RDU passenger traffic increases 19% in September 2022 compared to previous year

Raleigh-Durham International Airport served 950,952 passengers in September.

Posted 5:59 p.m. Oct 20, 2022 — Updated 6:03 p.m. Oct 20, 2022

Mark Bergin

, WRAL senior multiplatform producer

MORRISVILLE, N.C. — Raleigh-Durham International Airport had a 19% increase in passengers in September 2022 compared to the year before, the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority announced Thursday.

RDU served 950,952 passengers in September.

Passenger traffic totals are typically lower in September compared to August because students return to school and the summer travel season ends.

“Business travel continues to trail leisure travel despite the strong recovery RDU is experiencing,” said Michael Landguth, president and CEO of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. “As RDU moves into the slower fall months, we are already preparing for a surge of holiday travelers from mid-November through early January.”

In 2019, RDU served more than 14 million travelers.

Here’s a look at what’s happening at RDU in the coming months:

Cancun service: Travelers will have more options for winter getaways when the number of nonstop flights to one of RDU’s most popular leisure destinations expands. In December, JetBlue will resume seasonal service to Cancun in December. The flight will operate daily from Dec. 24 – Jan. 2, then two times a week until Jan. 14. In November, American Airlines is expected to relaunch nonstop service to Cancun.

4 new nonstop destinations coming to RDU, including Bahamas and Cancun

CLEAR Program: The Airport Authority Board voted Thursday to add CLEAR expedited security lanes in both terminals at RDU. CLEAR’s biometrics identification program allows approved travelers to verify their identity with their eyes or fingerprints without showing an ID. CLEAR will lease space in Terminal 1 and Terminal 2, with seven verification kiosks and nine enrollment kiosks. By early 2023, they are expected to begin operating at RDU.

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