More than 800,000 people to travel through RDU this holiday season

Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) is preparing for potentially record-breaking traffic to close out the year.

RDU anticipates ending 2023 with passenger traffic that could exceed the record set in 2019.

The busiest day of travel is expected to be Sunday, or Christmas Eve, with nearly 54,000 people traveling through RDU.

Across the nation, Wednesday and Thursday are expected to be the busiest days for air travel this holiday season.

More than 403,000 people are expected to travel through the TSA security checkpoints between Dec. 15 and Jan. 2, 2024, with a total of approximately 806,000 passengers flying over the 19-day winter holiday period.

Projections indicate RDU will serve about 22.5% more passengers than the same period last year and 2% more than 2019, which was RDU’s busiest year.

RDU is preparing for the busy travel season by increasing its staff to meet the increased number of travelers.

Getting to the airport early and arranging your parking before you arrive can help make sure your trip runs smoothly.

RDU officials recommend that people arrive two hours early for a domestic flight and three hours for an international flight.

Airport officials also say, in recent weeks, the TSA has seen an uptick in the number of firearms detected at security checkpoints at RDU, which can lead to a $15,000 penalty.