Here’s your travel guide to RDU airport this Thanksgiving. Hint: It’s going to be busy.
People traveling through Raleigh-Durham International Airport over Thanksgiving will find the experience feels similar to the way it did before the coronavirus pandemic.
In other words, there will be crowds and lines and perhaps some trouble finding a place to park.
RDU expects more than 234,000 passengers will pass through the airport Monday through Sunday of Thanksgiving week. That’s about 53,000 fewer than the same week in 2019 but more than twice as many as last year’s 103,000.
“I know that a lot of folks either have not traveled or have traveled during the pandemic when there was a lot fewer customers,” Michael Landguth, RDU’s president, said last Wednesday. “There’s going to be a lot more people coming through.”
Overall, passenger traffic at RDU is still off about 25% from pre-pandemic levels, primarily because fewer people are traveling for business, Landguth said. Before the coronavirus, the airport was busiest on weekdays, as people jetted off to meetings and conferences.
Now the airport sees its biggest crowds on weekends and holidays, as people visit family or take vacations. The Central parking deck between the terminals has reached capacity 13 times since Memorial Day weekend, all but one on a Friday, Saturday or holiday.
That’s likely to happen again this week, forcing travelers to use the remote Economy 3 lot. RDU will move about 1,000 employees out of that lot next week to make more room for customers, Landguth said.
“We believe that the parking garage and Economy 3 will be sufficient to meet the overall demand,” he said.
What’s the busiest day at RDU Airport for Thanksgiving?
The busiest day will be the Sunday, Nov. 28, after Thanksgiving, when RDU will handle about 44,000 passengers, Landguth said. Delta Air Lines, the busiest at RDU, says it expects to carry more passengers across its system that day than any other since the pandemic began in early 2020.
Where to park at RDU Airport
▪ 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.”
▪ People who park in the Central deck will pay a couple dollars more a day, starting Friday. RDU is restoring the drive-up rate to $15 a day, because of rising demand and because the airport needs to raise money for expansion projects that were put on hold during the pandemic, Landguth said.
▪ The daily rate in Economy 3 will remain $10.
▪ 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.
Where to go if picking up travelers
▪ 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.
Other tips for traveling
▪ 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.
▪ Bring a mask or face covering. They’re still required in the airport and on all flights.
This story was originally published November 17, 2021 at 5:33 PM with the headline "Here’s your travel guide to RDU airport this Thanksgiving. Hint: It’s going to be busy.."
