Smooth travels at Raleigh Durham International Airport as people fly back home New Year's Day

RALEIGH, N.C. (WNCN) — New Year’s Day proved to be an ideal travel day for many people traveling through Raleigh Durham International Airport. “It was good. Everything went smooth, no problems,” said Ian Astor. He traveled back to Raleigh Monday after spending the holidays in New York. He told CBS 17 he made sure to get to the airport early in hopes of avoiding any delays.

“I was a little nervous at first because I wasn’t sure,” said Astor. “I got some alert saying I needed to get there early enough because at the airport they’re doing construction at JFK, so I gave myself a little bit of time, but it was fine.” Others like Chef Byzz experienced some minor delays on his way back to Brooklyn.

“It says about 20 minutes, half an hour but hopefully they don’t… hopefully it’ll be on time,” said Byzz. 2023 was a very busy travel year for RDU and you can expect more people traveling through the airport in 2024. Starting in June, RDU plans to expand their international service to Frankfurt, Germany through Lufthansa.

Also in the works is the expansion of . It which uses technology to help guests find parking spots. The airport has plans to install the technology on all levels of the parking garage this year. In addition to parking, travelers can also expect new restaurants at RDU. Bobby’s Burgers by famous chef Bobby Flay is set to open at the airport at the end of the year.

“There’s not a lot of restaurants here to begin with now. Everything’s like little shops and stuff so I think people will come down and enjoy it more,” said Astor. RDU will also continue work on the new primary runway which is expected to be completed in 2028..