
▪ Consider booking and paying for a parking space at least 24 hours in advance at www.rdu.com/parking/. It’s a few dollars cheaper per day, and you can guarantee a spot in the deck, even when the electronic signs around the airport say the Central and Premier lots are “closed.”
▪ This is important: RDU no longer accepts cash for parking.
▪ Wherever you park, give yourself time to find a place to park. Booking in advance doesn’t reserve a particular spot, so you’ll have to hunt for an open one among the more than 11,000 in the deck.
▪ If you’re picking someone up, wait in the cellphone lot near the Aviation Parkway and Airport Boulevard entrances to the airport. It’s better than circling around or unnecessarily taking up limited curb space outside the terminals.
This story was originally published November 22, 2022 at 1:24 PM.
