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.
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.
