RDU anticipates more than 280,000 passengers will travel through the airport from May 9 – 13 to celebrate college graduations and Mother’s Day. Monday, May 12 is expected to be the busiest day with an estimated 65,000 passengers – an increase of 10% compared to the same day last year.  

“The Monday after Mother’s Day is one of the busiest days of the year at RDU, rivaling the November and December holidays for the number of guests we serve in a single day,” said Michael Landguth, president and CEO of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. “We encourage families and travelers to give themselves extra time to make sure their trip runs smoothly.” 

RDU recommends following a few simple tips during the busy weekend: 

• Anyone picking up arriving passengers should wait in the free cell phone lot located at 1000 Trade Drive, just a few minutes from the terminals.  
• Have your party call you when they land, then give them 30 minutes to deplane, pick up their luggage and meet you on the terminal curb. 
• Departing passengers should arrive at the airport two hours in advance for domestic flights and three hours ahead for international flights. 
• Bring a REAL ID or other federally approved form of identification. 

The busy weekend comes days after TSA began enforcing its REAL ID requirement on May 7. According to TSA, passengers who present a state-issued identification that is not REAL ID compliant at TSA checkpoints and who do not have another acceptable alternative form of ID will be notified of their non-compliance, may be directed to a separate area and may receive additional screening.