RDU Airport, NC – Summer travel kicked into high gear this week at Raleigh-Durham International Airport as many leisure travelers took off for vacation. Several days this week, an estimated 14,000 passengers will depart RDU, up from a winter average of 11,000.

Officials are advising travelers to arrive in their terminal at least 90 minutes before their flight departs to allow plenty of time to check in with their airline and go through the security screening process. Find more summer travel tips.

“The summer travel season is always a busy one,” said Teresa Damiano, RDU’s director of marketing. “The most important thing passengers can do is give themselves plenty of time to check in with their airline and go through security checkpoint. Summer leisure traffic picks up at RDU in May with area college graduations and lasts through Labor Day.”

The busiest times of the day are in the early morning between 5 a.m. and 7 a.m. when many of the airport’s flights are scheduled for departure. Monday morning is the busiest day as both leisure and business travelers fly out for the week.

TSA to Add More Security Checkpoint Lanes in Terminal 2
The Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority is working with the Transportation Security Administration to open two additional security checkpoint lanes in Terminal 2. With the addition, the security checkpoint will grow from eight to 10 lanes, adding more capacity.

The project is underway and is expected to be completed in the next few weeks.

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