Raleigh–Durham, NC · Airport profile
RDU
Raleigh-Durham International Airport
RDU right now
Current operating conditions, from live sources only.
Aviation weather is not currently a factor. FAA operational data — ground stops, ground delay programs and closures — is not currently available to FlyerIntel.
FAA operational data is not currently available to FlyerIntel. Why
Minimal operational impact. Conditions are not a notable factor for operations right now.
Forecast issued 23:29Z.
UpdatedSecurity wait data is not currently available for RDU. Why
Parking data is not currently available for RDU. Why
FlyerIntel shows live values only where a permitted source provides them. Sections without data are left empty rather than estimated.
Airport reliability
Departures from RDU, July 2023 – June 2026.
Better than 30% of major US airports covered by FlyerIntel (58 compared)
Calculated from 175,148 flights. How this is calculated
Source: US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics · Data covering July 2023 – June 2026
Best time to fly from RDU
On-time arrival rate by scheduled local departure time.
Flights departing 5–9 AM arrived on time 88.9% of the time, against 63.9% for 9 PM–5 AM departures — a gap of 25.1 percentage points.
By departure window
By departure hour
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – June 2026 · Buckets with fewer than 120 flights are not scored.
What to expect at RDU
How busy the airport is through the day, from scheduled departure volume.
Scheduled departures by hour
The busiest hour is 6 AM, with about 20 departures a day, against roughly 2 at 9 PM. Counterintuitively, that peak is also more punctual than a typical hour here — early banks fly aircraft that have been on the ground overnight rather than ones inheriting the day’s delays.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – June 2026 · Taxi-out is the time between leaving the gate and lifting off, averaged across departures and weighted by hour.
Weekly and seasonal patterns
By day of week
Tuesday is historically the most reliable day and Sunday the least, a gap of 5.2 percentage points.
By month
July is historically the weakest month and October the strongest, a spread of 14.1 percentage points.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – June 2026
Airlines at RDU
Departure performance by operating carrier. Regional flights are reported by the carrier that operated them, not by the mainline brand.
| Carrier | Departures | On time | Cancelled | Median delay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Delta Air Lines DL | 34,551 | 84.9% | 1.07% | -10 min |
| American Airlines AA | 31,917 | 78.3% | 1.71% | -6 min |
| Southwest Airlines WN | 27,020 | 81.2% | 0.90% | -6 min |
| Republic Airways YX | 19,880 | 79.1% | 2.93% | -7 min |
| United Airlines UA | 17,635 | 81.8% | 1.21% | -8 min |
| Frontier Airlines F9 | 13,175 | 71.6% | 2.84% | -5 min |
| Endeavor Air 9E | 9,946 | 79.9% | 3.01% | -10 min |
| JetBlue B6 | 9,335 | 74.6% | 2.19% | -7 min |
| Envoy Air MQ | 3,874 | 77.4% | 1.83% | -5 min |
| PSA Airlines OH | 3,020 | 69.2% | 4.14% | -3 min |
| Alaska Airlines AS | 1,672 | 74.3% | 1.32% | -1 min |
| Spirit Airlines NK | 1,594 | 66.3% | 3.58% | 0 min |
| SkyWest Airlines OO | 1,529 | 77.1% | 0.72% | -4 min |
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – June 2026 · Carriers with fewer than 500 departures are not listed.
Routes from RDU
Ranked by FlyerIntel Route Reliability Score.
Most reliable
Busiest routes
| Destination | Flights | On time | Score |
|---|---|---|---|
| RDU → ATL Atlanta | 13,961 | 85.2% | 76 |
| RDU → CLT Charlotte | 10,134 | 79.1% | 62 |
| RDU → LGA New York | 10,100 | 75.2% | 40 |
| RDU → ORD Chicago | 9,723 | 79.2% | 60 |
| RDU → JFK New York | 9,666 | 77.8% | 51 |
| RDU → BOS Boston | 8,787 | 79.0% | 58 |
| RDU → MCO Orlando | 8,207 | 77.4% | 56 |
| RDU → PHL Philadelphia | 7,333 | 73.7% | 45 |
| RDU → MIA Miami | 7,224 | 78.3% | 59 |
| RDU → DCA Washington | 7,103 | 71.0% | 43 |
| RDU → EWR Newark | 6,863 | 76.1% | 43 |
| RDU → BNA Nashville | 6,662 | 83.9% | 77 |
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – June 2026 · Only routes with at least 750 flights are ranked.
Reliability over time
On-time arrival rate for departures, by month.
Source: FlyerIntel analysis of US DOT BTS data · July 2023 – June 2026
Data and sources
Historical statistics
Every historical figure on this page is calculated by FlyerIntel from US DOT Bureau of Transportation Statistics on-time performance records covering July 2023 – June 2026, comprising 175,148 departures from RDU. A flight counts as delayed when it arrives 15 or more minutes after schedule.
Live conditions
Aviation weather comes from the NOAA Aviation Weather Center. Operational events come from the FAA where available. FlyerIntel shows the age of every live value and does not display data it cannot currently retrieve.
Latest observation for RDU: METAR KRDU 292351Z 12005KT 10SM SCT120 BKN250 25/22 A3016 RMK AO2 SLP207 T02500222 10283 20250 58002 $ (issued ).