Parking Garage Improvements Next Month to Impact Space Availability
Raleigh-Durham International Airport continues to grow at a rapid pace, with more than 675,000 passengers boarding flights at the airport last month. That number represents a 12.9 percent increase over July 2018 enplanements.
“We are pleased to see an increasing number of business and leisure travelers making RDU their airport of choice,” said Michael Landguth, president and CEO of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. “During this busy travel season, it’s important that travelers arrive early to RDU to allow enough time to catch their flight.”
RDU recommends travelers arrive at the airport at least two hours early for domestic flights to navigate construction on airport roadways, find parking, check in with their airline and clear through the security checkpoint. International travelers should add an extra hour.
New shops, expanded hours: The Shops of RDU is ready to welcome new retail and dining options in the coming weeks, and is celebrating expanded hours of operations to meet customer demand.
Triangle Market is set to open in Terminal 1 early next week. The retail shop features local artisans and goods and follows the success of Terminal 2’s Root & Branch, named by USA TODAY’s 10Best as North America’s top airport store for local merchandise. Travelers can find Triangle Market across from Gate A-6.
Terminal 2 passengers can look forward to a new dining option in early September when BurgerFi opens for business. The fast-growing “better burger” chain also features hot dogs, custard and a full bar. BurgerFi will be located near Gate D-3.
Many of RDU’s concessionaires have expanded their morning hours, opening as early at 4 a.m. Travelers can find updated hours for their favorite Shops of RDU at RDU.com.
Frontier adds nonstop flights to Miami and Atlanta: Frontier Airlines added daily nonstop service to Miami, Fla. and Atlanta, Ga, two of RDU’s most popular domestic destinations. Frontier also extended its seasonal service from Raleigh to Boston to operate year-round.
Frontier now offers nonstop service to 22 destinations from RDU. The growing airline expands customer choice and provides a low-cost option to these markets.
United opens a new club: United Airlines opened a United Club at RDU on Aug. 10, the airline’s first new club at one of its network airport locations in more than 15 years. The new United Club marks RDU’s third airline lounge. The 3,800-square-foot space is located in Terminal 2 across from gates D1 and D3, accessible by elevator or stairs. The United Club at RDU is open from 5 a.m.-7:30 p.m. daily and provides a regional taste with Southern cuisine offerings.
Parking garage improvements: The Airport Authority Board of Directors approved a contract to remove and repair paint on levels two through six of RDU’s parking garage. The garage houses two popular ParkRDU options, Premier and Central.
The contract requires capturing parking spaces immediately following the Labor Day holiday. Between 260 and 800 spaces will be captured for repairs between Labor Day and the Friday before Thanksgiving.
The entire parking garage will be available for parking from the Saturday, Nov. 23 through Friday, January 3, 2020, when space capturing and repair work will resume again through mid-May. During this phase, between 260 and 1,900 spaces will be captured for repair. The anticipated average weekly reduction in parking inventory will be about 1,150 spaces. The maximum number of spaces captured at any specific time will occur in mid-March, when crews capture 1,900 spaces for approximately one week.
The garage repairs come on the heels of the Authority re-opening all sections of Economy 3 after rehabilitative work was completed over the summer. All areas of the lot were repaved and include new pavement markings. New signage and crosswalks were added in the lot and ramps were upgraded to current ADA standards.
Travelers can guarantee entry into the parking option of their choice by booking parking in advance online through ParkRDU.com.