RDU expects 22% uptick in year-over-year Mother's Day travel
Raleigh-Durham International Airport is expecting more than 177,000 passengers to fly through on Mother's Day weekend, with the busiest travel day on Friday.
"Yesterday was my mother's 91st birthday, so we have a surprise birthday party for her tomorrow...then we'll be there for Mother's Day on Sunday," Michael Nader said on his way to Detroit.
Hundreds of passengers were one step closer Friday to seeing the person who gives them advice and cooks their favorite meal.
But for Ada Shaffer, that person was right next to her. She flew in from New York with her mother, Karen, to celebrate her brother's graduation at Duke University.
"I think my mom has handled a lot with all three children and also I think it's great for her to see us all off at different schools and now have her oldest actually graduate," Shaffer said.
Karen is soaking up the love from her daughter's charming words, to her son's graduation just in time for Mother's Day.
"Very proud," Karen said. "I just love being with my family."
The pride is echoed by Moneil Abu Speitan, who flew from Boston to see his brother graduate from the Duke MBA program.
"We're immigrants so we came to this country and education was big," Speitan said. "It was always a focus on school. That hard work has paid off for all of us and this is a chance for us to be able to celebrate with him and enjoy the fruits of his labor."
RDU expects 22% more people to travel this Mother's Day weekend compared to last year.
"Terminal 2 is very busy," RDU spokesperson Crystal Feldman said. "Fortunately, the checkpoint is flowing well but we still encourage people to arrive early just in case."
WATCH | RDU travel tips for Mother's Day Weekend
