Introduction
Fly out of IAD or BWI instead of DCA?! Nonsense!
That’s the typical (tongue in cheek) response from most people in the district when you suggest flying out of IAD or BWI. Alternatively, ask someone in Baltimore a similar question and you’ll probably get the same response about IAD and DCA. Locals have a strong opinion on which airport they prefer. Admittedly, I was one of them!
While I prefer to fly out of DCA, there are good reasons to make the trek to both IAD and BWI. If you’re a visitor to the DC and Baltimore region, it can be challenging to figure out which airport makes the most sense for you. I hope that I can help guide your decision based on the hundreds of flights I’ve taken out of the region.
An important caveat – I’m not loyal to any particular airline. I’ve shuffled between the big three carriers over the last decade of business and leisure travel. I’ve concluded that on the whole, there really isn’t that much of a difference between the big three airlines. I strongly value my time, and while until recently have been committed to DCA, I now see that each airport offers time savings in different ways.
So whether you are a visitor to the DC and Baltimore region or have lived here for years, read on!
Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport
The Delta Sky Club lounge at DCA
There’s lots to love about DCA! The favorite of nearly everyone inside the beltway and with good reason – It’s the closest airport to downtown Washington with plenty of connections to public transit and it’s a quick Uber ride from DC Proper, Arlington, Alexandria, and close-in Fairfax County. It has its own metro station serving the blue and yellow lines.
Let’s start with the security lines and their proximity to the gates. While they’ve consolidated down to two checkpoints after undergoing a recent expansion as part of “Project Journey,” they’re still incredibly efficient and I’ve never waited too long to get through.
DCA during the holidays – this area is now post-security
After passing through security and arriving airside, you’re greeted by a large hall with loads of exposed steel and a wall of glass with expansive views of the tarmac giving off an overall bright and airy feeling.
Planes departing or arriving from the north give passengers excellent views of the National Mall, White House, and Arlington National Cemetery and is in my opinion the best views of any airport departure or arrival in the country.
A recent expansion of the airport included the creation of a new concourse to service small regional jets. This was a much-needed expansion as passengers were previously required to board a shuttle bus on the tarmac from a small, cramped gate – it was bad. Today, passengers proceed to a sleek new concourse with a modern design and plenty of space. The perimeter rule has also slowly been loosened over the years giving passengers more options to destinations across the country.
There are a few lounges from which to choose, depending on your airline of travel and your ticket. American Airlines has two lounges (as a hub this is the best option for airlines at DCA) and both United and Delta Airlines (check out my review) each have one. Sorry to say, Priority Pass holders do not have access to any of them, however, for American Express Platinum cardholders the Centurion Lounge at DCA will soon be an option. While the airport authority has stated it will open by end of 2022, I have yet to see any construction start. Feel free to send us a message if you’ve seen otherwise.
No lounge access? Have no fear, there’s the local favorite Ben’s Chili Bowl post-security to get your chili dog before or after your flight!
View of Arlington taking off from DCA. Departing to the north from DCA gives you excellent views of either Arlington or DC.
The big downside to the airport is the lack of nonstop international options. This alone makes the trek to IAD worth it which I’ll outline later in this post. I’m a firm believer in reducing risk of delays or cancellations during my travel, and if I’m traveling overseas I’m willing to drive or Uber the extra distance to IAD. To be clear – there are *some* international destinations from DCA, however they’re all facilities that have CBP preclearance, which means arrivals into DCA are treated like a domestic flight. International destinations with nonstops to DCA are in Canada (Montreal, Toronto, and Halifax) and Nassau, Bahamas.
While I mentioned earlier that security is a breeze, I’m a member of both CLEAR and PreCheck, and there’s been a steady increase in the number of people using both. While the PreCheck lines have always been popular, especially on Mondays and Thursdays, CLEAR is now increasingly crowded with lines just to have your boarding pass checked by the staff. On busy business travel days, it can feel like the standard lines are quicker than PreCheck!
Now let’s take a look at the second airport serving the DC region…
Washington Dulles International Airport
Washington Dulles International Airport during the holidays
Located 25 miles west of the city in the Northern Virginia suburbs, this is DC’s main gateway for international travelers.
Opened in 1962, IAD is the largest airport by land area of the three DC area airports. The main terminal looks just as good now as it did back when it became operational. There’s just something about that swooping ceiling and wall of glass that really looks attractive to me!
There’s plenty to like about Dulles as well – let’s start with the airport lounges. The selection here rivals those found at other major international airports around the country. Turkish Airlines is one of my favorites – though the new Polaris Lounge has given them a run for their money (I’ll be reviewing both of these lounges in a future blog post). If you have a priority pass, you get access to this lounge. What a treat to experience this world-class lounge even on domestic flights! How did I get access to these lounges? I’ll be writing future blog posts on how to get access as well.
The Turkish Airlines Lounge at IAD
United Airlines has a hub at IAD with hundreds of nonstop flights all around the country. However, given the choice between IAD and DCA for my domestic travel, I pick DCA. Unfortunately, United’s 37-year-old “temporary” terminal leaves plenty to be desired and isn’t a pleasant experience, especially given how nice the new terminal is at DCA. What’s particularly noteworthy is how much the United terminal contrasts with the international terminal – which is bright, airy, and overall worthy of being the international gateway to the nation’s capital.
Speaking of international gateway, most international airlines have some presence at IAD – including Emirates, Qatar, ANA, Lufthansa and dozens of others. This opens the possibilty of experiencing incredible business and first class service on these top-tier airlines to nonstop destinations around the world.
Getting to the airport from the city will get much easier in the near future with the extension of the Metro silver line bringing direct rail service to the terminal.
Finally, let’s address those moving lounges. Everyone arriving on an international flight must board these people movers to be processed through customs. There’s nothing like a 12 hour flight then getting jammed onto one of these vehicles. It’s still worth it to get that nonstop flight, but yikes, it would be nice to *not* have to deal with that!
My Tip: If you have a long layover, a great option is to grab an Uber for the ten-minute trip to the Udvar-Hazy Air and Space Museum. It’s a phenominal place to explore aviation history, and is where the space shuttle is living in retirement 😉
Thurgood Marshall Baltimore Washington International Airport
Baltimore’s Inner Harbor (Credit: Kevin Ruck / shutterstock.com)
Located about 40 minutes or 2 hours away from DC (depending on when you leave), this is the airport to choose if you’re departing from or arriving to the Baltimore metro area. It’s a convenient 15 minutes drive to the Inner Harbor (shown in the photo above) or a quick train ride on the Baltimore Lite Rail.
BWI is a hub for Southwest Airlines, which has the overwhelming majority of flights out of the airport. This gives residents of DC and Northern Virginia a compelling reason to fly out of BWI, as there are some nonstop destinations that you can’t get to as easily from the other two airports. Aruba is an excellent example – the departure times were very convenient while the options out of DCA or IAD required very long layovers and were double the price of Southwest.
There are some really interesting international routes from BWI, including a nonstop to Dakar on Air Senegal. I hope to review that route in the future!
If you’re looking for a lounge, well, it’s slim pickings. There is “The Club at BWI” which allows entry for Priority Pass holders, but that’s about it. This is an area which would make BWI more attractive for travelers.
Ritz Carlton in Aruba – Southwest Airlines flies nonstop from BWI 
