Parking Changes Greet Travelers At RDU International

Raleigh-Durham International Airport

will find it easier to find parking.

A passenger survey conducted in the early 1990s revealed that motorists wanted more parking closer to the airport's two terminals. The new deck, located between terminals A and C, has nearly 6,200 parking spaces for a total of 11,000 spaces located within walking distance of the terminals.

Parking rates for daily and hourly parking between the terminals will remain unchanged throughout the holidays. All parking is $1 an hour. Daily parking is $8 per day. Hourly parking is $24 per day.

Signs at the entrance plaza will guide motorists to hourly and daily parking.

In addition to the new parking spaces, RDU has introduced an automated payment program. Using

Exit Express

, motorists pay for parking before returning to their cars, decreasing the amount of time it takes to pay and exit the parking garage.

The easy-to-use program is similar to kiosks featured at most airline ticket counters. To pay with Exit Express, motorists insert their parking ticket and the automated screen guides them through the payment process.

RDU's newest parking garage was originally scheduled to open in November 2004. In December 2001, the Airport Authority voted to accelerate the project. With a temporary decrease in airline passenger traffic, the Authority was able to open the garage one year earlier and in one phase, eliminating the need for temporary roadways.

The exit and entrance to the airport has also changed.

"Now there is one main entrance plaza before you get to terminal A, so we always encourage mororists to watch forthe electronic signs. These will tell you where to park and where to enter the parking garage," said Mindy Hamlin of RDU International.

The best advice when it comes to the new airport features is old advice: get to the airport as early as possible to ensure a happy flight.