May 9, 2008
Parking Fees to Increase at National and Dulles
Seems like just about everything about driving a car in this city is becoming more expensive these days. WTOP reports that parking fees at both National and Dulles airports will go up on June 1.
At National, regular daily parking will increase from $17 a day to $20 a day, while economy parking will go from $10 to $12 for 24 hours. Hourly and valet parking will stay the same. There will be another option at National for economy parking at the old rate, however, since a satellite parking lot will also open on June 1 thanks to construction, which will only be $10 a day.
At Dulles, daily parking fees are going from $15 a day to $17 a day, economy lots are increasing one dollar, from $9 to $10, and valet service is going from $17 for each additional day to $19. Hourly parking will, as at National, stay the same.
Will these parking fee increases make you think twice about long-term parking at the airport?
Photo by ohad*
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i wouldn't park at the airport anyway. especially national. i don't have a bunch of kids to haul around, so there's no way i'm doing anything but take public transportation...
if i can write parking off as a bidness expense I don't care how much it costs, otherwise i take the Metro, a taxi, or a stretch BMW limo to the airport.
It doesn't make much difference to me. I'll typically cab it or take Metro to National, but driving and parking at Dulles is typically about the same cost, if not cheaper, than taking a cab. And public transportation to Dulles is practically useless.
Not that big a deal. It's worth the extra $6-10 if you're just flying out of town over the weekend. I'm more inclined to fly out of BWI anyway.
Someone really ought to build a Metro out to Dulles so folks don't have to drive out there. Has anyone ever considered that?
Doesn't Dulles have a bus that takes people from the end of the Orange line (the name escapes me at the moment) like the B30 at Greenbelt to BWI? I recall seeing a bus route next to the end of the orange line that says "bus route to Dulles", but I don't see that on the metro map last time I checked.
How about a metro route out to BWI or Baltimore? That'll drastically reduce traffic on the B/W pkwy.
The 5A bus heads from L'Enfant to Rosslyn to Dulles once an hour.
I'm oh so grateful that DC has three area airports to choose from. I like the convenience of DCA, the international travel from IAD and cheap flights from BWI. EIEIO.
The 5A bus heads from L'Enfant to Rosslyn to Dulles once an hour.
Great tip, I may actually consider that the next time I have to fly out of Dulles.
I've taken the 5A bus. It is not bad at all, pretty easy, and I think it only costs 3 dollars.
I have had no problems taking the Washington Flyer bus from West Falls Church station to IAD. RT for something like $18 is a good deal...beats parking. The only problem I have is with early flights, transit is usually not open early enough to get to the airport on time.
The 5A bus is nice. Nice coach seats and everything. A definite step up from the average metrobus. The Washington Flyer bus is alright, but too expensive since it only takes you to Falls Church.
Why aren't there any coach buses from Dulles to the center of town? Someone could make mad cash doing that.
the last time i tried to take the 5A to Dulles, the bus filled up, and the driver left the rest of us at the stop to fend for ourselves. (and by "filled up" i mean there were no more seats--plenty of standing room, but the driver closed the doors and took off without giving any of us the chance to protest. we could all have easily fit on the bus.) i had to take a cab, which i split with some strangers, and all was fine, but it was such a pain in the ass that i might as well have driven.
i've never had that problem with the bus to BWI.
The only time I drive to National is if I have to catch a super early shuttle. I don't trust Metro at that hour, and the cost of two cab rides is not any cheaper than the daily rate, even at the higher cost. I'd feel a little guilty about the carbon costs, but since I normally fly by dirigible, I figure that I even out in the end.
I've taken the 5A at 5 AM and had no problems. It definitely works and it's a cheap alternative. Just gotta know the schedule before you head off. I think it runs once every 45 min or so.
The Dulles Flyer is $16 roundtrip from Dulles to one of the Falls Church metro stops. It runs more frequently and I thought was worth the money spent when I did it.
I'm not really sure why people think public transportation out to these places is so useless. I think it's a fine alternative to paying parking fees or a cab.
ahark: If the 5A is a "coach" bus, as Stone says, it is probably no standees.
Public transportation to non-DCA airports isn't completely useless, it's just mostly useless. Unless you're doing a same-day or simple overnight trip you probably have bags to wrangle, and you have to get to the point of departure for the airport bus with those bags, and you also have to deal with the randomness inherent in bus operation and traffic. (Bus didn't show up? What a shock!)
You also have to count the frequency (or lack of it) and susceptibility to traffic of the buses. The B30 and 5A run every 40 minutes, so you either have to cut it dangerously close or plan to kill a lot of time at the airport. The B30 officially (and optimistically) takes 28 minutes to get to BWI from Greenbelt; the 5A takes an hour to get to IAD from L'Enfant, so better add that to the two hours you're supposed to have at the airport (and desperately need at IAD during peak hours). And oh, the B30 also stops running well before the last planes arrive at BWI, so good luck if your return flight arrives much after 10pm.
Considering the time it takes to get to the bus departure points and the time the bus takes in transit, you're probably leaving the house four hours prior to departure in some cases. Add the inevitable airport delay and a transfer somewhere, and to get anywhere by air in this country takes an entire, sweaty day. If I can remove some of the hassle, limit the waste of time, and control the air conditioner on the way, paying a little more for airport parking doesn't seem so bad.
As much as I try to fly out of DCA to reduce the planning of how I get to BWI or IAD, all three options beat the hell out of the flying out of BEY or BGW. Talk about a shitty commute.
IAD and BWI public transportation are the bane of my existence. As I typically fly out very early there really are no other options then driving. How am I supposed to get to a 5AM bus if the metro can't get me there!
However, the one time I did take the 5A from Roslyn it took 1.5 hours, as it was pouring down rain and evening rush hour. We also missed our plane, but that's another store and a rant more related to security at Dulles.
Unless you're on business & they reimburse you for parking, do whatever you can do to have a friend or family drop you off at airport or pick you up. For the latter, those free new-ish cell phone lots are a godsend. You can wait there for up to an hour (can't leave your car tho). Have the traveler call your cell phone as soon as they've picked up their baggage & be specific about which arrival door you will pick up at.
This has worked great for hubby & me & has saved us a lot of $$ when hubby goes on non-business travel. All 3 airports have this!
Another option are those airport shuttles but they can be a hassle - to save $ on gas, driver does not announce he's picking up others in your town too, so by the time he finally gets to the terminal, it's later than you think & you may miss your flight. This also happens with airport pickups, but you're not in danger of missing flights - you'll just arrive home, exhausted, an hour later after the driver has crammed in another 3-4 passengers who live 10 miles from yor home.