RDU began the holiday travel season by serving more than 1.2 million passengers during the month of November, an increase of nearly two percent over Nov. 2023.
“As a potentially record-setting year draws to a close, we would like to thank the millions of travelers who made RDU part of their travel plans in 2024,” said Michael Landguth, president and CEO of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. “RDU will welcome even more new airlines, flights and nonstop destinations next year, giving passengers more travel options than ever before. We are proud to serve the Research Triangle region and look forward to connecting residents and visitors to the people and places they most want to visit in 2025.”
International Travel: Avelo Airlines announced this month it will launch two international routes from RDU in February with nonstop service to Montego Bay, Jamaica and Punta Cana, Dominican Republic. Both routes will fly on Wednesdays and Saturdays from mid-November through September. Air Canada announced it will begin nonstop service between the Research Triangle region and Vancouver in June. The route will fly seasonally on Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from June through September. Seven airlines launched or announced new international service at RDU this year, including Aeromexico to Mexico City, Air Canada to Vancouver, Avelo to Montego Bay and Punta Cana, BermudAir to Bermuda, Copa Airlines to Panama City, Lufthansa to Frankfurt and WestJet to Calgary.
Wait Times: The holiday travel season is in full swing and RDU is working with its partner agencies and airlines to anticipate passenger traffic levels and staffing needs through the New Year. The airport is also taking steps to manage wait times at the TSA-controlled security checkpoints. RDU freed up capacity in Terminal 2 this year by moving three airlines to Terminal 1 and has expanded the Terminal 2 security checkpoint twice since 2019, increasing its capacity by 40 percent. RDU also offers TSA PreCheck and CLEAR for passengers who want to expedite the security screening process. Travelers can enroll in one or both programs daily in either terminal. The Airport Authority will continue to address congestion in the long-term as it plans for future terminal expansions and the addition of more gates.
Environmental Compliance Review: The Airport Authority held the first of two public workshops this month on the Environmental Compliance Review (ECR) for the John Brantley Boulevard Extension project. The workshop was an opportunity for the community to learn about the project and the ECR process and submit comments for consideration. The Authority is in the beginning stages of the ECR. During the process, staff will conduct an analysis and develop a report that will be made available to the Board prior to approval of construction. RDU’s ECR is the first of its kind among airports nationwide and exceeds federal and state environmental requirements. A second public workshop to gather additional public comment will be held in 2025. More information about the ECR is posted on rdu.com.