Raleigh/Durham to Denver (RDU–DEN) — Airlines, Schedules & Connections

RDU Airport Page →
1,433 mi airlines 55/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 15 flights Verified 46m ago
Nonstop 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
WN1543
WN Southwest
B38M
5:15 AM
EDT T1
7:05 AM
MDT
3h 50m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2395
UA United
738
8:00 AM
EDT T2
10:03 AM
MDT
4h 3m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2383
UA United
738
9:22 AM
EDT T2
11:07 AM
MDT
3h 45m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2288
UA United
7M8
4:16 PM
EDT T2
6:23 PM
MDT
4h 7m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN271
WN Southwest
73H
5:15 PM
EDT T1
7:05 PM
MDT
3h 50m
M T W T F S S
Prices
F92225+1
F9 Frontier
32Q
6:30 PM
EDT T2
8:37 PM
MDT
4h 7m
M T W T F S S
Prices
Y42873cs
Y4 Volaris
A21N
6:47 PM
EDT T2
8:53 PM
MDT
4h 6m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2376
UA United
739
7:50 PM
EDT T2
10:01 PM
MDT
4h 11m
M T W T F S S
Prices
F92439
F9 Frontier
A20N
9:49 PM
EDT T2
11:59 PM
MDT
4h 10m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2269
UA United
B38M
9:50 AM
MDT
3:12 PM
EDT
3h 22m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN3138
WN Southwest
738
10:30 AM
MDT
3:45 PM
EDT
3h 15m
M T W T F S S
Prices
Y42404cs
Y4 Volaris
A21N
12:30 PM
MDT
5:52 PM
EDT
3h 22m
M T W T F S S
Prices
F92440+2
F9 Frontier
32N
3:45 PM
MDT
9:04 PM
EDT
3h 19m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2671
UA United
7M9
5:25 PM
MDT
10:50 PM
EDT
3h 25m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN2038
WN Southwest
73H
5:38 PM
MDT
10:48 PM
EDT
3h 10m
M T W T F S S
Prices

No flights match your filters.

No nonstop flights on this route. connecting options below.

1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Raleigh/Durham to Denver
3 carriers, 55 flights/week nonstop.
3 Airlines 55 Flights/wk 1,433 mi 3h 45m nonstop -2h behind 124 1-stop hubs

RDU–DEN is served by 3 airlines with nonstop service. United Airlines, Southwest Airlines and Frontier lead the route. The flight covers 1,433 miles in approximately 3h 45m. Beyond nonstop, 124 hubs offer 1-stop connections.

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop RDU–DEN service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
UA United Airlines 22 738, 739, 7M8 3h45-4h11 89% Star Alliance
WN Southwest Airlines 14 73H, B38M 3h50 89%
F9 Frontier Also: Y4 12 32Q, A20N 4h07-4h10 89% Y4
Aircraft on this route
32Q Airbus A321neo – F9
738 Boeing 737-800 – UA
739 Boeing 737-900 – UA
73H Boeing 737-800 (Winglets) – WN
7M8 Boeing 737 MAX 8 – UA
A20N Airbus A320neo – F9
A21N Airbus A321neo – Y4
B38M Boeing 737 MAX 8 – WN
Alliance coverage
Unaffiliated: F9 + WN (26 flights/wk, 54%)
Star Alliance: UA (22 flights/wk, 46%)
OTP based on airport-level delay snapshots. Duration ranges reflect seasonal/directional variation.

Weekly Schedule Pattern

Nonstop flight frequency by day of week, RDU to DEN direction.
Mon
9
flights
Tue
8
flights
Wed
8
flights
Thu
7
flights
Fri
7
flights
Sat
7
flights
Sun
9
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
9
Nonstop flights
55
Outbound / wk
42
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for RDU to DEN.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
124
Hubs
~4h
Fastest
~31h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
4,254
Candidates
Two-stop connections loaded in the connections tab above.
Connections computed from published schedules with minimum connection time verification. Use the interactive explorer above the fold to filter by airline, tier, and layover time.

Other ways to reach Denver from Raleigh/Durham

Nearby airports with service to Denver International Airport.
Metric RDU→DEN ILM→DEN
Distance from RDU 122 mi
Nonstop airlines 3 2
Weekly flights 55 1
Flight time 3h 45m 4h 25m
Departure OTP 89%
Airports within 200 miles of RDU with service to Denver International Airport.

Travel Essentials

Practical planning for this route.
Time Difference
-2h
Denver is 2 hours behind Raleigh/Durham.
RDU: EDT · DEN: MDT

When it's 6:00 PM in Raleigh/Durham, it's 4:00 PM in Denver.
Distance & Flight Time
1,433 mi / 2,307 km
Nonstop flight time is approximately 3h 45m to 4h 11m.
Getting to RDU

No rail connection exists. GoTriangle Route 100 (RDU Express) runs from the Durham Station Transportation Center and downtown Raleigh to the airport for $2.25; takes 35–50 minutes but service is limited in the evenings and does not run all night.Ride-shares (Uber/Lyft) from downtown Raleigh: $20–30, 20–25 minutes. From Durham: $18–25, 15–20 minutes. Taxis: $30–40. Long-term parking from $7/day in Economy lots with shuttle service. I-40 provides direct access to both Raleigh and Durham.

Getting from DEN

RTD A Line runs to Denver Union Station (37 min, $10.50) with connections to light rail and bus routes. Taxis have meters; expect $55–65 to downtown.DEN's tent-roof Jeppesen Terminal is a single building; all three concourses connect via the underground automated train. Rental cars are on level 5. For ski resorts, shuttle services depart from Ground Transportation.

Denver Climate

Semi-arid with 300+ days of sunshine. Summers are dry and warm (27–34°C) with afternoon thunderstorms that produce dramatic but brief delays. Winters bring cold temperatures (−8 to 5°C) and heavy blizzards that can shut down ground operations.

Spring snowstorms can be heavier than midwinter ones. Altitude (5,430 ft) means low humidity year-round; stay hydrated.

RDU–DEN Quick Facts

Key statistics for the Raleigh/Durham to Denver route.
Route details
Distance1,433 mi / 2,307 km
Flight time3h 45m to 4h 11m
Time difference-2 hours
Airlines (nonstop)3
Weekly flights55 out / 42 return
1-stop connections124 hubs
Origin: RDU
IATA / ICAORDU / KRDU
TimezoneAmerica/New_York
Passengers/yr15.2M
Elevation435 ft / 133 m
Destination: DEN
IATA / ICAODEN / KDEN
TimezoneAmerica/Denver
Passengers/yr82.4M
Elevation5,431 ft / 1,655 m

Frequently Asked Questions

Common questions about RDU to DEN flights.
Nonstop flights from Raleigh-Durham International Airport to Denver International Airport take approximately 3h 45m to 4h 11m. The route covers 1,433 miles.
3 airlines operate nonstop service: Frontier, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines. Plus 1 codeshare partner.
There are approximately 55 nonstop flights per week from RDU to DEN. The return direction has about 42 weekly flights.
Yes, 1-stop connections are available through APA, MKC, LIT, ECP, PWK, CHA, DSM, PDK, LEX, SBN, INT, LBF, MKE, AVL, MMU, TYS, BHM, OKC, CRG, ORF, PHF, MYR, ASE, MLI, SAV, CHS, DAY, RIC, ILM, PIA, TEB, SAF, CVG, YOW, GRR, ABE, HPN, BCT, JAX, NAS, APF, BZN, MSN, RNO, ABI, HLN, PVD, PSP, YUL, PDX, SAT, CRP, PLS, CLD, NUQ, BFI, CUN, MRY, OAK, SJC, SMF, BTV, PBI, PNS, LIR, IND, PWM, MEM, CMH, PUJ, MDW, SLC, JFK, HOU, DCA, MCI, STL, PIT, ATL, BNA, KOA, DTW, LAS, SYR, BOS, DAL, EWR, ORD, BWI, MSP, IAD, SEA, CLT, TPA, MIA, AUS, ALB, DFW, IAH, MCO, BDL, PHL, PHX, LGA, YYZ, FLL, RSW, LHR, SFO, MEX, MSY, CLE, SAN, BUF, SDF, LAX, DUB, KEF, FRA, SNA, SRQ, PTY, YVR and SJU. These options provide additional schedule flexibility.
Denver is 2 hours behind Raleigh/Durham.
Yes, return flights from DEN to RDU are available. Use the direction toggle at the top to view the return schedule.
Nearby alternatives include ILM. See the Alternatives section for a full comparison.
Click the 'Search Flights' button to check availability and prices on Google Flights. You can also compare airlines and schedules on this page to find the best option.
See the On-Time Performance section for the latest delay data at both airports. This shows departure and arrival reliability to help you plan.
Route data is updated regularly from official airline schedules. On-time performance data comes from recent airport delay snapshots.

Flights from RDU to DEN

Raleigh-Durham International Airport (RDU) and Denver International Airport (DEN) are connected by nonstop service from Frontier, United Airlines and Southwest Airlines. With 55 weekly departures, this is a heavily served route.

RDU to DEN Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from RDU to DEN ranges from 3 hours 45 minutes to 4 hours 11 minutes. The route covers a distance of 1,433 miles (2,307 km). There are approximately 55 weekly flights outbound and 42 return, totaling 97 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

124 one-stop connections are available, with the fastest taking approximately 4 hours via APA. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Wilmington (ILM).