DC area airports
 

My son, DIL, and grandkids are moving next month to Arlington, VA. Flying from Sacramento, there is one non-stop a day to Dulles (IAD) on UA that seems typically a lot more expensive than flights with one stop. Some of those go into Regan (DCA) or Baltimore-Washingtom (BWI).
I am looking at comparing the trip from each airport to Arlington via public transportation vs car rental or taxi. Thanks.

DCA is hands-down the nearest airport to Arlington, and probably the easiest with regard to public transportation, although it does depend where in Arlington you are going. Will they live within walking distance of a Metro station?

Since they are moving, will they have loads of luggage with them? Might be worth a taxi in that case, and again, DCA would be by far the best option.

www.metwashairports.com is the website for DCA and IAD. You can google for the website for BWI.

I would think if they are moving, they would just have a taxi or car service take them to their new home.

Non-stop flights to any airport are very often more expensive than flights with stops or connections.

WHERE in Arlington? Are they flying in just to look or is this the permanent move? If so, what will they do for transportation AFTER arrival?

National airport is located IN Arlington; Dulles is about 26 miles outside of town.

In terms of using "public" transportation, I suspect flying into National and then taking a taxi is going to be the best strategy but that depends on what the final address is.

Sorry I wasn't more clear. They are moving from Chicago via car and moving van. I was asking about my wife's and my visits from California. Because of their work schedules and the baby and toddler, it is not always possible for them to pick us up at the airport so we would need to get to their house (or a nearby hotel) on our own. They are in the process of finding a rental until their home in Chicago sells. They want to live near the orange line, like in Clarendon or Falls Church, so that would be our destination for visits.

Ah, gotcha. Personally, I fly into DCA because I don't want to schlep from Dulles or BWI, and flights, for me, are usually cheaper. That said, if you get a much cheaper flight and don't have tons of luggage, Dulles would be less of a schlep than BWI.

For Dulles Airport -- If you plan on doing a few trips, a car rental might actually be your best bet. A one-way trip from Dulles to Arlington in a cab can easy run you $55 including tip, if not possibly higher during rush hour.

Public transportation, though time-consuming, is your most affordable option. The 5A Express bus runs from the main terminal at Dulles to Rosslyn for a mere $4 one-way. Alternatively, you can take the Washington Flyer Bus ($11 one way) to West Falls Church Metro Station on the Orange Line and access the metro from there.

DCA will be the closest airport as others have said Seriously doubt renting a car will ever be cost effective just for getting to your kids' house. Taxi or metro will depend on where they live and time of day.

DCA gives you the option of public transportation or a not-exorbitant taxi.

(Sorry, hit Send too soon.)
IF you are flying into Dulles or BWI, and IF you could use a car during your stay, and IF you can swing a weekly rate right at$100 or so, I could see a car rental being a viable option. Otherwise, no.

This link from Trip Advisor's "Top Questions for Washington, D.C." should be useful:

http://www.tripadvisor.com/ShowTopic..._Columbia.html

(Note: I live in Arlington, not too far from Clarendon, and have used all 3 airports at one time or another. Whenever possible, I fly out of DCA--a small, easy-to-navigate airport that is minutes from anywhere in Arlington.)

Most convenient would be to fly into DCA, but figuring out which is least expensive will take some research. Check the savings at each of the three airports. If you can save a great deal by flying into BWI, the inconvenience might be worth it.

I'm also in Arlington, not far from Clarendon, and I completely agree that it is much better to fly into DCA if you can. Dulles is a huge pain for anyone to pick you up and is a pretty pricy cab ride. A cab from DCA to anywhere in the central part of Arlington will usually be around $20 or less, and you have metro access, as well. Please try to fly into DCA if you can - your family will appreciate it!

I fly to DC regularly for work. Hands down, DCA (Reagan National) is the best and easiest. It is close actually in Arlington, just across the river from DC and there is a metro stop right at the airport. It is reasonable size, easy to get around.

Dulles is in the boonies of suburban Virginia. When I am forced to fly into Dulles (IAD) the taxi into DC runs at least $70 with tip, more if it is anywhere near rush hour, and can take from about 40 minutes to more than an hour. Public transport is cheaper but a pain and a time suck. The Washington Flyer shuttle bus to the West Falls Church metro station (orange line) costs $10, but runs only every 30 minutes and takes about 30 minutes to get between the airport and the metro station. Depending on when you arrive it can be a wait. The Metro express bus that goes to Rosslyn metro station would be convenient for Arlington, but again only runs every 30-40 minutes and takes just over 30 minutes to make the trip. With either you would still need to get to your final destination. On top of that, the airport itself is an architectural relic, was very avant garde in its day but is now quite outdated and requires a lot of walking to get to and from the gates. With United trying to turn it into a hub for flights to Europe (to ease congestion at their Newark hub) it is getting increasingly crowded and security lines can be lengthy. There would have to be a significant savings in airfare over DCA to make this tolerable.

BWI is a possibility but again it is a schlep to get to Arlington - you would take the shuttle from the terminal to the airport train station, take the train into DC then take another train/metro to Arlington. If you had a totally free ticket to BWI it might be worth it, but otherwise not a lot to recommend it.

BTW United now flies nonstop from SFO to DCA so if you could get to SFO that would be a great way to go.

Thanks, everyone. Sounds like DCA is the way to go if possible. I did find non-stops to DCA from SFO on both United and Virgin America. It will be a matter of balancing the expense of the flight vs the inconvenience of one-stop flights, landing at Dulles or BMI, getting to then parking at SFO (the 2 PM UA flight) or spending the night at an SFO hotel (for the 8 AM VA flight), etc. It's funny how Southwest Airlines pricing has become non-competitive on this route, at least for the test dates I put in.

<i> It's funny how Southwest Airlines pricing has become non-competitive on this route</i>

Not just this route.

One problem with IAD (Dulles) is that during rush hour there are significant lane restrictions on the major roadway between Arlington and IAD - so arrival/departure time with IAD is an issue - driving between these 2 locations if going in opposite direction than commute is a challenge.

What part of Arlington? Taxi from DCA to northern part of Arlington is less than $25.

I used to fly UA between the East Coast and SFO a lot. I never really minded a stop at O'hare to walk around and get a bite to eat as long as it was not a tight connection.

I would do it every time if it were a choice between a one stop to DCA and a nonstop to IAD.

<It's funny how Southwest Airlines pricing has become non-competitive on this route

Not just this route.>
Right on!

< I never really minded a stop at O'hare to walk around and get a bite to eat as long as it was not a tight connection.

I would do it every time if it were a choice between a one stop to DCA and a nonstop to IAD.>
Me, too.

< I never really minded a stop at O'hare to walk around and get a bite to eat as long as it was not a tight connection.

I would do it every time if it were a choice between a one stop to DCA and a nonstop to IAD.>

After being stranded at Midway this January because of flight cancellations due to the horrible weather, I've resolved to avoid Chicago (and other northern city airports) if at all possible in the winter. From Sacramento, there are usually connections via DFW, Houston, Las Vegas, Phoenix, LAX, or SFO that are a lot safer.