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I confess that I used my passive-aggressive annoyance prod when I was stuck at T1 the other week behind some slow-moving, ill-prepared travelers:
I whistled the opening bars of the banjo music from Deliverance.
It's my go-to public snark here in NC! Works great with bad-acting Little League parents, slow security lines, and folks berating their kids in public.
Theme song for final Jeopardy for me.
RDU Security has always been a breeze for me in the last couple/few years. Never more than 5-10 minutes. Last few times at T2, I didn't have to remove my shoes or laptops or anything. Not sure what that was about, but I liked it.
RDU Security has always been a breeze for me in the last couple/few years. Never more than 5-10 minutes. Last few times at T2, I didn't have to remove my shoes or laptops or anything. Not sure what that was about, but I liked it.
You lucked out and were waved into the TSA Pre-Check lane. If you travel enough, and jump through a couple of hoops, you can get on the Pre Check list. I had a cousin who was travelling all the time for work and he did it and said it was great. Sometimes in times of a little congestion they wave groups of people through the Pre Check lane. Its great. You don't have to take off your laptop, shoes, light coat, etc...
10:00 am should be fine. That's likely not a super-popular flight time for business travelers. I've found that most of the crowds are between 5:30 and 8am. Even on the busiest days I've never been in line longer than half hour with either of the new terminals. Now back in the old days is another story.
If you never want to wait in security lines at RDU, take evening flights. Sure many of the restaurants are closed but I never wait in lines more than 2 or 3 people deep for 8PM or later flights.
If you never want to wait in security lines at RDU, take evening flights. Sure many of the restaurants are closed but I never wait in lines more than 2 or 3 people deep for 8PM or later flights.
I agree. I've flown to RDU twice in the past few years and find the security horrible and the employees rude. Quite the opposite of STL and MCI.
It looks like they are opening the Pre-Check program to anyone who applies (initially it was invite only for frequent fliers). Fill out an application, go to an enrollment center for fingerprints, verification, etc (there is a center in Raleigh) and pay $85 for 5 years. My sister has had PreCheck since the beginning and loves it.
Another great option is Global Entry, which allows you to move through CUSTOMS quickly if you do a lot of international travelling. It's $100 for 5 years. The only catch is having to go to Charlotte (airport) for an in-person interview. That's the closest application site.
Haven't had a chance to see the new Terminal 1 - glad to hear it's more spacious.
You lucked out and were waved into the TSA Pre-Check lane. If you travel enough, and jump through a couple of hoops, you can get on the Pre Check list. I had a cousin who was travelling all the time for work and he did it and said it was great. Sometimes in times of a little congestion they wave groups of people through the Pre Check lane. Its great. You don't have to take off your laptop, shoes, light coat, etc...
It's actually separate from the Pre-Check lane. In T1, Pre-Check is on the left side. But the last time I went through (last month) I was randomly chosen to go through an expedited lane that was on the opposite end of security.
It looks like they are opening the Pre-Check program to anyone who applies (initially it was invite only for frequent fliers). Fill out an application, go to an enrollment center for fingerprints, verification, etc (there is a center in Raleigh) and pay $85 for 5 years. My sister has had PreCheck since the beginning and loves it.
Another great option is Global Entry, which allows you to move through CUSTOMS quickly if you do a lot of international travelling. It's $100 for 5 years. The only catch is having to go to Charlotte (airport) for an in-person interview. That's the closest application site.
Haven't had a chance to see the new Terminal 1 - glad to hear it's more spacious.
Just FYI, Global Entry also gives you TSA Pre. Just need to associate your Global Entry PASS ID to your frequent flyer profile, and while it's not guaranteed .. at least for me, I've gotten TSA Pre 100% of the time.
(I travel a LOT)
Definitely a more challenging issue with the interview process .. not only can it take 2-3 months to get an interview appt, I'd also forewarn everyone to be perfectly on time to it and not even a minute late. When I was doing my interview (at EWR) the CBP agent turned someone else away who was 60s late.
In my experience early morning before 8am is usually the worst time at RDU. There are huge numbers of flights departing between 6am and 8am. Especially right at 6:00 and 7:00. You need to allow 30 extra minutes if your departure is in that range.
By 10:00am the departure traffic will have died down quite a bit so the lines should be short and quick.
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