Which DC airport: Dulles or National?

Hello all,

We are planning our second trip to DC with kids for late March 2016. Last summer, we fly into Dulles and drove into Old Town Alexandria. We used the metro the whole time, except for when we left the area to go to Williamsburg.

This time around, we plan to stay in area and only use a car to drive to Dulles to visit the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum for one day. Is it better for us to fly into National and use the metro to get to our hotel? We will have two teenagers and luggage with wheels. Is National an easy airport?

National-Dulles

National is in the middle of DC. You can be at the White House in less than 10 minutes- maybe 5. Most flights simply follow the Potomac and drop into the airport. There are 3 terminals there and you can access the Metro from one of them. It is a bit of a walk if you don't fly into the right terminal. Since you have used the Metro before, I am not exactly sure what you are asking. To get to the Aerospace Museum Annex you will need a car. It is certainly worth the trip. If you fly into Dulles, they actually have tours that take you to the
Annex(I think for free). Maybe then all you need is transport to your hotel. You don't say what hotel.

National is a small airport and you will probably have a small plane if that makes any difference. Dulles, on the other hand, is huge. They used to have people movers but now you have to walk and use the escalators. As an aside, one neat thing about National is I have often seen Senators, Reps and other notables in the airport since I am sure keeps the place open for their convenience.

We usually fly into Dulles as we can get nonstop flIghts. If we could get a nonstop into National I think we'd fly there.

At Dulles I don't remember people movers, but they used to have "pods" to move you from one terminal to another. Now there are trains, which are more effective.

Other Factors

There are other factors to consider. You have to weigh price against convenience and travel time. For instance, from the W. Coast, are there any non-stop fights to Reagan-National (DCA)?

If car rentals are fairly economical, would it perhaps be wise to fly into an airport that's farther away if it's cheaper? Besides, with at least four people, the convenience of having a car might outweigh the savings of using the Metro.

Have you also checked out Baltimore airport (BWI)?

When we plan trips, I like to draw a chart or graph and compare flights to and from various cities and then factor in the cost of a car rental and the convenience of non-stop flights as well as travel times by car. So from where we live, if we were to travel to the D.C. area, I would compare costs of flights from Vancouver (YVR) and Seattle (SEA). Then I would compare flights to DCA, BWI, and IAD. I would also check out prices of renting cars from the different airports. Those can vary.

So some possible questions I would ask myself are (this is all hypothetical): If we have to pay an extra $50 per ticket for a non-stop flight as opposed to one with a 3-hour layover, which would be more sensible? If we can save $50 per ticket landing at an airport that's a 45-minute drive farther away, would that be worth it?, etc.

So I guess I'm saying, it's not so much that an airport is "easier" than another. It's a matter of what's cheapest and most convenient?

Wyndham Old Town Alexandria is two Metro stops away from National Airport, and it's only a few minutes ride. The Metro fare was $2.25 each when we were there last Summer. The Reagan Airport Metro stop is right in the middle of the Airport, and is VERY easy in and out. Get off the train at the King Street station and walk (literally) across the street. It's THAT close and convenient.

We were at OTA for 11 days but only rented a car for three, so we could travel down to Charlottesville to see Monticello. We picked up the rental car at Reagan Airport, since it was so convenient to reach on the Metro.

Check my extensive review of staying at OTA, which includes a lot of information about using the Metro and driving to see the Udvar-Hazy Museum. This is the link: http://www.tugbbs.com/forums/showthread.php?t=212401&highlight=town+alexandria

Dave

When I was there a month or so ago, air fares were cheaper into Dulles. A co-worker told me how easy it is to get to the Metro from Dulles. You go up a ramp from the luggage carousels and get on a Silver Flyer bus (or some similar name, it was well marked on the signage). Cost $5 each way per person and the bus runs often. It takes you to a transportation center where you can get on the silver line of the Metro. Eventually they are going to finish the silver line to Dulles. It took nearly an hour on the metro to get to my hotel in Crystal City, but very convenient. The Metro webpage has a calculator that shows fares and travel times, based on date and time of travel.

I didn't immediately buy one of the Metro smartcards, because I hadn't investigated the cost and savings. Should have done it the first day as the fee was only a couple of dollars and you save on every trip.

We enjoyed a visit a few years ago to the Dulles Air & Space Museum.

Have a good trip!

Sheila

Thanks for all of the information!

We will be flying out of the Bay Area, and the most likely airport is SFO. I just found some non-stop flights from SFO to DCA on Virgin America. The price is the same as SFO to IAD on United, and the times are comparable. I usually like Virgin America, though the frequent flyer program is never going to earn me anything. The planes are generally newer and the seats seem to have more width as well as slightly more legroom.

We flew into IAD last June on United, and rented a car, and parked it at OTA for 6 nights without using it. Luckily, it was pretty cheap (less than $200, if I recall correctly), so it wasn't a huge deal. It would have been more to rent a car for the 4 days we needed it after OTA to drive to Williamsburg.

Most likely, we will be staying at OTA again if I can get a unit.

So I was asking about airports because the price is the same right now. The only issue is the rental car to drive to Dulles to visit Udvar-Hazy and back. It sounds like the view might be fun flying into DCA?

Denise L said:

So I was asking about airports because the price is the same right now. The only issue is the rental car to drive to Dulles to visit Udvar-Hazy and back. It sounds like the view might be fun flying into DCA?

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Denise, check the Costco car rental rates. When we were there, we got a car for three days through Alamo for $66 total. Picked it up at DCA. Easy deal. The drive to Udvar-Hazy was a breeze. Google map it from OTA, and it's simple to do.

If you only need a car for the one day, you may be able to arrange something through the Hilton next to OTA. Might be easier overall that way, even if the price may be higher.

Flying into DCA was a non-event. The route we were on flew in from the South, so the track was up the Potomac, landing at DCA before getting into DC proper. There wasn't much to be seen that day.

Dave

DCA Views

IF the wind is right, you will have a great view flying in of the National Mall, Capitol, Washington Monument, Jefferson Memorial and The White House IF you are sitting on the left side of the airplane. If you are on the right side, you will miss all those sites but will get a view flying over the Pentagon.

If departing and the wind is right, the right side gives views of the Capitol, etc.

If the wind is the other way, about all you see, siting on the left arriving or right departing is Alexandria.

I always fly in/out of DCA since it's so close to downtown DC and the Pentagon where I usually have meetings. I always pick a window on the left side arriving and right side departing.

King street station is a short ride to OTA and the Metro stop at DCA is very convenient.

Cheers

I don't know how true this is but my grandmother has always said that National is one of the least safest airports in the world and if it weren't so convenient for congress that it would have been shut down. The runway is really shorter than it should be. This just makes it very technically difficult for landing and one of pilots least favorites.

Safety

I have flown in and out of all the DC airports many many times. What is said above about the shorter runway etc. is true but I don't think it really causes any saftey issues. First, the pilots are well aware of the limitations and the planes are generally not 747 s or huge aircraft. I wouldn't worry much about the safety.

In the 40 years or so that I've been flying, there's been only one major crash at DCA:
In 1982, Air Florida #90 crashed on take-off due to bad weather... snow+ice on the wings.
(The was a mid-air collision in 1949, before my time.)

There have been some minor mishaps since, but nothing that rates DCA as dangerous.

For me, DCA is much more convenient (we have direct flghts), but typically is more expensive. If a client is paying, I fly to DCA. If I am, I'll often go elsewhere.

Talent312 said:

In the 40 years or so that I've been flying, there's been only one major crash at DCA:
In 1982, Air Florida #90 crashed on take-off due to bad weather... snow+ice on the wings.
(The was a mid-air collision in 1949, before my time.)

There have been some minor mishaps since, but nothing that rates DCA as dangerous.

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And the Air Florida crash was due to pilot error and not associated with the airport per se.

I flown in and out of DCA hundreds of times and have zero concern about safety. With all the Congress, Administration and other politicos (and high rollers visiting to lobby) using DCA, there's no reason for concern.

Cheers

I live here and fly here all the time.

If the fare is the same and you're staying in DC (OTA?) then by all means fly into DCA. The walking you'll do at DCA is much less than IAD--depending on the gate etc...

Metro is very convienient.
Please check the operating hours and your arrival time. I'm sure it will be open, but keep in mind: if you arrive at rush-hour and try to get on the train outbound (to OTA) you'll have a tough time getting all that on the train. YMMV.

Day passes work well on the Metro (and can be bought at the stations) but the individual trips to/from the airport and any short trips might be better on the farecard. Research buying farecards before you go. They are available at numerous locations and are cheaper and easier and give you more choices.

Have fun!

udgar-hazy is amazing.

Denise L said:

Hello all,

We are planning our second trip to DC with kids for late March 2016. Last summer, we fly into Dulles and drove into Old Town Alexandria. We used the metro the whole time, except for when we left the area to go to Williamsburg.

This time around, we plan to stay in area and only use a car to drive to Dulles to visit the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum for one day. Is it better for us to fly into National and use the metro to get to our hotel? We will have two teenagers and luggage with wheels. Is National an easy airport?

Click to expand...

We live in DC and have used Dulles, Reagan and BWI. Reagan is by far the most accessible so if all other things are equal, e.g., price, use Reagan. Dulles is more accessible by public transit now than in the past. The Silver Metro line goes as far as Reston, so one only needs a bus from Reston to Dulles. You can, as you suggested, drive, too.

Given that Reagan is literally across the river from a lot of the city, though you cannot cross at that point, of course, I think you will find it more desirable. Another great thing about Reagan is that the concourses, at least most of them, are very close to the terminal. At Dulles you now walk a distance and take a train or take the infamous people movers to the terminals. It has been remodeled extensively, but we still find it a long long way at times from the gate to the terminal. In contrast, every Reagan gate is only a short distance from the terminal and public transportation.

Last time I flew into DCA (April & June 2014), I was on United and had to deplane on the tarmac and walk into the terminal. There were still larger jets flying in there with Delta, however.

I do love the views, especially on takeoff!

Thanks for the great tips and advice ! I think I will try to fly into National if the fare doesn't climb up too fast in the next week. I have to wait for OTA to open up and then book those flights!

We will be landing around 4:00 PM, and have luggage, so the crowded Metro does concern me , but it's a only a couple of stops to OTA so we can hopefully find standing room with bulky luggage and four people (!!).

Denise L said:

Thanks for the great tips and advice ! I think I will try to fly into National if the fare doesn't climb up too fast in the next week. I have to wait for OTA to open up and then book those flights!

We will be landing around 4:00 PM, and have luggage, so the crowded Metro does concern me , but it's a only a couple of stops to OTA so we can hopefully find standing room with bulky luggage and four people (!!).

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We fly to DC all the time as grandkids live in Northern VA. I recommend flying into Reagan if fares are comparable. The Metro is dimple, we use it frequently. You neither need nor want a car in DC as the traffic is always miserable. We were at Space museum Annex this past Sunday and I am pretty certain that I saw a shuttle bus to Metro pull up in the parking lot.

Denise L said:

We will be landing around 4:00 PM, and have luggage, so the crowded Metro does concern me , but it's a only a couple of stops to OTA so we can hopefully find standing room with bulky luggage and four people (!!).

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It's a cheap cab ride---National is very close to OTA. Even cheaper to take Uber.