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All you need to know about Richmond International Airport

To help make your entire process at RIC as smooth as possible, we’ve created a guide that covers everything from gates and parking to details on the airport’s flights.

Richmond International Airport

Nine airlines fly out of Richmond International.

Photo by Joe Mahoney, wikimedia

Table of Contents

Traveling can be great — but the whole navigating the airport part? Less exciting, and sometimes pretty stressful.

To help make your time at Richmond International Airport as smooth as possible, we’ve created a guide that covers everything from gates and parking to details on the airport’s nonstop flights.

What to know

  • TSA | RIC recommends arriving at the airport — if you’re traveling during non-peak periods — around 90 minutes prior to departure. It should only take you 15 minutes or so to get through security. For peak periods — think weekends and holidays — shoot for two hours.
  • Map it out | If you’re like us and need to completely visualize a place before you step foot inside, these maps of the entire airport will be your saving grace.
  • Food and drink | Enjoy a beer and a sandwich at Cross Grain Brewhouse, fuel up with Cheeburger Cheeburger, or grab a cup of joe from Ironclad Coffee Roasters.
  • Reminder | By May 7, 2025, you will need a REAL ID to board commercial flights in the US.
  • Flight status | While we recommend staying updated via your respective airline, you can also check the airport’s dashboard for your flight status in a pinch.

Parking, shuttles, and rideshare

Not everyone has a bestie who will drop everything to pick them up from their 3 a.m. landing. Each lot and garage offers differing pricing depending how long your car is parked.

  • Short term parking | $2/hour (less than 60 minutes free)
  • Daily parking garage | $12/day
  • Economy parking | $7/day
  • Valet | $25/day

Because Richmond International only has one terminal, all of these parking options are within walking distance of TSA and your gate.

RICtoday_RichmondInternationalAirport_Lobby

Lines aren’t super common at RIC.

Photo by RICtoday

Hate the thought of driving yourself? Try out a shuttle, rideshare, or taxi service that will take you to and from the terminal. These services are suggested by RIC:

  • Lyft + Uber | Rideshare | Follow the green signs with the company logos to find your pickup location.
  • GRTC | Bus system | Fares are free for any bus route — the 7A and 7B will get you to the airport
  • James River Transportation | Private Sedan Service | Designed for military travelers

The rideshare pick-up location is located at the upper Departures level and the drop-off location is at the lower Arrivals level near baggage claim.

Nonstop flights

Richmond offers ~150 daily domestic flights that go to six US regions. Nonstop destinations include New York, Dallas, Boston, Chicago, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Las Vegas.

Nine air carriers serve RIC: Allegiant, American Airlines, Breeze Airways, Delta Air Lines, JetBlue Airways, Southwest Airlines, Spirit Airlines, Sun Country Airlines, and United Airlines.

Bonus: Get lower fares by signing up for Going. You’ll get emailed when flights are 40-90% cheaper than usual. Get a two-week free trial of the Premium plan, which lets you set custom destination flight alerts (score).

Note: Flight times and schedules will often change you should rely on your respective airline for exact timing and to stay updated on any changes.

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