seasalt

Hi All,
I will be flying into BWI (Baltimore) airport on a Sunday morning in June, then catching an international flight out of Washington Dulles airport late that evening. Is there some convenient (not too many transfers, as I will have some heavy luggage) and reasonably inexpensive (around $30) way to transfer between the airports ? I browsed the airports' websites, there does not appear to be a direct shuttle. Also, is there someplace I can stash my luggage at Dulles so I can be free to move around ?
Thanks,
SS

seasalt

ttt

mrwunrfl

No place at IAD for stashing your luggage, unless you are a member of an airline club/lounge. You could check your bag(s).

I just took Metrobus 5A from IAD yesterday and one of the signs in the bus said "Metro now flies to BWI". I see that there is a $2 Metrobus from BWI to the Greenbelt Metro station (http://www.bwiairport.com).

The 5A bus goes to the airport from the Rosslyn and L'Enfant Plaza metro stations and costs only $2. From the West Falls Church station, the Wash. Flyer bus costs $8.

The Metro from Greenbelt will take you to L'Enfant Plaza station without transfers for $3 or less.

You could see what Super Shuttle has for you:
1-800-BLUE VAN

Here is the schedule for the 5A:
http://www.wmata.com/timetables/dc/5a.pdf

The website to use for the airport is:
http://www.metwashairports.com

The metro stations have elevators, but the news has was that many of them are borken.

The Washington Flyer bus to WFC might work better in one respect. I think that the luggage is loaded into the belly of the bus. For the 5A bus, you'd have to pull it on board. Getting to the WFC metro from Greenbelt would require adding a metro train transfer to the trip.

seasalt

Thanks mrwunrfl. I checked out the links, looks like the bus/metro thing will take around 2 hrs from BWI to IAD. Does that sound right ?

internetwiz

Have you looked into a one-way car rental? There might not be a drop off fee and it would give you the opportunity to do some sightseeing along the way PLUS stow your luggage in a safe place.

mrwunrfl

The rental car would make life easy for you, but probably cost more than 30 bucks.

Two hours? For the bus/metro/bus-5A trip I would have guessed 1 hour to Greenbelt + half hour on Metro + 1 hour on the 5A. Plus a half hour wait for the 5A. Plus an hour just in case. I would plan it as a 4 hour trip that might only take 2 hours.

Others in this forum have said that the 5A doesn't get hung up in rush hour traffic because they can ride the shoulders. Of course, if the shoulder is blocked, the bus could be delayed.

I'd plan on making it to the 5A bus that leaves at least 3 hours before the flight. The bus runs once an hour I think, so if I missed it, then I'd get back on metro and go out to West Falls Church to the Dulles Flyer bus (take a schedule for that with you along with the 5A and BWI busses). The Flyer bus has far less potential trouble with traffic since it is only 2 miles or so from the Dulles Access road.

rb_travelerxATyahoo

I've taken the 30A bus from BWI many times and it's never taken more than 45 minutesThe schedule says 35, which is usually exactly what it's taken. That bus is $2 too. If you grab a transfer pass at the station you BOARD the Metro at, you'll save 85 cents on the next bus.

If you have 1 piece of heavy luggage you'll do ok using Metro, but if you have several pieces you may want to re-think taking Metro.

The 5a bus is not as frequent as the 30a (1/hour vs 3/hour) so a good compromise might be taking the Orange Line out to Falls Church (??) and using the Washington Flyer from that Metro station to Dulles ... I think it's $8 .. click on my name above and look into my previous posts, as I know I've posted the exact info recently.

mrwunrfl

Yes, it's $8 one way on the Wash. Flyer bus from WFC, departures to the airport at quarter-till and quarter-past the hour and a 25 min. ride. Here is the schedule:
http://www.washfly.com/metro.htm

seasalt

Thanks, everyone, for your advice. Following one of the suggestions, I checked with the car rental companies. It seems that Hertz has no drop off fee for a one way rental from BWI to IAD, with corporate discounts, taxes etc, the cost would be around $35 for a compact car. Looks like this might be the best way to go.

bardo

Good thing you'll be doing that drive on a Sunday, any other day would be NO FUN.

BaileyH

Oh dear lord -- definitely do NOT take the Metro bus. I cannot even fathom trying to carry a bunch of heavy luggage on Metro! That is like something out of a bad movie. Definitely listen to the others and either find a shuttle service or rent the car!! BWI and Dulles are NOT close to one another! And as a DC native, while I love my town, our mass transit stinks...so I wouldn't rely on it.

rb_travelerxATyahoo

Since you have luggage, and want to keep it somewhere (so you can sightsee?) then the $35 rental is the best way to go, as you'd have problems finding somewhere to keep the bags -- although you can check them at Union Station.

But I take issue with BailyH about the mass transit ("stinks"), and wonder if s/he even uses it. WMATA runs one of the better systems I've ever seen. The buses used on the B30 (and probably the 5A too) have luggage racks in them (where a few rows of seats where removed) and upholstered, cushioned seats, rather than the usual hard "plastic" that a typical city bus has.

Use the rental if possible, but don't be put off by negative remarks about public transit. You have positive remarks from two of us who actually, and recently used each of the two buses. You know your own capability of being able to navigate with your luggage, so knowing that no one will likely assist you, decide for yourself about Metro (rail & bus) if the plan with the car fails.

Debi

We're new to the DC area - and having flown from both airports - and having to get around DC - I think your thinking about the rental car is right on. That gives you full flexibility - and while the Metro is WONDERFUL in DC - I'm with you, if I have to do a bunch of bus transfers - fergetaboutit..... Plus, you want to do your exploring before you get to Dulles - because the neat stuff is between BWI and IAD. Have a nice day in DC!