RDU Braces for Busy Memorial Day Weekend

RDU Airport, NC – Airport officials are expecting heavy traffic at Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) this Memorial Day holiday and are reminding travelers to give themselves plenty of time to catch flights.

Traffic in and out of the airport is expected to be consistently heavy from Thursday, May 24 through Tuesday, May 29 with peak activity expected on Friday, May 25.

Officials at RDU suggest people consider having a friend drop them off and pick them up from the Terminals. However, if driving and parking at the airport allow at least two hours before scheduled flights during the weekend, recommends RDU spokeswoman Teresa Damiano. Travelers are also advised to pay attention to the electronic message signs, which will direct traffic to the best available parking lot.

RDU has several parking lots near the terminals, which accommodate both daily and hourly parking. In addition, there are four hourly Park and Ride lots located around the airport with shuttle service to and from the terminals.

Currently RDU has approximately 15,000 parking spaces. During the Memorial Day holiday, airport officials expect parking volume to be near capacity. To aid in the parking situation, the airport is prepared to open 2,000 spaces in the Park and Ride 4 annex.

Through the first four months of this year, passenger traffic at Raleigh-Durham International Airport was running over eight percent higher than last year. Over 10 million passengers traveled through RDU in 2000, ranking it as the fastest growing major airport in the country last year.

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