RDU travelers adapt as summer demand surges and ongoing construction
MORRISVILLE, N.C. (WTVD) -- Travelers at Raleigh-Durham International Airport are navigating high airfare, construction, and booming summer demand as the airport works to expand capacity and improve the passenger experience.
Looking around the terminals and runways, the pace of construction is clear as work is underway across the airport. Major projects include a new runway and expanded parking in the Economy 3 lot. For many travelers, the changes are simply part of summer travel.
A family of four heading to Kansas said the trip has been long overdue.
"It's been two years since we've been out there. So that kind of shows the sense of like just the cost of things and travel. So we're going to make the best of it," said Dani Schweikert.
The family added that rising prices and construction haven't made travel easier.
"We haven't had a good vacation. I'm military. We just moved to Wilmington last year, and we were up in the Philly area before that. And my wife's from Kansas. So the cost doesn't make it easier for sure for airfare and all this stuff. It makes it hard," said Dani's husband, Bobby Schweikert.
The Schweikert family also mentioned parking being readily accessible upon their arrival.
"We will have thousands more by the end of the year," said RDU spokesperson Stephanie Hawco. "So that's been a really key expansion project for us as we move forward."
With much of summer still ahead, travel agent Stacy Gray said travelers can still plan trips if they remain flexible.
"It's never too late to book a trip, even for summer travel for these next two months coming up," she said. "You just got to be able to be flexible, maybe with your destination and open-minded about maybe trying to find a new location that you hadn't thought of before."
Airport officials say they continue to study traveler patterns to help recruit new destinations.
"We actually have data that tells us where people end up and if they're connecting somewhere. And that really helps us in our conversations with airlines in terms of recruiting new destinations," Hawco said.
A TSA spokesperson said the agency expects to release updated summer travel numbers next week.
