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Memorial Day travel: Tracking gas prices, flight delays and worst times for driving

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Memorial Day travel: Tracking gas prices, flight delays and worst times for driving

MORRISVILLE, N.C. — Workers at Raleigh-Durham International Airport are expecting a record number of Memorial Day weekend travelers.

The airport said Wednesday it expects about 300,000 travelers to fly through from Thursday through Tuesday. TSA projects about 8% more people to travel through RDU compared to the 2023 Memorial Day weekend.

“RDU is working with the airlines and TSA to anticipate passenger traffic levels and staffing needs as we head into the summer travel season,” said Michael Landguth, president and CEO of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. “RDU is expected to set a record for passenger traffic this year, with Memorial Day weekend marking the official start of the busy summer travel season

“We strongly encourage airport guests to arrive early and follow RDU’s tips for a stress-free travel day.”

RDU offered several traveling tips:

  • Check the status of your flight before coming to the airport.
  • Reserve parking in the deck or lot of your choice at least 24 hours in advance at rdu.com or check parking capacity online before you leave for the airport.
  • Departing passengers should get to the airport at least two hours early for domestic flights and three hours early for international flights.
  • The cell phone lot, located at 1000 Trade Drive on the RDU campus, is just minutes from the terminals and a convenient place to wait for arriving guests.
  • Give your party 30 minutes from the time they land to pick up their luggage and get to the curb.
  • Both levels of Terminal 2 can be used for pickup and drop off to reduce congestion.

“We expect record passenger volumes throughout the Memorial weekend and encourage all passengers to arrive in the terminal at least two hours prior to departure,” said Jennifer Gordon, TSA’s Federal Security Director at RDU. “Our state-of-the-art checkpoint technology increases security effectiveness, efficiency and enhances the flying experience for the traveling public.

“Please pay attention to all signs and instructions from TSA officers.”

For the first time ever, TSA will likely be screening more than 3 million passengers nationwide in a single day at some point this summer. Four of TSA’s top 10 busiest days have come this month.

Gas Prices: What if you’re driving for Memorial Day?

Taking a road trip instead of flying for Memorial Day?

AAA released new numbers hours ago, early Friday morning.

They revealed average gas prices are slightly dipping.

  • Nationally, $3.61 is the average, down 6 cents from a month ago.
  • In North Carolina,, the average gas price is $3.35.
  • Raleigh prices dropped to $3.42.

Each of these numbers only dropped by one penny each.

North Carolina has some of the cheapest gas in the country.

Out of all the states—we rank 18th in that category.

Tips for finding the best gas prices:

  • Gas prices in South Carolina prices are generally 20 to 30 cents lower than in North Carolina.
  • Check an app like Gas Buddy or Google or ways to know the best places to fill up.
  • Check WRAL’s Fuel Tracker for the best prices in your area.

Best and worst times to be on the roads for Memorial Day

AAA also released a list of the worst times to be on the road this holiday weekend. These are when roads will be the most congested:

  • Friday from noon to 7 p.m.
  • Saturday from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
  • Sunday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
  • Monday from 3 p.m. to 7 p.m.
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