RALEIGH, N.C. — Passengers are roaring into the summer travel season as planes keep soaring in and out of Raleigh-Durham International Airport. 

What You Need To Know

  • More than 182,000 passengers are expected to fly in or out of Raleigh-Durham International Airport for the holiday weekend

  • Shinese and Donnie Glass will be among them

  • Flight prices have risen, partly due to demand

The airport staff expect a busy holiday weekend of travel.

Donnie and Shinese Glass couldn’t wait to fly on Friday afternoon. They flew out of RDU to New Orleans for the return of the Essence Festival.

“(It’s nice) getting a chance to get out, and this is the first time Essence (Festival) has happened in two years,” Shinese Glass said.

COVID-19 led to cancellation of the cultural and music event for two years.

“We are kind of excited,” she said.

Thursday marked the busiest air travel day at the onset of a July 4 weekend in at least four years, with 2,444,471 people passing through U.S. airport security, according to the Transportation Security Administration.

Related: Holiday getaway pushes U.S. airport traffic to pandemic high

Websites such as FlightAware track destinations in America and abroad. The pandemic has left airline carriers shortstaffed for more than two years for many reasons in part because pilots are leaving the business. Operational challenges have also forced airlines to pick more profitable and sought-after destinations. 

All of this has raised the price of airfare. Numbers from AAA indicate the average lowest airfare of $201 is 14% more in 2022 than the same time last year.

“We try to budget where you can budget at,” Donnie Glass said.

To even catch a flight, you need some gas in your tank and money in your pocket. Prices at the pump are $4.53 a gallon in North Carolina based on AAA statistics.

If you leave your car in the airport parking deck at RDU it will cost you $17 a day.

Donnie Glass says he is able to save money for his job with a tire plant by working from home. 

“The way I work, I don’t work a normal schedule. I don’t have to be at work five days a week. So I save on gas like that. That’s the biggest thing. Anywhere we can save we are saving,” he said.

More than 182,000 passengers are projected to fly through the airport this holiday weekend.

RDU staff expect longer lines and delays, and they advise travelers to arrive at least two hours early for domestic flights and at least three hours ahead of time for international flights.

“We got here three hours early,” Shinese Glass said.

The married couple of more than 20 years was not going to take any chances.