Parking Guidance System Improves Travel Experience:
RDU set a single-day record on Mon., May 13 during Mother’s Day and graduation weekend, which is typically one of the busiest weekends of the year. Nearly 59,000 passengers passed through the terminals that day, an increase of 6.1% over the previous record set in October 2023. Sunday was the busiest day on record at Terminal 1.
Passenger traffic continues to grow at RDU, with nearly 1.3 million travelers flying through the airport in April – an increase of 3.7% compared to March, which was boosted by spring break travel, and a 7.7% increase over April 2023.
“The month of May is the traditional kickoff of the summer travel season, beginning with Mother’s Day and college graduations and running through Memorial Day weekend,” said Michael Landguth, president and CEO of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. “We anticipate the demand for air travel will continue to grow in June and July as airlines expand their schedules and RDU welcomes three new international destinations.”
Air Service: Breeze Airways is expanding routes and adding new destinations at RDU. The airline added flights to White Plains, New York this month and will begin flying to Burlington, Vermont, Syracuse and Portland, Maine in late May. Service to West Palm Beach on Breeze begins in June. White Plains and West Palm are new destinations for RDU. Frontier begins service to Milwaukee – another new destination – and Hartford in May. Avelo added a new destination when it launched flights to Albany last week. RDU will welcome three new international airlines in June and July, when Lufthansa begins service to Frankfurt, Germany, Aeromexico launches flights to Mexico City and Copa Airlines starts flying to Panama City.
Parking Technology: A parking guidance system that makes it easier for airport guests to find an open parking space has been fully installed in the deck at RDU. Signs at the parking deck entrance list the number of open spaces by level, and red, green and blue overhead lights indicate occupied, open and handicapped spots. Airport guests can also download a mobile app and enter their license plate number to quickly locate their vehicle in the deck. Parking guidance systems like the one at RDU can help guests find a space up to 63% faster compared to decks without one. RDU’s system is the latest innovation the airport is deploying to make travel even more convenient. See how it works in this video.
Travel Tips: The summer months are the busiest time of year at RDU – even outpacing the winter holiday season. Here are a few travel tips that will help your trip run smoothly:
- Arrive at the airport at least two hours early for domestic flights and three hours early for international flights to ensure you have enough time to park, go through security and get to your gate on time.
- Guarantee a parking spot in the deck or lot of your choice by booking parking at least 24 hours in advance at rdu.com. You can also check parking capacity online before you leave for the airport and via digital signs on airport roadways.
- Wait for arriving guests in the cell lot, located just minutes from both terminals at 1000 Trade Drive on the airport campus. Give your party 30 minutes from the time they land to pick up their bags and meet you at the curb.
- Reduce congestion by using either level of Terminal 2 for pickup or drop off.