“Why Christmas Day is Transforming into the Perfect Travel Opportunity at RDU”

While Santa has made his way back to the North Pole after another festive season, holiday travel remains ongoing.

A multitude of travelers are arriving and departing from Raleigh-Durham International Airport on Christmas Day. Although the holiday period is among the busiest at the airport, many travelers reported that they encountered no difficulties in catching their flights.

This was a significant difference from Christmas Eve when a technical glitch delayed numerous American Airlines flights for hours, affecting 15 flights out of RDU.

Bakul Patel, who visited RDU to drop off his parents before their journey to India, remarked that the airport experience was “very smooth.”

“The traffic here wasn’t too bad, and the airport doesn’t appear overly crowded today either,” he expressed to WRAL News. “We plan to head over to my brother’s house for dinner, unwind, and change into our pajamas to enjoy some food.”

Although traveling was more seamless compared to earlier in the week, some faced unexpected issues. As per FlightAware, which offers real-time flight tracking across the nation, 14 flights were delayed and two were canceled on Wednesday at RDU.

Ursula Polo, whose family is traveling to Kenya for a relative’s wedding, shared that Christmas turned out to be the perfect day for travel.

“I don’t need to prepare any meals, which I consider a plus, and we open presents early, so that’s an advantage also,” she noted.

As Christmas concludes and New Year’s Eve draws near, there are still busy travel days on the horizon to conclude 2024.

Advice for RDU Travelers:

• Allow extra time: Anticipate road congestion in the late afternoon and evening
• Book parking online: Reserve your parking at parkrdu.com at least 24 hours ahead for guaranteed entry. Check rdu.com for availability if not pre-reserved
• Check your flight: Use airline applications or rdu.com for updates on flight status. Confirm your flight’s details before leaving home.
• Arrive early: Plan to arrive 2 hours prior for domestic flights and 3 hours prior for international journeys to provide sufficient time for parking, check-in, and security screening.
• Prepare for security: Familiarize yourself with TSA regulations and consider fast-track options like PreCheck or CLEAR.
• Use the cell lot: For pickups, wait in the complimentary Cell Lot at 1000 Trade Drive until your group is ready. Allow 30 minutes for them to collect their belongings and meet you at curbside.

To alleviate congestion, pickups at Terminal 2 can occur on both the upper and lower levels.

Another suggestion for travelers: numerous economy parking lots at RDU are currently at capacity. However, locating an available space may be facilitated by green indicator lights that display open spots.

Fewer travelers are expected to take to the roads for Christmas travel, though those who do can look forward to some positive news. Drivers will likely experience the lowest gas prices on Christmas Day since the 2020 pandemic, according to GasBuddy.