ParkRDU to Modify Payment Options to Enhance Contactless Experience

More than 224,000 travelers are expected to fly through RDU between July 2-8, as the airport prepares for a busy Independence Day travel period. RDU’s busiest travel days will be Friday, July 2, and Monday, July 5, which could see more than 36,000 total passengers each day.

“Leisure travel continues to drive the airport’s recovery, as we enter the busy summer travel season,” said Michael Landguth, president and CEO of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. “Similar to Memorial Day weekend, the Independence Day holiday weekend is expected to see a surge in passenger traffic that could make it the busiest week we’ve seen since COVID-19 emerged in 2020.”

RDU set pandemic records for passenger traffic in March, April and again in May. Throughout the recovery, RDU has seen dramatic spikes in traffic around the holidays with periods of slower but steady growth in between. Prior to the pandemic, leisure travel accounted for about 50 percent of RDU’s customer base, compared to around 80 percent today.

La Farm Bakery + Café Now Open: Just in time for summer travel, RDU’s newest restaurant option, La Farm Bakery + Café, is now open for business in the Terminal 2 Marketplace. The North Carolina culinary staple — recognized among the “Best Artisanal Bakeries in North America” — serves French bistro-inspired breads, pastries, sandwiches, all-day breakfast dishes such as the famous Croque Madame, and more. Diners will also find burgers, grab-and-go items, a full-service bar and even a cup of coffee from Durham-based Counter Culture.

Cashless Parking: To build upon the contactless experience at RDU, the Authority will modify the accepted payment methods for all airport parking facilities after the holiday weekend. ParkRDU will go cashless starting July 7, eliminating the need for parking attendants to interact with guests during the payment process. Drive-up pay stations and pay-on-foot self-service kiosks will continue to accept all major credit cards. Guests without cards may use one of the ReadySTATION® kiosks available pre-security in Terminal 2.

By going cashless, guests will enjoy contactless payment, reduced wait times and can save even more time by booking their parking online at ParkRDU.com, where they can always find the lowest available daily rates.