Raleigh Durham (RDU): The Complete Layover Guide

Raleigh Durham is two separate buildings facing each other across a central parking complex: Terminal 1 to the west, Terminal 2 to the east, and a loop road feeding both curbsides.

Terminal 1 is the small one. Southwest Airlines uses it for domestic flights from nine gates numbered A1 to A9, with ticketing and baggage claim on the ground level and security plus the concourse upstairs. Terminal 2 is the main event: 36 gates split between Concourse C to the right of security and Concourse D to the left. American, Delta, United and every international carrier operate from Terminal 2, and both concourses sit behind a single checkpoint, so once you are through you can walk the whole terminal without rescreening.

The catch is the gap between the buildings. There is no airside connection of any kind. If you land in one terminal and depart from the other, you exit the secure area, follow the walkway through the parking garage, and join the security line fresh on the far side. From Terminal 1 the route runs through an underground tunnel to the garage; from Terminal 2 you cross John Brantley Boulevard at ground level. The walk takes 5 to 10 minutes, or a free shuttle bus loops between the terminals if you would rather ride.

In practice almost nobody changes terminals here. Southwest does not interline with the Terminal 2 carriers, so a cross terminal connection only happens on separate tickets. If that is you, give yourself 2 hours minimum, because you are checking in from zero and RDU security lines swell sharply in the early morning bank.

Within Terminal 2, connections are easy. The walk from the far end of Concourse C to the far end of Concourse D takes about 15 minutes at a normal pace, and most gate changes are far shorter. A 45 minute connection on a single ticket is uncomfortable but survivable; 60 minutes is comfortable. This is one of the genuinely low stress connecting airports in the eastern United States, as long as both flights use the same building.

RDU is a status airport. If you carry airline elite status or a premium cabin ticket, the three clubs cover you. If you carry Priority Pass, you currently have nothing here.

The airport lists the Admirals Club open daily from 4:30 am to 8 pm, the Delta Sky Club from 4:30 am to 7:45 pm Sunday to Friday and until 7 pm on Saturday, and the United Club from 5 am to 7:30 pm daily. Hours drift with the schedule, so treat the evening close times as approximate. For cash access, American sells Admirals Club day passes at $79 or 7,900 AAdvantage miles and United sells day passes at $59; Delta does not sell day entry to the Sky Club. Whether an independent lounge returns to the old Terminal 1 space is to be confirmed.

Sleeping is the weak suit. The terminals technically stay open 24 hours, but the security checkpoints close overnight, which pushes anyone on a very early departure out to the landside areas until screening reopens before the first morning bank. Landside seating is sparse, the floors are uncarpeted and cool at night, and vending machines carry most of the overnight food load; which outlets, if any, run all night is to be confirmed. With no hotel inside or attached to either terminal, a real bed means a shuttle ride to the Morrisville hotel cluster about 2 miles away. Our sleeping at RDU guide maps the least bad benches if you decide to tough it out.

Wifi is the strong suit. The official RDU network is free across both terminals, gates and baggage claim included, and it holds up for video calls in most gate areas. Charging points are built into select seats and gate area counters throughout, denser in Terminal 2 than Terminal 1.