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

RDU Airport Page →
1,433 mi airlines charter/private 61/wk
On-time Some delays Frequent delays
Flight Schedule 26 flights Verified 17m ago
Also flown by charter / private operators.
Nonstop Charter / private 1-Stop 2-Stop Hide separate tickets Hide overnight Hide codeshares
  Flight Airline AC Dep Arr Dur OTP Sched  
✈ Nonstop
WN3561
Starts Oct 1 Seat map
WN Southwest
7M8 Seat map
5:50 AM
EDT T1
7:40 AM
MDT
3h 50m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN3348
Seat map
WN Southwest
738 Seat map
6:31 AM
EDT T1
7:56 AM
MDT
3h 25m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN2445
Seat map
WN Southwest
738 Seat map
6:35 AM
EDT T1
8:10 AM
MDT
3h 35m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA741
Starts Sep 24
UA United
738
8:15 AM
EDT T2
10:05 AM
MDT
3h 50m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2383
UA United
7M8
8:15 AM
EDT T2
10:05 AM
MDT
3h 50m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN4095
Starts Oct 3 Seat map
WN Southwest
7M8 Seat map
1:35 PM
EDT T1
3:25 PM
MDT
3h 50m
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2288
UA United
7M8
4:23 PM
EDT T2
6:20 PM
MDT
3h 57m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN3349
WN Southwest
B38M
5:04 PM
EDT T1
6:51 PM
MDT
3h 47m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN3562
Starts Oct 1 Seat map
WN Southwest
7M8 Seat map
6:15 PM
EDT T1
8:05 PM
MDT
3h 50m
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN2025
Starts Oct 4 Seat map
WN Southwest
7M8 Seat map
6:20 PM
EDT T1
8:10 PM
MDT
3h 50m
M T W T F S S
Prices
F92225+1
F9 Frontier
A21N
6:24 PM
EDT T2
8:05 PM
MDT
3h 41m
M T W T F S S
Prices
Y42873cs
Y4 Volaris
321
7:54 PM
EDT T2
9:49 PM
MDT
3h 55m
M T W T F S S
Prices
Y42404cs
Y4 Volaris
A21N
6:03 AM
MDT
11:31 AM
EDT
3h 28m
62%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2269
UA United
739
9:50 AM
MDT
3:17 PM
EDT
3h 27m
56%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN3486
Starts Oct 4 Seat map
WN Southwest
7M8 Seat map
10:30 AM
MDT
3:55 PM
EDT
3h 25m
47%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN1761
Starts Oct 1
WN Southwest
73H
10:40 AM
MDT
3:55 PM
EDT
3h 15m
47%
M T W T F S S
Prices
F92440+2
F9 Frontier
A21N
11:40 AM
MDT
5:20 PM
EDT
3h 40m
55%
M T W T F S S
Prices
Y42011cs
Y4 Volaris
321
11:46 AM
MDT
5:22 PM
EDT
3h 36m
62%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN3959
Starts Sep 21 Seat map
WN Southwest
7M8 Seat map
11:50 AM
MDT
5:10 PM
EDT
3h 20m
47%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN4696
WN Southwest
B38M
12:13 PM
MDT
5:07 PM
EDT
2h 54m
47%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2671
Starts Sep 24
UA United
738
4:14 PM
MDT
9:39 PM
EDT
3h 25m
56%
M T W T F S S
Prices
UA2032
UA United
7M8
5:55 PM
MDT
11:26 PM
EDT
3h 31m
56%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN4028
WN Southwest
73H
6:05 PM
MDT
11:35 PM
EDT
3h 30m
47%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN1746
Starts Oct 1
WN Southwest
7S7
7:05 PM
MDT
12:20 AM+1
EDT
3h 15m
47%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN4753
WN Southwest
7S7
7:30 PM
MDT
12:55 AM+1
EDT
3h 25m
47%
M T W T F S S
Prices
WN1874
Starts Oct 4
WN Southwest
73H
7:35 PM
MDT
12:55 AM+1
EDT
3h 20m
47%
M T W T F S S
Prices

No flights match your filters.

No scheduled airline flights on this route — it's flown by charter / private operators (). No nonstop flights on this route. connecting options below.

✦ 1-Stop connections via 10 hubs
STL St Louis 5h 13m WN ACF9UA St Louis (STL) to Denver flights
BNA Nashville 5h 15m AADLWN F9OOUA Nashville (BNA) to Denver flights
MCI Kansas City 5h 15m DLWN 5YACF9 Kansas City (MCI) to Denver flights
MDW Chicago 5h 25m EJAWN WN Chicago (MDW) to Denver flights
CMH Columbus 5h 26m MX F9UAWN Columbus (CMH) to Denver flights
IND Indianapolis 5h 26m DL ACF9UA Indianapolis (IND) to Denver flights
ATL Atlanta 5h 28m AFAMDL ACAFAM Atlanta (ATL) to Denver flights
DTW Detroit 5h 33m AFAMDL ACAFDL Detroit (DTW) to Denver flights
CLT Charlotte 5h 38m AAIB AAF9UA Charlotte (CLT) to Denver flights
PIT Pittsburgh 5h 43m AADLMX UAWN Pittsburgh (PIT) to Denver flights
1-STOP More options, longer trips
2-STOP Loading... Reach the hardest destinations
Raleigh/Durham to Denver
3 carriers, 61 flights/week nonstop.
3 Airlines 1,433 mi 3h 50m nonstop -2h behind

RDU–DEN is served by 3 airlines with nonstop service. Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and Frontier lead the route. The flight covers 1,433 miles in approximately 3h 50m. Beyond nonstop, 1-stop connecting options are also available.

Airline Landscape

All carriers operating nonstop RDU–DEN service, compared side by side.
Airline Freq/wk Aircraft Duration Dep OTP Alliance Codeshares
WN Southwest Airlines 27 738, 7M8, B38M 3h25-3h50 74%
UA United Airlines 21 738, 7M8 3h50-3h57 74% Star Alliance
F9 Frontier Also: Y4 6 A21N 3h41 74% Y4
Aircraft on this route
321 Airbus A321 – Y4
738 Boeing 737-800 – UA, WN
7M8 Boeing 737 MAX 8 – UA, WN
A21N Airbus A321neo – F9
B38M Boeing 737 MAX 8 – WN
Alliance coverage
Unaffiliated: F9 + WN (33 flights/wk, 61%)
Star Alliance: UA (21 flights/wk, 39%)
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
10
flights
Tue
8
flights
Wed
9
flights
Thu
9
flights
Fri
9
flights
Sat
7
flights
Sun
9
flights
Departure time distribution
12 AM6 AM12 PM6 PM12 AM
Morning departures
Afternoon/evening departures
12
Nonstop flights
61
Outbound / wk
69
Return / wk

Connection Landscape

Beyond nonstop. 1-stop and 2-stop options for RDU to DEN.
1-STOP
One-Stop Connections
68
Hubs
~5h
Fastest
~29h
Longest
Verified with published schedule alignment and minimum connection time.
2-STOP
Two-Stop Connections
4,244
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.

On-Time Performance

What to expect at each end of your journey.
Outbound
RDU → DEN
74%
Moderate delays possible. Allow buffer time.
Departing
74%
Arriving
93%
Return
DEN → RDU
79%
Generally reliable. Most flights run on time.
Departing
79%
Arriving
76%
OTP = percentage of flights arriving within 15 min of schedule. Based on airport-level delay snapshots. RDU delays → DEN delays →

Other ways to reach Denver from Raleigh/Durham

Nearby airports with service to Denver International Airport.
Metric RDU→DEN GSO→DEN USA→DEN
Distance from RDU 66 mi 113 mi
Nonstop airlines 3 1 1
Weekly flights 61 1 1
Flight time 3h 50m 3h 31m 3h 45m
Departure OTP 74%
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 50m gate to gate.
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 50m
Time difference-2 hours
Airlines (nonstop)3
Weekly flights61 out / 69 return
1-stop connectionsAvailable
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 about 3h 50m gate to gate. The route covers 1,433 miles.
3 airlines operate flights from RDU to DEN: Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and Frontier.
This route has frequent daily service. Check the schedule above for departure days and times in each direction.
Yes, 1-stop connections are available, ranked by layover time. Common connecting points include St. Louis Lambert, Nashville and Kansas City.
On a single ticket, yes. Your bags are checked through to DEN and move between planes without you. On two separate tickets you collect your bags at the connecting airport and recheck them, so build in extra layover time.
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 GSO, USA and ROA. 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 Southwest Airlines, United Airlines and Frontier. With 61 weekly departures, this is a heavily served route.

RDU to DEN Flight Duration and Schedule

Nonstop flight time from RDU to DEN is about 3 hours 50 minutes gate to gate. The route covers a distance of 1,433 miles (2,307 km). There are approximately 61 weekly flights outbound and 69 return, totaling 130 flights per week in both directions.

Connecting Options and Alternatives

1-stop connecting options are also available, commonly via St. Louis Lambert, Nashville and Kansas City. Two-stop connections are also available via intermediate hubs. Nearby alternative airports include Greensboro (GSO), Concord (USA) and Roanoke (ROA).