Thanksgiving Airport Trip Tips
The rush to get out of D.C. to family Thanksgiving celebrations has already begun, but if you're still reading DCist, you're probably still at work and planning on leaving within the next 72 hours. Whether opening up that military airspace will really make a difference at Washington area airports remains to be seen, but WMATA has announced a special Thanksgiving weekend schedule that could stand to help out many of you trying to take public transportation to and from one of the three major airports that serve our city.
Here's what WMATA wants you to know about getting to each airport, with a few of our own tips sprinkled in. Also keep in mind that all of Metro will operate on a Sunday schedule on Thursday, so if, like me, you're catching an early a.m. flight on Thursday to save a bit of money, be sure to factor that into your plans. If you have your own tips to share, you know what to do.
Reagan National Airport:
Unless you're leaving at some time outside of normal Metro operating hours, there's little reason to get to National any other way than by taking Metro. Metro will run extra Blue and Yellow Line trains serving the Reagan National Airport station on Sunday -- but not on Wednesday, so if you're planning on taking Metro to the airport that day, allow yourself some extra time to hop on trains crowded with passengers and luggage.
If you can't take Metro to National, we highly suggest a taxi -- long-term parking at the airport is limited as it is.
Photo by krisetya
Washington Dulles International Airport:
There's two ways you can get to Dulles using public transportation -- One is taking the Orange line to the West Falls Church-VT/UVA Metro station and taking a Washington Flyer bus to the airport, which run every 30 minutes. The Flyer will run you $9 one way, or $16 for a round trip ticket -- which if you purchase in advance, could save you some time on your trip home.
In general though, we've had better experiences with the Dulles Airport/5A Metrobus route. It makes stops both at the Rosslyn and L'Enfant Plaza stations, costs $3 and runs reliably every 40 minutes in both directions -- just make sure to get on one that will get you to the airport in plenty of time, as the trip takes a little over an hour from L'Enfant. WMATA will be operating a number of extra 5A buses on Sunday in response to demand, but again, not on Wednesday, so plan accordingly.
Baltimore/Washington Thurgood Marshall Airport:
There's several ways you can get to BWI on public transportation. The cheapest is to take the Green line to the Greenbelt station and catch the $3 B30 Metrobus route straight to the airport. WMATA is making this option even more attractive by increasing service from every 40 minutes to every 20 minutes on both Wednesday AND Sunday.
MARC's Penn Line is also a wonderful option for weekday travel to BWI (though keep in mind its service has yet to expand to weekends). Trains run regularly from Union Station for a $6, 35 minute trip to BWI's rail station. You can take Amtrak back to Union Station from BWI on Sunday for around $20 if you book in advance.
Other Options:
>> Shuttles: We've had several decent experiences with Baltimore Airport Shuttle (fewer with Supershuttle), but of course it always depends on whether you end up being the first or the last person picked up on your route. Still, shuttles, which average about $30 one-way, are generally the best option if you have to get to the airport at 4 a.m., when public transportation isn't yet running.
>> Long-term parking: Long-term parking at Dulles is generally an experience in torture -- there's no private lot option, and the airport-run ones are crowded, understaffed and overpriced. If you can avoid it at all, we'd recommend finding any other way to get to Dulles.
But even though there are several great ways to get to BWI without a car, we know that sometimes, say if you're traveling with a young child or have a need to race to an appointment as soon as you land back at home, driving to BWI is good option. Allow us to recommend enthusiastically EconoParkExpress in this instance. It's both the cheapest and the furthest away long-term parking option at BWI, but every single time I've used them over the years a shuttle has met me at my car before I was even done unloading my luggage, I was offered a bottle of water and a newspaper by an extremely courteous driver immediately after sitting down, and I've never waited for more than 5 minutes on the return trip for a shuttle to pick me up. Since it's the holidays, reserve a spot at EconoParkExpress online before you go (and to make sure you lock in their lowest price -- $6.85 per day).