Airports / North Carolina / RDU
Raleigh/Durham (RDU) TSA wait times
Security at Raleigh-Durham International Airport is running about 9 minutes in the standard lane, and usually runs 5 to 15 minutes at noon on a Friday. PreCheck is moving in about 3 minutes.RDU security is about 9 minutes now, usually 5 to 15 at this hour. Busiest 5 to 6 AM and 3 to 5 PM.
Standard lane, right now
Security wait, last 7 hours
Usually 5 to 15 minutes now
Down 5 min since 6 am.
How long is security at Raleigh/Durham, and when is RDU busiest?
So how long is security at Raleigh/Durham? The left chart shows the Raleigh/Durham security wait time hour by hour, built from RDU's own departure schedule. The right ranks the days of the week by how long the wait gets. The calmest window is 10 AM to 2 PM; plan around the 5 to 6 AM and 3 to 5 PM rushes.Calmest 10 AM to 2 PM. Plan around the morning and evening rushes.
Planning a trip through RDU? Work out when to leave home for your flight, or read how these numbers are made. Flying a nearby airport instead? Compare Fayetteville (FAY) and Greensboro/High Point (GSO), or every airport in North Carolina.
Departures, the next few hours
| Hour | Departures | Typical security wait |
|---|---|---|
| noon (Now) | 7 flights | 9 min |
| 1 pm | 8 flights | 9 min |
| 2 pm | 10 flights | 11 min |
| 3 pm | 10 flights | 12 min |
| 4 pm | 11 flights | 13 min |
Standard, PreCheck, and CLEAR security lanes
Terminals and security at RDU
Which airline you fly decides your terminal. Terminal 1 runs the longest lines here. The per-terminal minute is modeled from each terminal's share of departures, not measured. The terminals are separate buildings, so you clear security at your own airline's terminal.
Flying out of Raleigh/Durham: what to know
Two terminals, no airside link
RDU splits its flights across two separate terminal buildings, Terminal 1 (Concourse A) and Terminal 2 (Concourses C and D), each with its own TSA checkpoint that opens around 3:30 a.m. The terminals do not connect after security, so you must clear at your own airline's terminal. Southwest and some low-cost carriers use Terminal 1; Delta, American, United, JetBlue and Alaska use Terminal 2.
PreCheck at both, CLEAR at both
Both checkpoints run TSA PreCheck lanes, so PreCheck travelers get an expedited lane whether they fly from Terminal 1 or Terminal 2. CLEAR is present at RDU with kiosks and lanes in both terminals, located pre-security in the ticketing areas. Because the buildings are separate, confirm your terminal before arriving; there is no way to switch sides once you are through security.
Busiest early; know your terminal
Lines build earliest in the morning when the day's first departure banks push through, with a second bump in the late afternoon. Since the two terminals are unconnected, the single most useful move is to confirm which building your airline uses before you leave home, then head straight to that terminal's checkpoint rather than guessing and having to walk back around landside.
Regional carriers fly these routes under the mainline brands, so a SkyWest flight shows on your ticket as Delta, United, American or Alaska.
RDU security, common questions
How early should I get to RDU?
For a domestic flight out of Raleigh/Durham, plan to be inside the terminal about an hour before departure, and about an hour and a quarter for an international one. That covers a 15 to 30 minute checkpoint queue at the Monday peak plus the walk to the gate. Outside the peak you can safely trim it; the calculator above works it out from your actual departure time.
What is the busiest time at RDU security?
Monday around 5 am, when 16 departures' worth of passengers are converging on the checkpoint at once. The calmest hour with real traffic is Wednesday at 3 am, at roughly 6 minutes.
Is TSA PreCheck worth it at RDU?
At the Monday peak it turns a 15 to 30 minute queue into something closer to 7 minutes. Over a five year membership that is worth it if you fly more than about three round trips a year through an airport this busy. The trusted traveler calculator prices it against your own flying.
When does security open at RDU?
Raleigh-Durham International Airport does not publish checkpoint opening hours in any national feed, so we will not invent them. What the schedule does show is that the first departures leave around 2 am, and checkpoints generally open about two hours before the first flight of the day.
How long is security at Raleigh/Durham?
At the Monday peak around 5 am, the standard lane at RDU typically runs 15 to 30 minutes. Away from the peak it settles to roughly 6 minutes. These are modeled from the airport's own departure schedule, so they move hour by hour, which is what the chart on this page shows.
How much time does PreCheck save at RDU?
At the busy Monday peak, PreCheck turns the standard 15 to 30 minute wait into about 7 minutes, a saving of roughly 15 minutes when it matters most. Off-peak the two lanes are much closer, because a short line is short in either one.
Which terminal is Delta at RDU?
Delta departs from Terminal 2 at Raleigh-Durham International Airport and flies 22% of the airport's departures. Your terminal is set by the airline you fly, so check your boarding pass for the gate.
Tips for RDU, from the data
- Fly between 10 AM to 2 PM if you can. That window sits between the two daily rushes, when the checkpoint is at its calmest.
- The 5 am hour is the single busiest today, at about 19 minutes in the standard lane.
- Delta runs 22% of departures here, so its checkpoints and gates carry the most traffic. Which airline you fly is what decides your terminal.
- American flies from Terminal 1, which runs the longest lines here. The terminals are separate buildings, so plan for your own airline's terminal.
Related
Modeled from the flight schedule, not measured. How these numbers are made.