Ranked: Raleigh–Durham's 8 longest domestic routes

Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) is the 35th-busiest airport in the US, processing more than 14.5 million passengers in 2024. The largest carrier at the airport is American Airlines, with the oneworld carrier commanding a 21.3% market share, putting it ahead of second-placed Delta Air Lines (20.8%) and Southwest Airlines (15.4%) in third place.

The airport is a focus city for Delta Air Lines, and relative newcomer to the market, Avelo Airlines, also opened an operating base at Raleigh-Durham in February 2023.

Internationally, Raleigh-Durham International Airport is connected to a host of destinations across Mexico, Canada, and the Caribbean, as well as to four transatlantic destinations - London Heathrow (LHR), Paris (CDG), Frankfurt (FRA), and Reykjavík (KEF).

By far the busiest international route in 2024 was to London Heathrow, with a total of 130,000 passengers traveling on American Airlines' daily service.

When it comes to the airport's 50+ domestic destinations, the busiest in 2024 in terms of passenger numbers were:

1. Atlanta (ATL) - 709,000 passengers
2. Charlotte (CLT) - 525,000 passengers
3. Orlando (MCO) - 381,000 passengers
4. Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) - 330,000 passengers
5. Chicago (ORD) - 316,000 passengers.

But how are the airport's domectic routes ranked when looking at their length? Using data from Cirium, an aviation analytics company, what are the eight longest domestic routes from Raleigh-Durham International Airport in January 2025?

8 Raleigh-Durham (RDU) - Denver (DEN)

1,436 miles

The eighth-longest domestic route from Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) is to Denver International Airport (DEN). In January 2025, three carriers will operate a total of 141 flights in each direction between the two cities, with United Airlines operating the most flights, with a double-daily frequency:

• Frontier Airlines - 20
• Southwest Airlines - 59
• United Airlines - 62

Last year, Denver was the seventh-busiest domestic destination from Raleigh-Durham, with more than 293,000 flying on the route. Denver International Airport itself is the world's second-largest airport by land area, covering 52.4 square miles, behind Dammam's King Fahd International Airport (DMM) in Saudi Arabia.

7 Raleigh-Durham (RDU) - Salt Lake City (SLC)

1,823 miles

In January 2025, Delta Air Lines will operate a daily service between Raleigh-Durham-International Airport (RDU) and its hub at Salt Lake City International Airport (SLC), equating to 31 flights across the month. The SkyTeam member will deploy its Airbus A321neo aircraft on the 1,823-mile route.

The latest data from ch-aviation shows that Delta Air Lines currently has a total of 69 Airbus A321neos in its fleet, with each one able to accommodate between 148 and 194 passengers, depending on the configuration.

6 Raleigh-Durham (RDU) - Phoenix (PHX)

1,891 miles

At 1,891 miles long, the route between Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) and Phoenix-Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX) is the sixth-longest domestic route from the North Carolina airport.

Southwest Airlines will operate a total of 20 flights in each direction on the route in January 2025 with its fleet of Boeing 737 aircraft. Meanwhile, American Airlines will operate a daily service, connecting Raleigh-Durham with its hub in Phoenix. The busiest domestic routes from Phoenix-Sky Harbor International Airport in 2024 were:

1. Denver (DEN) - 1,264,000 passengers
2. Seattle (SEA) - 952,000 passengers
3. Chicago (ORD) - 938,000 passengers
4. Las Vegas (LAS) - 882,000 passengers
5. Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) - 825,000 passengers.

5 Raleigh-Durham (RDU) - Las Vegas (LAS)

2,027 miles

Las Vegas Harry Reid International Airport (LAS) is 2,207 miles away from Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU), making it the fifth-longest domestic route from the latter. Southwest Airlines and Delta Air Lines will go head-to-head on the route in January 2025, with both carriers operating one daily flight each way between Raleigh-Durham and Las Vegas. The Boeing 737 is the aircraft of choice for both carriers on this route.

Passengers traveling with Delta Air Lines will be able to connect onto one of Las Vegas' most high-profile long-haul routes to Seoul Incheon Airport (ICN), with flights operated by the carrier's SkyTeam partner, Korean Air.

4 Raleigh-Durham (RDU) - San Diego (SAN)

2,193 miles

The fourth-longest domestic route from Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) stretches into California, arriving at San Diego International Airport (SAN), some 2,193 miles away. However, this is not a busy route, and only two flights will be operated in each direction in January 2025.

Breeze Airways will operate both flights with its Airbus A220-300 aircraft. The low-cost carrier's fleet is currently made up of 35 A220-300s, with a further 55 on order. Each A220-300 can accommodate up to 137 passengers in a two-class configuration - 12 in business class and 125 in economy class. Breeze Airways also operates 13 Embraer aircraft, each seating between 108 and 124 passengers.

Breeze Airways commenced operations in May 2021, as the world of aviation was still recovering from the devastating impacts of the pandemic. However, since then, the carrier has gone from strength to strength, opening several new operating bases around the country and serving more than 60 destinations. Among Breeze Airways' operating bases are Tampa International Airport (TPA), Providence Rhode Island T. F. Green International Airport (PVD), Norfolk International Airport (ORF), and Fort Myers Southwest Florida International Airport (RSW).

3 Raleigh-Durham (RDU) - Los Angeles (LAX)

2,239 miles

Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) is the third-longest domestic route to be operated from Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU). In January 2025, three carriers will operate a total of 52 flights in each direction between Raleigh-Durham and Los Angeles:

• American Airlines - 19
• Breeze Airways - 2
• Delta Air Lines - 31

Delta Air Lines operates a significant transpacific network from Los Angeles, providing ample connecting opportunities for passengers on services to and from Raleigh-Durham. Among the destinations on offer are Tokyo Haneda (HND), Sydney (SYD), Auckland (AKL), Papeete (PPT), and Brisbane (BNE), with flights to Shanghai (PVG) due to commence in June 2025.

2 Raleigh-Durham (RDU) - Seattle (SEA)

2,354 miles

In January 2025, both Alaska Airlines and Delta Air Lines will operate a daily service each between Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) and Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA). At 2,354 miles in length, this is the second-longest domestic route from Raleigh-Durham, and westbound flights are scheduled with a block time of around six hours and ten minutes.

Alaska Airlines will deploy its Boeing 737 MAX 9s on the route, which have a capacity of up to 178 passengers in a two-class configuration - 16 in business class and 162 in economy class. Meanwhile, Delta Air Lines operates its flights between Raleigh-Durham and Seattle with the Boeing 737-900ER, of which there are 163 in the carrier's fleet.

1 Raleigh-Durham (RDU) - San Francisco (SFO)

2,400 miles

The longest domestic route from Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) is to San Francisco International Airport (SFO). In January 2025, United Airlines will operate two flights per day in each direction between the two cities, covering the 2,400-mile journey in around six hours and fifteen minutes (westbound flying time).

The Star Alliance carrier deploys its Boeing 737 MAX 8s on the route, with each aircraft able to carry up to 166 passengers in a two-class configuration - 16 in business class and 150 in economy class. Flights operates as per the following schedule:

San Francisco International Airport is United Airlines' primary hub on the West Coast, and is also home to many of the carrier's long-haul transpacific routes. From San Francisco, United Airlines serves the likes of:

• Taipei (TPE)
• Manila (MNL)
• Osaka Kansai (KIX)
• Tokyo Haneda (HND)
• Tokyo Narita (NRT).

The eight longest domestic routes from Raleigh-Durham International Airport in January 2025 are summarized in the table below: