Don’t just wing it as you travel this holiday season. From prepaid RDU parking to the best flight-booking days, we’ll have you soaring—and saving—as you fly the friendly skies.
TRAVEL CONFIDENCE IS SOARING; the border ban has been lifted for vaccinated travelers from 30+ countries… and like birds of a feather, we’re ready to spread our wings and, well, flock together. But ain’t nothing fuzzy and festive about flying for the holidays—so before you go all Four Christmases and flip out, allow us to highlight some stress-reducing, money-saving holiday travel hacks.
Put It in Park
Gone are the days of pulling up preflight in full-on anxiety mode to find all parking lots full. Enter the super-huge revelation that is ParkRDU’s online pre-booking option (tell your friends about it—or don’t and save all the good spots for yourself…). Choose your date, time and location—only caveat is you have to book at least 24 hours in advance. Bonus: You can also see the capacity of each parking lot in real-time via RDU Airport’s website… so you can swap #stressmode for #airplanemode and have one less hiccup between home and sipping that cocktail at 40,000 feet. rdu.com
The Early Bird Gets the Worm
Sure no one wants to wake up at 4am to catch a flight, but it’s worth it—trust us… just don’t oversleep and get left behind like Kevin McCallister. Pros’ll tell you that taking the earliest flight available is an easy hack (think more follow-up options, more flexibility, fewer frantic bodies). You’ll thank us when that seemingly more convenient afternoon flight you were eyeing gets canceled and you’re not having to spend the night in an airport lobby (hey, Tom Hanks in The Terminal!).
Direct Is Best
Like dawn flights, direct flights are your new best friend for steering clear of potential travel headaches. Where possible, choose the option with the most direct flights available to avoid unexpected cancellations and delays. Plus, the more stops involved, the higher the risk (*mind wanders to your last Olympic sprint through some rando terminal*). And, c’mon, who likes layovers anyway?
Peak Flights
While most people will tend to jump on that Sunday afternoon flight in order to get back for work Monday, beat the Sunday scaries (and high prices!) by opting for flights on off-peak days and times—like Tuesdays, Wednesdays or Saturdays. And if that just isn’t possible for you, early morning (ahem, smarter and cheaper!) and red-eye flights will also help save you money and stress.
WEB EXCLUSIVE The April 2021 issue of Raleigh Magazine is on newsstands around town now and should be delivered to your doors and mailboxes in just a couple days! While you wait to get your hands on a copy, take a quick look at some of the stories we have in store.
2020 was supposed to be the year of barbecue in the Triangle—but pandemic. Now, we’re finally starting to see some of those slated Q spots bow (from the long-awaited Sam Jones BBQ to Boxyard RTP’s forthcoming Lawrence Barbecue), joining the ranks of such time-honored joints as Clyde Cooper’s and Ole Time Barbecue.
We asked. You answered! We received countless noms from people all over the city across all fields—and here are Raleigh’s top 20 in their 20s: the leaders of today, tomorrow and beyond.
No matter what hot new eatery descends on Raleigh, North Raleigh’s Winston’s Grille has stood the test of time—earning its third NCRLA Stars of the Industry Award this year.
Vaccinations are on the rise and RDU Airport is poised to take flight—as the first airport in the world to launch a travel requirement tool, and by being named as one of only two U.S. Delta “focus cities.”
Vitis House’s Doreen Colondres, renowned chef and wine connoisseur, picks out five of her favorite sub-$25 bottles of wine from wine shops and stores around Raleigh.
Jet-setting around the world was clearly not in the cards for 2020, but flights are finally starting to take off again at Raleigh–Durham International Airport—so those travel dream boards you built when you hit the bottom of Netflix could actually materialize, which is pretty fly.
Over the recent holidays, and more specifically, the week of Dec. 20 to 27, TSA screened 52,812 departing passengers from RDU: a 14% increase over the previous week—but, for perspective, still down 63.5% from the same week in 2019. That said, it was RDU’s highest passenger count since mid-March—when the pandemic hit North Carolina and airlines were grounded to a halt.
As airlines saw the upward trend, many began resuming or adding nonstop flights to various destinations. “RDU is extremely fortunate to add new destinations at a time when airports continue to lose airlines service,” says Michael Landguth, president and CEO of the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority. “We are optimistic that passengers will support the new routes by traveling to these warm-weather destinations during the winter months.”
It’s an understatement to say we could all seriously use a vacation right about now. With so many more direct flights available at RDU, there’s no better time than now to plan a getaway to one of these nonstop destinations once it’s safe to do again. Bon voyage!
In December, American Airlines brought back nonstop service to Cancun, and, in January, to DC (Reagan International). Direct flights to LA are scheduled to resume in March, with pond-jumping direct flights to London slated to return in late spring.
Well-known for its Boston and New York markets, JetBlue launched five new nonstop destinations in the fall: including Fort Myers, Florida; San Juan, Puerto Rico; LA (the airline’s first West Coast-bound flight from RDU); Cancun, Mexico; and Montego Bay, Jamaica—the latter two serving as RDU’s first nonstop international takeoffs since the pandemic began. This month the airline will add daily service to Austin, Jacksonville, Newark, Orlando and Tampa, and, in March, Las Vegas and San Francisco.
Delta Air Lines will resume direct flights to Austin and Jacksonville on Feb. 11, and Las Vegas (daily) on March 2 and plans to resume its nonstop flight to Paris this spring.
WEB EXCLUSIVE The July/August issue of Raleigh Magazine is on stands around town and will be delivered to your doors and mailboxes very soon! Here’s a quick look at some of the stories we’re featuring in this issue.
Less Frequent Flyers
With everything from sporting events to business conferences to weddings cancelled due to coronavirus, RDU International Airport has seen a drastic reduction in the number of travelers coming through. As a result, the airport has reduced its number of flights daily from 59 to 23 and is currently serving no international destinations. Though big capital improvement projects are on hold, restaurants and retailers in the airport are opening back up and travel is picking up again slightly. Get the numbers and forecasts from tourism experts and the RDU Airport Authority on the airport’s outlook for the short and long term.
In Need of Reform
The coronavirus shutdown shone a light on ways the restaurant industry leaves workers vulnerable to exploitation. Then, allegations of harassment and abuse at the popular Brewery Bhavana in downtown Raleigh shook up the city’s local culinary scene. We spoke with restaurant owners and others about how the food and beverage industry can help make the work experience better for employees going forward, from paying them a living wage, to giving them paid time off when they’re sick to keeping them safe from abuse on the job. Learn which Raleigh restaurants are already putting new, better systems in place.
Reflections On a Movement
Sometimes it’s been peaceful, sometimes painful, sometimes beautiful and sometimes violent. But there’s no denying, the last few weeks in Raleigh and the nation have brought on a reckoning—one that looks, at this moment, to promise lasting change. In a photo essay, we share thoughts and images from those who protested racial injustice and police brutality peacefully last month as well as the faces of those impacted by looting and destruction and the beauty and creativity that emerged in colorful murals on ply board panels all over downtown.
North Carolina Beach Sheet
Before you hit the Carolina coast this summer, use our beach cheat sheet to discover which beach fits in with your idea of a perfect summer getaway. We explore 17 of our favorite North Carolina beach towns and what each has to offer, from famous doughnuts to fireworks on the boardwalk to friendly seafood-focused restaurants. Whether you’re looking for a relaxing escape or a fun-filled family vacation, there’s an ideal North Carolina beach for you.
