RDU: March was busiest month since start of pandemic

“I’m 53 years old, and because of the pandemic and everything, I said, 'If I don’t get on this plane now, I never will,'" she said.

Saunders flew solo from Brooklyn, landing at RDU before heading to Florida to see family.

“[It's been] 20 years since I’ve seen my sister," she said.

It's a reunion that Saunders said is far overdue.

"COVID changed a lot of things," she added. "The way of thinking, living and celebrating. You have to celebrate life. Here today, gone tomorrow. So, this is big for me.”

Raleigh resident Andrew Passarotti was boarding a flight for the first time ever.

"I got the shot a little over two weeks ago, and that definitely made me feel a little safer going through an airport, riding on planes and being in a place like Disney World," said Passarotti, adding that being vaccinated and having his children easily adapt to safety protocols gave him the confidence to travel.

A spokeswoman for RDU said the reasons for the rebound include spring break, pent-up demand for travel and the vaccine rollout.

"The week ending March 21 was actually the busiest week we've had at at RDU since the pandemic began," said RDU director of media relations Stephanie Hawco.

RDU tool gives travelers latest details on pandemic rules at various destinations

Typically, RDU would have 200 flights a day, but it now has around 105. Currently, airport traffic is down 52 percent compared to pre-pandemic levels. In 2020, airport passenger traffic was down 97 percent.

"Certainly, traffic is rebounding and moving in the right direction," said Hawco.

Airport officials project that 470,000 travelers will go through RDU in March -- up significantly from the 300,000 travelers the airport had in February. RDU doesn’t have a projection for April yet, but Hawco said that, with the way things are going, officials expect spring and summer to be strong.