RDU Terminal 1 Evacuated After Anonymous Bomb Threat Monday Morning

Hundreds of RDU travelers, some pulled off planes they had already boarded, stood outside Terminal 1 in the pre-dawn dark for more than an hour Monday after an anonymous bomb threat forced a full evacuation around 4:30 a.m.

TSA officials and RDU Airport Authority police received the threat between 4:20 and 4:30 a.m. and immediately cleared the terminal, which serves Alaska, Avelo, Breeze, Southwest, Spirit and Sun Country. K-9 units and security teams swept the building, and airport officials later declared no threat was found. Terminal 1 reopened at approximately 6 a.m.

Sky Williams was already seated on a plane when TSA officers came aboard. "We were on the plane for like two minutes, and then TSA came and announced that there was a threat and everybody had to evacuate," Williams said. Passengers were escorted out just before 4:30 a.m. and received little information as they waited on the pavement outside. "There was no information given. A lot of people thought it was a test," Williams said. "It was upsetting seeing little kids cry. Everyone was worried."

Stephanie Necak said her flight was 10 minutes from boarding when security swept through and cleared the terminal. Cheryl Conley, scheduled to depart around 6 a.m., watched her departure window shift twice: "They let me know we had a delay, and then about an hour later they told me it would be two more hours." Hundreds of people waited outside for just over an hour before RDU employees received the all-clear to reenter.

An RDU spokesperson said "law enforcement and TSA officers are on-site thoroughly checking the facility." The airport posted on X that it would "continue to monitor the situation and maintain a law enforcement presence at the airport for the safety of all our guests and employees."

The flight disruption, while contained, was real. FlightAware reported six delays and seven cancellations as of 7 a.m., with Southwest Airlines and Breeze Airways passengers seeing the sharpest impact. On a typical day, RDU processes roughly 360 flights. Even after reopening, travelers encountered long security lines as operations resumed, because passengers cleared mid-screening during an evacuation must fully re-clear security upon reentry.

Anyone flying out of Terminal 1 this week should build extra time into their checkpoint window. Southwest and Breeze sent delay alerts to affected passengers Monday morning; those facing rebooking can reach their airline through app notifications or gate agents. RDU posts real-time alerts at @RDUAirport on X, and FlightAware tracks current delays and cancellations by flight number. Arriving at least two hours before departure for domestic flights on any Terminal 1 carrier remains the safest buffer on days following a disruption.

Traveler Kim McKellar, waiting outside as the search continued, captured the mood of the crowd: "It's concerning, but I have to put my faith in the people here knowing what they're doing and not add to the chaos." As of 10:15 a.m. Monday, the Raleigh-Durham Airport Authority said it had no additional details to share. No suspect has been identified and no charges have been filed.