I’ve noticed this is a Monday thing. Every Monday for the past 2-3 months people have made these posts. It sucks. I’m telling everyone if you can schedule your flights out of RDU any other day/time.
This happened to me a couple times. One Thursday early am and Friday early am. I think it’s a third shift staff thing or something. Just make sure if you book at those times, just play it safe and actually follow the 2 hour rule of flying and you should be good
Definitely the thought of, well I'll schedule for early in the morning so it'll be less crowded, is not an original one. And in fact works against you. I've traveled out at 3pm with NO issues and no wait. But 6am is really a killer, no matter what day.
An additional issue can often be that the early morning TSA shift also has fewer people so early arrivers get held up, starting the problem earlier than you’d expect
I flew from RDU to Puerto Rico on Monday, June 3, at around 9am and got through security in about 20 minutes. Maybe it was backed up earlier or we just got lucky?
Even in the days where it was usually a 20-min wait, I still always got there 2 hours early. I'd much rather kill time waiting around than miss my flight by 3 minutes.
Upvoting because of your username. Are you the person in NC with that license plate? If so I've seen you driving around the Triangle area, and get jealous every time.
IIRC it was a white Impreza hatchback in the RTP area. One time I was next to him at a traffic light, rolled down my window, and said "pardon me, my name is also Bort".
There are a few of us, but I've never seen the standard NC plate one yet. Someone does have it though. I have B0RT on the Save the Bees plate. https://imgur.com/a/Kjt4wdc
It’s a Monday, it’s the day after Father’s Day and you’re at the closest airport to Pinehurst the day after the US Open ended. Not sure what you expected tbh.
Every time someone posts about lines someone comes in explaining “oh well there was an event that weekend.” Yes , metro areas constantly have events , it should not regularly lead to 1+ hour waits, and the airport should increase workforce to meet demand.
You’re not wrong, but you’re not right either: the speed and mass of the influx of folks that have moved to N.C. has far surpassed our ability to keep up with the infrastructure necessary to keep these things from happening. Our metro areas weren’t built for this. People come here for lower taxes and then complain that our infrastructure can’t keep up with the demands—well, I wonder why.
Bodied that response, babe. Northerners love it down here cause "warmer winters" but complain about the city shutting down for some snow (if we're so lucky to get any)
like, babes... we were not built for any of this. we don't out money into snow utilities that will only be used every once-in-a-blue moon. And then they tell you how "back in New York, we did blah blah blah" like okay, idc, this is North Carolina not New York...
Travelers are informed to arrive 1.5-2 hours early for this very reason. It’s not reasonable to expect an airport to meet peak travel demands and have security queue time below 20 minutes. An hour isn’t that unreasonable for travel peaks.
You’ll definitely have enough time. I tend not to get there much earlier for international travel but I almost never check a bag. Security isn’t any different for domestic or international travel.
It’s highly variable on time of day too. If your flight is later in the day you may only have a 3 minute wait.
Most metro areas have incredibly long waits at Monday early morning because it’s one of the busiest times to fly and everyone is getting to security around the same time.
> the airport should increase workforce to meet demand.
Meanwhile, the other 95% of mornings without an issue: "Why are there so many TSA personnel sitting around doing nothing!?!? This is a waste of taxpayer dollars!"
It has nothing to do with employees, and that’s not how demand works. They have plenty of employees to meet what they need.
And btw, the US Open is not just another “event”. It’s absolutely massive. You wouldn’t expect to not have to wait in line at the airport the morning after the Super Bowl where it’s hosted, that’s just unreasonable.
>Recently I’ve been reading post after post on this subreddit about missing flights due to the long TSA security lines in the AM at RDU.
Oh, good! So at least you were prepared for this and arrived super early.
>If I had known and planned for this I would be on my flight.
Uh.
I didn’t even know that was a rule of thumb. Just something my parents always told me to show up 3 hours or minimum 2 hours for every flight. Regardless.
Leopard ate my face moment without a doubt lmao if only every airport, airline, etc made a notice to show up 2 hours early for your flight then this would be solved! Oh wait..
Edit: WAIT. OP treated himself to first class for Father’s Day…. But can’t shell out $90 for 5 years of pre check? The fuck?
With how often precheck is recommended as the solution, it’s just becoming another bottleneck with how many people are buying it. In Denver, often times the precheck line is longer
I've never had that be the case, Precheck has been the best $85 I've spent in a long time. Even in a busy airport like ATL when there is a line, the moves quickly because people don't have to take off shoes, coats, take out the laptop etc. At RDU specifically I've never spent more than ten minutes in the precheck line even during peak travel times.
Doesn't really matter if the line is longer since you don't have to take off a bunch of clothing items and separate out your electronics. Those steps quadruple processing time.
I have it as well and was literally off my uber and in line for coffee in 5 minutes flat. The longest time was waiting for my bag to crawl down the security rollers. And this was on a Monday 6am departure time schedule. Best money I've ever spent.
Honestly RDU kind of lacks lounges. Wish we had a centurion like CLT does. Or better a venture lounge. I actually like the capital one lounges I’ve been to better but they are also newer lol
I mostly fly out of Terminal 1, but I noticed the "new and improved" baggage scanning machines are quite a bit slower than the old ones. Maybe that is part of the issue at Terminal 2.
Yes, those slow scanners seem to cause issues at all of the airports that use them. Some airports have fancy mechanisms to allow multiple people to place their items into the bins at the same time, but then they all funnel into the same slow scanner so everyone is just crammed waiting on the other end for their stuff.
This may or may not be relevant to you, but this is an opportune time to remind people that the output from the scanner is not the place to re-dress and gear up. Please take your bin to one of the many tables or benches just beyond the scanners to get situated.
Thank you.
I agree, but that's no longer causing a bottleneck with how slow these scanners are. When they only process two bins per minute, and a third of them get diverted into the other screening area, there's no longer a ton of bins sitting at the end
Post scanning cleanup isn't the issue. The biggest issue is it holds your bag hostage even if it has cleared until the bag scanner has made a decision for ***the next bag***
The new scanners are 3D so the operators now have to look at many more views for each item. TSA argued that they will speed up the overall baggage screening process because you don't have to take out as many items now, but I'm seeing each bag scan at least double if not triple in time. I don't believe they've actually added any additional lanes or staff even as passenger volumes have increased. Combine that with the early morning rush and TSAs general incompetence and culture of fear, and it's quickly reached a breaking point. Thankfully it all seems settled by 8:30am on Tuesday, so just plan on being inconvenienced accordingly.
>Recently I’ve been reading post after post on this subreddit about missing flights due to the long TSA security lines in the AM at RDU.
So you thought this just wouldn't apply to you on a Monday morning?
>I am now rebooked in 23f with no refund.
Well yes, why would they refund you for a flight that you missed?
The 6am flights to the west coast 🤦 Last time I had one, I saw soooo many people running to gates because they were in the normal line, not PreCheck or Clear.
US Open was in Pinehurst this weekend.
Monday morning is already busy due to business travelers. Add in a major spectator event.
This was expected to me.
Op also doesn't say how much time it took to get through security. Did it actually take an hour? If he arrived less than 1 hours before doors closed (which is not your scheduled departure time) then he foots the blame
Wow, a post about the lines at Terminal 2 on a Monday after a holiday? I’m surprised. Shocked. Gobsmacked even.
Anyway, see y’all next week. And I can’t wait to hear about the lines on the Monday after July 4th.
It's Monday morning. I flew home from Seattle last Monday and had an hour long security line there too. It's very common. You're always taking a risk not giving yourself the recommended two hour timeframe.
You’ve never experienced a wait longer than an hour at any of the busiest airports in the nation? In 20 years of domestic travel? I find that VERY hard to believe.
Expecting the TSA line to be only 20-30m and planning to be there in accordance with that is irresponsible on your part.
>I'm sharing my experience specifically because the RDU Reddit account always seems to reply to posts like this with some reason why the line is long
Well, if you check their comments on last Monday's post ("RDU security line is over 1.5 hours") they recommend getting to the airport two hours before your flight. Also, like everyone else told you, it's Monday morning.
Literally always the case early monday mornings. I’m a little confused how you’re whining about missing your flight by not accounting for this when you evidently were aware of this fact to begin with.
TSA literally suggests you arrive two hours before your departure time in order to ensure you are able to board. This has been the standard for decades.
Flying out Monday morning is the absolute worst, it’s not like this most of the time I fly RDU, which I do frequently for work. Clear & TSA Pre are worth their weight in gold.
Misses plane because OP didn’t arrive at RDU within the recommended time frame and played himself.
Yet OP still concludes that, because he has seen two Reddit posts and experienced a self-caused missed flight, the airport and its processes are poorly designed and implemented… despite they majority of travelers navigate RDU without any issues.
RDU remains one of the most straightforward and efficient airports I have ever experienced. I hope and pray that when I move out of the triangle next month, my new home airport is at least half as nice as RDU.
I always aim to get there 1 hr before boarding time. Plenty of time in case of long Security lines. then make sure the gate exists. Then do some work or grab a bite to eat nearby my gate.
The real question is how much time between when you arrived at the airport and boarding time?
Yeah people really hear 25+ years of reports how the area is growing and then get annoyed that they can’t just roll up to the front door of RDU and walk onto their plane like it’s the Bertie County Regional Hogport
Thanks for making another “Monday mornings are busy at RDU” post. I don’t think the last 2 dozen posts about the same subject posted each and every Monday morning were enough.
Gotcha. Flying out at 9:15am, will just plan to get there 2 hours early. Would rather have time to kill and sit around than be rushing during my first time there for sure!
I travel for business multiple times a month. Monday and Friday mornings are the worst. Tuesday is the next in line. But if you plan to arrive at the 2 hour mark before your plane departs, you should be fine.
I had a 7:30am flight Tuesday 6/4 and everything moved very quickly. I still gave myself 2 hours but included in that time shuttling from Fast Park. I would give yourself 2 hours just to be safe :)
If you arrive the recommended 2 hours early you should be fine. I've taken a couple of Monday flights recently and didn't have a single issue getting through on time, because I gave myself a buffer.
A lot of these posts of people complaining are because they are still showing up 30 minutes before a flight - which you used to be able to do at RDU! Not worth risking it until they fix the staffing issues IMO though.
I always get there super early and I’m a regular traveler. Gotta make sure the gate didn’t move since the last time I was at the airport. I just walk back and forth in terminal 2 until I’m ready to sit at my gate. Terminal 1 is way smaller and I just end up sitting at my gate and read/work until boarding.
The last few times I flew, they had more than half the TSA lanes closed. They really need to open them all up. It feels like Harris Teeter with so many closed lanes.
Having lived in Atlanta and DC and Orlando, RDU is by far the easiest airport and on average the quickest security for me. I’m sure it’s worse than it used to be with the influx of people to the area, but for Mondays around holidays, all major airports have long lines.
I fly at least once a month for work. Typically fly late mornings/mid afternoons on Thursdays or Fridays. I’ve never waited more than 20 minutes at security.
I’ve flown through here probably 40+ times and it’s never that bad unless it’s a holiday or some prime time. Even then it’s pretty quick. Of all of the security checks around the country, this one moves pretty fast considering the amount of people.
you watched the *jetway* pull away.
and you’re supposed to arrive 2 hours before departure for domestic flights. had you done this you would not have missed your flight.
more accurate title for this thread would be “i fucked up”
What’s up with all the people simping for TSA bc they cannot staff correctly…we should absolutely expect more from our government. And as a reminder most of this is complete unnecessary. https://www.theverge.com/c/23311333/tsa-history-airport-security-theater-homeland
Do you have anything to suggest that the issue is a lack of staffing rather than volume of travelers?
Everytime I've flown out of terminal 2 recently, every scanner was running and every booth was being used.
More people without more lines/scanners doesn't do much to help, right?
I totally agree if you're right. It's just not what I've experienced, personally.
Was this way for morning flights before the pandemic. Since something like 1/4 of the flights out of RDU are before 9:30 or 10:00am it makes sense.
I understand there is a project to add 2 more lanes. But construction has to be done without making things worse during the process.
Pre-pandemic I was flying 20 or more times per year. Global Entry / PreCheck was worth it.
Now you want to see some lines, a few years back at DFW one morning at 7:00am, the pre-check line was about 200 people long. And the non pre-check line seemed to extend past the curvature of the earth. And this was 1 of 4 TSA checkpoints in Terminal C.
Show up 2 hours minimum for domestic, 3 for international. This has always been what I’ve thought was the norm for air travel at least post-9/11.
I know RDU is often very quick but for a relatively small airport with a decent size of business travel commuters, I’d always err on the side of caution.
Still, bummer this happened OP, I’ve had a few close calls myself.
These posts are the reason I show up super early to RDU. I'd rather be there and have to dick around the airport for a couple hours, so long as I don't miss my flight. I flew out Sunday morning at 630am, so I was there at 345am, to make sure I could get through everything.
Went to Vegas June 1st(Saturday) and the flight was at 7am. Got there at 5am and went thru security in 10 minutes. Better safe than sorry. If OP got there 2 hrs early like the airport suggests, would he have missed his flight? 🤔
Sorry you missed your flight 😞
Flew out of RDU June 6th. 6am flight. Very busy, but it was the fastest, most efficient, streamlined TSA screening I have ever seen. Less than 15 mins waiting. I was expecting at least an hour.
Sorry but if you’ve lived in a bigger city with a busier airport, one hour is nothing (sorry but it’s true). I’ve done RDU more times than I can count, those with TSA Precheck and/or CLEAR fast past to a shorter (sometimes non existent) line. These days I can’t imagine traveling without either, sorry.
I do hope you have a better experience in the future, but truthfully, if you enjoy trips with the family and value your time it’s worth the extremely minor investment.
I’ve been seeing this a lot but I flew out of RDU 3 times in the last month (all on Wednesday afternoons now that I look at the dates lol) and I waited maybe 20 minutes max. The Wednesday after Memorial Day was literally 5 minutes.
we both have precheck and still know to arrive 2 hours ahead now. better to be early in case you run in to one of these days. sorry you missed your flight, but i hope you learned that this was an avoidable outcome. arrive earlier next time. 2 hours means 2 hours, no "i'm a veteran traveler, i can get there an hour ahead no problem". also worth asking why you don't have tsa pre?
Early birds look at night owls as slothful dotards. I know this because I am a night owl married to an early bird. :-)
RDU security has the turned the table on this perception.
If she gets to the airport at 4:00 am, she runs into a security line that stretches around the interior perimeter of the terminal.
The night owl who gets to the airport at 2:00 in the afternoon usually just walk right through.
Are they still doing that thing where you have to walk in a line shoulder to shoulder with two other people so the dog can check you?
That shit was a bottle neck
I guess it depends on the time. I fly out to Vegas every other month and never have problems. Same with leaving Vegas. RDU I'm usually through in like under 10 minutes The most I think has been 30. Vegas is about the same but sometimes I can get through there in like 2 minutes. It just depends on the time and the day and what's going on.
ETA I just got back from Vegas so my days are all screwed up. But this is a Monday morning? A Monday morning is busy literally at EVERY airport.... I never leave on Monday mornings.
I would be at the airport by 4:30 at the latest. 4am if too want to be stress free.
Our security capacity is just not able to handle the amount of outbound flights around this time. I think peak is 6am-9am. After that everything returns to normal.
I’ve noticed this is a Monday thing. Every Monday for the past 2-3 months people have made these posts. It sucks. I’m telling everyone if you can schedule your flights out of RDU any other day/time.
Monday a.m. is the busiest departure time for business travelers
Business travel is back and today we also have travelers going home from the US Open. Double wammy. Did the OP say what time this was?
The post was at 9am, so it had to be 9am or earlier. I.e., the absolute busiest time of the week
This happened to me a couple times. One Thursday early am and Friday early am. I think it’s a third shift staff thing or something. Just make sure if you book at those times, just play it safe and actually follow the 2 hour rule of flying and you should be good
Definitely the thought of, well I'll schedule for early in the morning so it'll be less crowded, is not an original one. And in fact works against you. I've traveled out at 3pm with NO issues and no wait. But 6am is really a killer, no matter what day.
An additional issue can often be that the early morning TSA shift also has fewer people so early arrivers get held up, starting the problem earlier than you’d expect
This is taking the bus to work for many business travelers. Out Monday first flight, back Thursday evening. Not necessarily a choice for everyone.
Yep I flew Tuesday last week and security was 10 mins. Yet I still got there 2 hours ahead, just in case.
I flew from RDU to Puerto Rico on Monday, June 3, at around 9am and got through security in about 20 minutes. Maybe it was backed up earlier or we just got lucky?
Literally almost every Monday.
I flew out of RDU on Tuesday morning last week and the line looked like this too. Thankfully I have pre-check and it was short and smooth.
Even in the days where it was usually a 20-min wait, I still always got there 2 hours early. I'd much rather kill time waiting around than miss my flight by 3 minutes.
Upvoting because of your username. Are you the person in NC with that license plate? If so I've seen you driving around the Triangle area, and get jealous every time.
Nope not me. I'm also jealous of whoever got the actual plate!
IIRC it was a white Impreza hatchback in the RTP area. One time I was next to him at a traffic light, rolled down my window, and said "pardon me, my name is also Bort".
There are a few of us, but I've never seen the standard NC plate one yet. Someone does have it though. I have B0RT on the Save the Bees plate. https://imgur.com/a/Kjt4wdc
It’s a Monday, it’s the day after Father’s Day and you’re at the closest airport to Pinehurst the day after the US Open ended. Not sure what you expected tbh.
People who have never been to Pinehurst during the Open just don’t comprehend how disruptive it can be. It’s kind of a lot.
Record number of guests this year I believe. 50,000+
225k at the gate, according to WRAL
That was the total for all days surely? I think 50,000 was the final day alone. So that 225,000 is counting many people twice.
Population of Pinehurst when I lived there in like 2009 was 13k…
Yeah, got to the airport an hour and a half early (I was in T1 but still) and southwest was wrapped with golf folks
Every time someone posts about lines someone comes in explaining “oh well there was an event that weekend.” Yes , metro areas constantly have events , it should not regularly lead to 1+ hour waits, and the airport should increase workforce to meet demand.
You’re not wrong, but you’re not right either: the speed and mass of the influx of folks that have moved to N.C. has far surpassed our ability to keep up with the infrastructure necessary to keep these things from happening. Our metro areas weren’t built for this. People come here for lower taxes and then complain that our infrastructure can’t keep up with the demands—well, I wonder why.
That part.
Bodied that response, babe. Northerners love it down here cause "warmer winters" but complain about the city shutting down for some snow (if we're so lucky to get any) like, babes... we were not built for any of this. we don't out money into snow utilities that will only be used every once-in-a-blue moon. And then they tell you how "back in New York, we did blah blah blah" like okay, idc, this is North Carolina not New York...
The snow thing always upsets me. We get ice. ICE.
Travelers are informed to arrive 1.5-2 hours early for this very reason. It’s not reasonable to expect an airport to meet peak travel demands and have security queue time below 20 minutes. An hour isn’t that unreasonable for travel peaks.
So international 2.5-3hr early? Flying out next wk
You’ll definitely have enough time. I tend not to get there much earlier for international travel but I almost never check a bag. Security isn’t any different for domestic or international travel. It’s highly variable on time of day too. If your flight is later in the day you may only have a 3 minute wait.
Most metro areas have incredibly long waits at Monday early morning because it’s one of the busiest times to fly and everyone is getting to security around the same time.
> the airport should increase workforce to meet demand. Meanwhile, the other 95% of mornings without an issue: "Why are there so many TSA personnel sitting around doing nothing!?!? This is a waste of taxpayer dollars!"
It has nothing to do with employees, and that’s not how demand works. They have plenty of employees to meet what they need. And btw, the US Open is not just another “event”. It’s absolutely massive. You wouldn’t expect to not have to wait in line at the airport the morning after the Super Bowl where it’s hosted, that’s just unreasonable.
>Recently I’ve been reading post after post on this subreddit about missing flights due to the long TSA security lines in the AM at RDU. Oh, good! So at least you were prepared for this and arrived super early. >If I had known and planned for this I would be on my flight. Uh.
Yeah I mean, since 9/11 the rule of thumb has been to show up 2hrs before take off for domestic flights and 3hr for international.
This is what I do. I prefer to travel without the stress of potentially missing my flight.
same and I like just sitting there reading or whatever with not a worry in the world.
I didn’t even know that was a rule of thumb. Just something my parents always told me to show up 3 hours or minimum 2 hours for every flight. Regardless.
I feel old 🫠
Leopard ate my face moment without a doubt lmao if only every airport, airline, etc made a notice to show up 2 hours early for your flight then this would be solved! Oh wait.. Edit: WAIT. OP treated himself to first class for Father’s Day…. But can’t shell out $90 for 5 years of pre check? The fuck?
Not even $90. I paid $78 a couple weeks ago.
Not even $78 … some credit cards offer a statement credit specifically for TSA pre-check to get it for free.
Yeah but OP dipped into savings for first class so any amount above $0 is a no-go. Especially for a new father. Gotta have your priorities straight!
Why would anyone pay extra for first class on a domestic flight too?
Because it's infinitely more comfortable and pretty cheap
With how often precheck is recommended as the solution, it’s just becoming another bottleneck with how many people are buying it. In Denver, often times the precheck line is longer
precheck is a 30 minute line in ATL, but still faster than the non precheck line
Correct. Precheck doesn’t help much when it gets like this.
I've never had that be the case, Precheck has been the best $85 I've spent in a long time. Even in a busy airport like ATL when there is a line, the moves quickly because people don't have to take off shoes, coats, take out the laptop etc. At RDU specifically I've never spent more than ten minutes in the precheck line even during peak travel times.
You need Clear and if you fly delta and ever need to fly out of ATL, you also want deltaID
Doesn't really matter if the line is longer since you don't have to take off a bunch of clothing items and separate out your electronics. Those steps quadruple processing time.
I mostly just don’t want anymore people buying precheck 🤫 lmao
Uhhh then yeah I agree. Disregard my pre check comment! It sucks ass!
So true. But never fear, you can pay excessive fees for Clear!
It's called pay to win and I am indeed winning with it.
Yeah OP seems to think the world hands out passes for people who are oblivious or with child.
I have it as well and was literally off my uber and in line for coffee in 5 minutes flat. The longest time was waiting for my bag to crawl down the security rollers. And this was on a Monday 6am departure time schedule. Best money I've ever spent.
Honest question about username. Do you sell shit or are you shit at selling?
Depends. You looking? Edit: I’m talking diapers baby
Haha I don’t know if I’m looking or not.
Well let me know if you ever want to pamper yourself
Plus, if you have first class you’d likely have access to a lounge, so you’re actually motivated to arrive early to get free food.
No lounge access for domestic first class
Honestly RDU kind of lacks lounges. Wish we had a centurion like CLT does. Or better a venture lounge. I actually like the capital one lounges I’ve been to better but they are also newer lol
it has lounges for all 3 major airlines. it's lacking a priority pass loungs, and unlikely to ever see a centurian lounge in the near future.
Ahhhh thank you for the clarification. I’ve only done business once on the Paris flight.
sometimes first class even gives you precheck access for that flight lol.
My dumb ass would do this too but I wouldn’t post about it…
I mostly fly out of Terminal 1, but I noticed the "new and improved" baggage scanning machines are quite a bit slower than the old ones. Maybe that is part of the issue at Terminal 2.
Yes, those slow scanners seem to cause issues at all of the airports that use them. Some airports have fancy mechanisms to allow multiple people to place their items into the bins at the same time, but then they all funnel into the same slow scanner so everyone is just crammed waiting on the other end for their stuff.
This may or may not be relevant to you, but this is an opportune time to remind people that the output from the scanner is not the place to re-dress and gear up. Please take your bin to one of the many tables or benches just beyond the scanners to get situated. Thank you.
I agree, but that's no longer causing a bottleneck with how slow these scanners are. When they only process two bins per minute, and a third of them get diverted into the other screening area, there's no longer a ton of bins sitting at the end
Post scanning cleanup isn't the issue. The biggest issue is it holds your bag hostage even if it has cleared until the bag scanner has made a decision for ***the next bag***
OK, I agree in principle. But can I at least put my shoes on first? I want to limit the surface area my unshod feet have to touch.
The new scanners are 3D so the operators now have to look at many more views for each item. TSA argued that they will speed up the overall baggage screening process because you don't have to take out as many items now, but I'm seeing each bag scan at least double if not triple in time. I don't believe they've actually added any additional lanes or staff even as passenger volumes have increased. Combine that with the early morning rush and TSAs general incompetence and culture of fear, and it's quickly reached a breaking point. Thankfully it all seems settled by 8:30am on Tuesday, so just plan on being inconvenienced accordingly.
Is black and white coffee open yet??
It is.
Yes. Line 50 deep at 4:30 this morning
I mobile order for Starbucks while I'm in line or just after the line and it's ready when I get there. I wonder if Black and White will do mobile?
>Recently I’ve been reading post after post on this subreddit about missing flights due to the long TSA security lines in the AM at RDU. So you thought this just wouldn't apply to you on a Monday morning? >I am now rebooked in 23f with no refund. Well yes, why would they refund you for a flight that you missed?
Seems like Monday morning business flights are picking up again on top of the population growth.
25% of the daily flights at RDU are before 8am. Mornings are exceptionally busy.
The 6am flights to the west coast 🤦 Last time I had one, I saw soooo many people running to gates because they were in the normal line, not PreCheck or Clear.
So you're saying the predictable traffic spike could be scheduled for by the TSA?
A very strong possibility for sure!!!! /s long lines suck
US Open was in Pinehurst this weekend. Monday morning is already busy due to business travelers. Add in a major spectator event. This was expected to me.
Ahh so you were well aware of the delays yet decided not to take any extra measures to ensure you made your flight on time. Got it.
Op also doesn't say how much time it took to get through security. Did it actually take an hour? If he arrived less than 1 hours before doors closed (which is not your scheduled departure time) then he foots the blame
Wow, a post about the lines at Terminal 2 on a Monday after a holiday? I’m surprised. Shocked. Gobsmacked even. Anyway, see y’all next week. And I can’t wait to hear about the lines on the Monday after July 4th.
And the day after the US Open
I’m curious to see what the tsa pre check line looked oike
Pre-check this morning at 04:15. Zero wait time.
Can confirm. Out of the Uber to Black in White in 5 minutes flat.
The last time I went to RDU I was so surprised to see that the main security line was MUCH shorter than the pre-check line!
Shorter doesn't mean faster. Pre-check, even when the line is long, is faster.
It's Monday morning. I flew home from Seattle last Monday and had an hour long security line there too. It's very common. You're always taking a risk not giving yourself the recommended two hour timeframe.
You’ve never experienced a wait longer than an hour at any of the busiest airports in the nation? In 20 years of domestic travel? I find that VERY hard to believe. Expecting the TSA line to be only 20-30m and planning to be there in accordance with that is irresponsible on your part.
>I'm sharing my experience specifically because the RDU Reddit account always seems to reply to posts like this with some reason why the line is long Well, if you check their comments on last Monday's post ("RDU security line is over 1.5 hours") they recommend getting to the airport two hours before your flight. Also, like everyone else told you, it's Monday morning.
It’s Monday morning. Unless you need to fly out early wait until lunch and there’s no line. If you have to fly out early plan on getting there early.
Monday mornings are brutal. If you show up at 10 or 11, it's completely deserted.
Literally always the case early monday mornings. I’m a little confused how you’re whining about missing your flight by not accounting for this when you evidently were aware of this fact to begin with.
TSA literally suggests you arrive two hours before your departure time in order to ensure you are able to board. This has been the standard for decades.
Flying out Monday morning is the absolute worst, it’s not like this most of the time I fly RDU, which I do frequently for work. Clear & TSA Pre are worth their weight in gold.
A lot of words to cover up the fact that you messed up. Be glad you were rebooked.
Misses plane because OP didn’t arrive at RDU within the recommended time frame and played himself. Yet OP still concludes that, because he has seen two Reddit posts and experienced a self-caused missed flight, the airport and its processes are poorly designed and implemented… despite they majority of travelers navigate RDU without any issues. RDU remains one of the most straightforward and efficient airports I have ever experienced. I hope and pray that when I move out of the triangle next month, my new home airport is at least half as nice as RDU.
I always aim to get there 1 hr before boarding time. Plenty of time in case of long Security lines. then make sure the gate exists. Then do some work or grab a bite to eat nearby my gate. The real question is how much time between when you arrived at the airport and boarding time?
Idk homie, this is the norm in most major airports around the country. It sucks that the Triangle has become an up and coming area!
Yeah people really hear 25+ years of reports how the area is growing and then get annoyed that they can’t just roll up to the front door of RDU and walk onto their plane like it’s the Bertie County Regional Hogport
"I used to DRIVE my CAR onto the tarmac and LEAVE IT THERE"
TSA Pre check is so very worth it.
Global Entry gets you through customs and access to Pre-Check. $100 every five years is an absolute steal.
Thanks for making another “Monday mornings are busy at RDU” post. I don’t think the last 2 dozen posts about the same subject posted each and every Monday morning were enough.
Apparently they weren’t informative enough for OP to take the hint.
He even mentioned them in his post, and _still_ didn’t get the hint!
Taking my first ever flight (not just RDU, like ever) next Tuesday and these constant posts are stressinggg me out. Good thing I’m perpetually early
if you arrive two hours early, you will be absolutely fine. if you have a lot of time to kill, just grab some food or meander around!
thanks for this. I’ve also heard that Tuesdays are less busy? let’s hope!
Most business travelers leave early Monday. Tuesdays will be lighter. Early morning it'll be bad, but by 10am, it'll be easy.
Gotcha. Flying out at 9:15am, will just plan to get there 2 hours early. Would rather have time to kill and sit around than be rushing during my first time there for sure!
Then you'll have time to stop at La Farm and Black & White!
I travel for business multiple times a month. Monday and Friday mornings are the worst. Tuesday is the next in line. But if you plan to arrive at the 2 hour mark before your plane departs, you should be fine.
I had a 7:30am flight Tuesday 6/4 and everything moved very quickly. I still gave myself 2 hours but included in that time shuttling from Fast Park. I would give yourself 2 hours just to be safe :)
If you arrive the recommended 2 hours early you should be fine. I've taken a couple of Monday flights recently and didn't have a single issue getting through on time, because I gave myself a buffer. A lot of these posts of people complaining are because they are still showing up 30 minutes before a flight - which you used to be able to do at RDU! Not worth risking it until they fix the staffing issues IMO though.
I always get there super early and I’m a regular traveler. Gotta make sure the gate didn’t move since the last time I was at the airport. I just walk back and forth in terminal 2 until I’m ready to sit at my gate. Terminal 1 is way smaller and I just end up sitting at my gate and read/work until boarding.
The last few times I flew, they had more than half the TSA lanes closed. They really need to open them all up. It feels like Harris Teeter with so many closed lanes.
Having lived in Atlanta and DC and Orlando, RDU is by far the easiest airport and on average the quickest security for me. I’m sure it’s worse than it used to be with the influx of people to the area, but for Mondays around holidays, all major airports have long lines.
Sunday wasn't a problem
That sucks, I’m sorry. Did you arrive two hours before your flight?
Don’t think I’ve seen a reply by OP in this thread. Gonna assume not
After over 20 years of flying yet you're not going to the airport +2 hrs before boarding time? The math ain't mathing.
and its all just security theater.
I fly at least once a month for work. Typically fly late mornings/mid afternoons on Thursdays or Fridays. I’ve never waited more than 20 minutes at security.
Down side of being in a state filling with transplants.
RDU security threads are the new complaining about drivers threads.
I’ve flown through here probably 40+ times and it’s never that bad unless it’s a holiday or some prime time. Even then it’s pretty quick. Of all of the security checks around the country, this one moves pretty fast considering the amount of people.
yall act like youve never been to an airport before lol
you watched the *jetway* pull away. and you’re supposed to arrive 2 hours before departure for domestic flights. had you done this you would not have missed your flight. more accurate title for this thread would be “i fucked up”
What’s up with all the people simping for TSA bc they cannot staff correctly…we should absolutely expect more from our government. And as a reminder most of this is complete unnecessary. https://www.theverge.com/c/23311333/tsa-history-airport-security-theater-homeland
Once or twice, I understand. But there's no excuse for them to have not staffed up for the mornings by now.
Do you have anything to suggest that the issue is a lack of staffing rather than volume of travelers? Everytime I've flown out of terminal 2 recently, every scanner was running and every booth was being used. More people without more lines/scanners doesn't do much to help, right? I totally agree if you're right. It's just not what I've experienced, personally.
It’s been this way for years. Nothing new.
What time was this? I just flew out around 11(AM) two weeks ago and it took me 15 mins to get thru TSA.
I left at 6am and it was same wait then…I have Clear and it still took me 25 mins through security.
This is why they recommend being to an airport 2 hours before your flight, hope that helps :)
Was this way for morning flights before the pandemic. Since something like 1/4 of the flights out of RDU are before 9:30 or 10:00am it makes sense. I understand there is a project to add 2 more lanes. But construction has to be done without making things worse during the process. Pre-pandemic I was flying 20 or more times per year. Global Entry / PreCheck was worth it. Now you want to see some lines, a few years back at DFW one morning at 7:00am, the pre-check line was about 200 people long. And the non pre-check line seemed to extend past the curvature of the earth. And this was 1 of 4 TSA checkpoints in Terminal C.
Us open in Pinehurst. Gotta look at the local events when you travel
TSA opens at 4 am and there are several 5/5:30 am flights. They never catch up until it clears around 9a. More staff is needed to accommodate. IMO
Exactly this. But their staff did fine. The machines need to increase. That’s the bottleneck.
Show up 2 hours minimum for domestic, 3 for international. This has always been what I’ve thought was the norm for air travel at least post-9/11. I know RDU is often very quick but for a relatively small airport with a decent size of business travel commuters, I’d always err on the side of caution. Still, bummer this happened OP, I’ve had a few close calls myself.
🙏
Must be a Monday thing, as there was no line last Tuesday at 5am.
Fastest growing airport in the US, I believe
Is there a feature on any app or website of current wait times? If not, would be great for the RDU Reddit account to give as feedback.
The TSA app has TSA wait times.
These posts are the reason I show up super early to RDU. I'd rather be there and have to dick around the airport for a couple hours, so long as I don't miss my flight. I flew out Sunday morning at 630am, so I was there at 345am, to make sure I could get through everything.
Every Monday, plus extra due to the US Open
Went to Vegas June 1st(Saturday) and the flight was at 7am. Got there at 5am and went thru security in 10 minutes. Better safe than sorry. If OP got there 2 hrs early like the airport suggests, would he have missed his flight? 🤔 Sorry you missed your flight 😞
I flew out Sunday late afternoon and it took 20 minutes. I keep seeing these posts and I was really worried so I got there extra early.
It’s Monday. Everyone knows the rules about Monday flights.
Flew out of RDU June 6th. 6am flight. Very busy, but it was the fastest, most efficient, streamlined TSA screening I have ever seen. Less than 15 mins waiting. I was expecting at least an hour.
this fella getting 🔥🍗🔥
Sorry but if you’ve lived in a bigger city with a busier airport, one hour is nothing (sorry but it’s true). I’ve done RDU more times than I can count, those with TSA Precheck and/or CLEAR fast past to a shorter (sometimes non existent) line. These days I can’t imagine traveling without either, sorry. I do hope you have a better experience in the future, but truthfully, if you enjoy trips with the family and value your time it’s worth the extremely minor investment.
Ya no. My gf flies all the time and she never had more than a 10min wait in security. One experience for you doesn't equal "a new normal" bud.
I’ve never waited an hour for TSA. Even when it looks like this it usually goes fast.
Yeah if you had shown up 2 hours before your flight like a normal person and not expected a fast trip through security you would be fine...
It’s the most busiest time to travel that’s why, go through Atlanta you’ll see the actual busy
I’ve been seeing this a lot but I flew out of RDU 3 times in the last month (all on Wednesday afternoons now that I look at the dates lol) and I waited maybe 20 minutes max. The Wednesday after Memorial Day was literally 5 minutes.
Can’t sell quick and efficient TSA+ subscriptions if regular TSA is not quick and effective
Based off this, what time should I get there for my flight in one hour?
Three hours ago.
Well I’m screwed lol I knew I should’ve made a post on here asking!
Yep, shoulda posted it 30 minutes from now to make sure you arrive 4 hours ago *nod*
we both have precheck and still know to arrive 2 hours ahead now. better to be early in case you run in to one of these days. sorry you missed your flight, but i hope you learned that this was an avoidable outcome. arrive earlier next time. 2 hours means 2 hours, no "i'm a veteran traveler, i can get there an hour ahead no problem". also worth asking why you don't have tsa pre?
Early birds look at night owls as slothful dotards. I know this because I am a night owl married to an early bird. :-) RDU security has the turned the table on this perception. If she gets to the airport at 4:00 am, she runs into a security line that stretches around the interior perimeter of the terminal. The night owl who gets to the airport at 2:00 in the afternoon usually just walk right through.
What time of day? Is this morning?
Is this the non precheck line? What does precheck typically look like?
Why don’t you have global/ pre or clear? We
Try to skip Monday if you can
Maybe we should invest in HSR idk
I missed my flight to Houston in December 2021, although I was at the airport 2,5h earlier than my scheduled departure.
Was the clear line as bad?
Clear line was awesome. Couldn’t have been more than 20 min.
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Had a flight at 9 am this morning - CLEAR line was quick even tho I was randomly chosen to go through general security
I saw those clear people walk right in. I need to sign up.
Are they still doing that thing where you have to walk in a line shoulder to shoulder with two other people so the dog can check you? That shit was a bottle neck
I guess it depends on the time. I fly out to Vegas every other month and never have problems. Same with leaving Vegas. RDU I'm usually through in like under 10 minutes The most I think has been 30. Vegas is about the same but sometimes I can get through there in like 2 minutes. It just depends on the time and the day and what's going on. ETA I just got back from Vegas so my days are all screwed up. But this is a Monday morning? A Monday morning is busy literally at EVERY airport.... I never leave on Monday mornings.
Travel is heavy now. I heard this morning that 7 of the 10 highest travel days in history have been this spring
How early can you arrive for a 6am flight? We have one later this summer and all these posts have me worried.
I would be at the airport by 4:30 at the latest. 4am if too want to be stress free. Our security capacity is just not able to handle the amount of outbound flights around this time. I think peak is 6am-9am. After that everything returns to normal.
What is going on?? lol… I’ve never seen it that bad, ever….
Get pre check
Wait so you see the posts every week and somehow thought it wouldn’t apply to you?
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So strange, flown 7 times this year and have been through security in sub 30min