MilesBuzz! - WAS-DCA Commute

Staring next year, I will most likely be doing a fairly frequent WAS-PDX-WAS commute. I would greatly appreciate any advice. Obviously, comfort is important but so are miles.

My preference would be DCA, but BWI’s fares are attractive and IAD is somewhere in between.

WAS-PDX will be my main back and forth, but there will be a hand full of other domestics, about two to Europe and one or two to Asia each year.

I am currently Silver on Delta (your responses will influence whether I make gold for next year), Gold on US Airways, and Platinum on American. I also have the AmEx Plat card that gives lounge access to CO, NW and DL which also influences my decision.

I open to any suggestions, AA, CO/NW, AS, AS/AA, DL, United/US (BK worries), perhaps America West????

THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!!

BWI and IAD are better options since connecting on the West Coast instead of elsewhere assists in minimizing inclement weather-related delays. United, American with Alaska thrown in here and there may make sense. (Alaska flights are elite earning in AAdvantage.)

Depends where you're going in WAS. If you'll be working downtown, DCA is very convenient. You won't need to rent a car, as the airport and most hotels are on the (very good) metro system. But you'll probably pay a slight premium in ticket prices.

If you'll be working in the VA suburbs and will likely rent a car, IAD is a UA hub and has lots of other options as well.

BWI is the cheapest, but a real pain to get back and forth from unless you're working in the MD suburbs north of DC.

You might pick an airport, then use Expedia or Travelocity to run some of the dates you'll be traveling and pick your carrier based on prices and schedule options.

DCA is the first choice.

If you won't have a car, BWI is better than IAD because the MARC train runs from BWI to Union Station in DC. No public transportation goes from DC to IAD.

If you will have a car, IAD is probably better since it's closer to DC than BWI.

I'm pretty sure UA is the only airline that flies PDX-WAS nonstop (to IAD). Plus between UA/US domestic, and *A int'l, you have pretty good options for going elsewhere from both the west coast and the east coast (and everywhere in between).

If low fares are more important than having a nonstop flight, though, then I'd probably go with NW or CO. Having the ability to choose between CO, NW, DL, and AS (AS also earns EQMs on both CO and NW) lets you take advantage of the fact that they do still compete against each other in the fare realm, while you have far more options for routings and can still earn miles on any of them and even qualify for free domestic upgrades on both CO and NW (and, to some extent, AS). Plus Skyteam gives pretty good coverage internationally (as long as you don't need to go to Australia). The only big drawbacks to NW/CO are (1) the difficulty of upgrading int'l tickets with miles, and (2) the difficulty of using the miles you earn.

In the redemption department, AA probably takes the cake.

If you won't have a car, BWI is better than IAD because the MARC train runs from BWI to Union Station in DC. No public transportation goes from DC to IAD.It depends, not only on where in DC (as hbyerly notes), but on what schedule. The MARC train does not run on any weekends or holiday, and Amtrak is infrequent. There is hourly express bus service to both BWI (B30) and IAD (5A), but the 5A gets you much closer-- the B30 bus only goes to Greenbelt, the terminus of Metro's Green Line, whereas the 5A will put you in Rosslyn (in Arlington just across from Georgetown) or L'Enfant Plaza (2-3 stops below downtown). Of course, since it appears to be for work, the OP hopefully won't spend much time on either. :)

DCA is the first choice.

If you won't have a car, BWI is better than IAD because the MARC train runs from BWI to Union Station in DC. No public transportation goes from DC to IAD.

If you will have a car, IAD is probably better since it's closer to DC than BWI.

As mentioned in the previous post, the 5A Metrobus goes from the L'Enfant Plaza area (SW) of DC to IAD (and also stops at Rosslyn Metro in VA along the way). Only 3 bucks...takes just under an hour.

As for airline, my vote would go for NW. Once you reach Platinum, you'll be up front quite often (although it can be more difficult if you choose DCA).

I work frequently in Downtown DC, and I almost always fly in or out of DCA. Easy choice. Metro is right there, and it's very quick into Downtown.

There is some combo public transport to IAD. You take a metro line way theF out into VA, and then wait for a bus. It takes forever. Your cab ride will be $60. It's a major investment in time. Same with BWI, although maybe SWA has some cheap fares that makes it worthwhile. Same with National Airlines out of IAD.

If in DC proper, DCA is the way to go. Saves 2 hours in unpleasant travel each week, plus the ticket price can be saved in transport costs.

The 5A Metrobus serves IAD from DC. I prefer it to the Metro / Washington Flyer bus combo. Where exactly you are within DC could be an issue, too.

Although I voted for NW, you should be aware that they use the lousy A terminal at DCA. It is a hike from the Metro station.

Unless you work right at Union Station or nearby, it takes about the same time to to get to IAD as it does BWI. DCA is the clear winner if you live downtown. Given that you'll be going to Asia a few times a year as well as Europe, I would choose United. Even if you don't get upgraded they do have Eco+ which isn't too bad for a transcon.

First of all, since DL has cutback so much service out of PDX, all airlines are about equal at this point. Next, if you fly to DCA, you will incorporate one more stop enroute. At least with IAD, you can fly nonstop with several carriers- UA/AS from SEA.

I would be partial to NW, good connections and partnership with AS so more choices connecting PDX-SEA. You could even use CO and DL for variety of connections through NY as well. And as Platinum, you get 125% bonus miles so if you fly that often, it would be worth it. As NW Gold, I always got upgraded on NW flights which has good food and service on 757 SEA-DTW. CO however is another story but have good success rate in off peak travel, ie. on a Tuesday midday or early Saturday morning.

If you choose UA or AA, you limit yourself greatly to a handful of flights and basically no redeyes out of PDX, except for terrible connections at 5am through ORD. Plus you will not see the front of the cabin as much as you would on NW. Any other airline would be a waste of time, ie. Air Tran, Southwest or America West.

Lastly, you don't say where you would be "living" when you are here. I would pick IAD and take bus to Rosslyn. All major hotel chains are represented in Virginia suburbs and provide better value than DC hotels, in terms of cost, size and public transportation location. You can walk across bridge to Georgetown for dining and nightlife too.

Thank you all so far!

I will be working/living downtown with no car, so DCA will be a airport of choice. I saw that Amtrak's biz class fares from downtown to BWI are pretty good. The + to BWI is lower fares (even after the train) and more upgrades than DCA.

I will most likely be splitting between DCA and BWI. Cost is not that big of an issue, but I don't want to throw money away. When I'm arrving late leaving early I go with DCA, for mid day flights BWI, throw in a few IAD's and so on.

I'm leaning towards NW, AA (where I'm already PLT) or UA. With the new info, what would you guys say out of these three?

As NW Gold, I always got upgraded on NW flights which has good food and service on 757 SEA-DTW. CO however is another story but have good success rate in off peak travel, ie. on a Tuesday midday or early Saturday morning.

That is one thing I have going for me, I can fly almost anytime/anyday, I will not me a monday AM, sunday PM flyer ;)

Any other airline would be a waste of time, ie. Air Tran, Southwest or America West.



Air Tran and Southwest are out for sure (I don't fly Southwest, and Air Tran does not go to PDX), not as sure about America West, I was thinking about them, there prices (esp. paid F) are very good.

...Same with National Airlines out of IAD.



National??? Are you talking the LAS National? If so that has been gone for a few years....

Biz class on the train to BWI? Unless you're picking the Acela (where Biz = standard), it's hardly worth the upgrade for a 20-minute ride. You'll probably find it easiest to take the first available train anyway.

Actually, I get a kick out of the MARC runs where BWI is the first stop - how often are you on a commuter train that's moving along at a sustained 90 MPH+ clip?

S
WAS-PDX will be my main back and forth, but there will be a hand full of other domestics, about two to Europe and one or two to Asia each year.


i've flown that route many times this year because we have business in both cities. my single best piece of advice for you is to get a status comp from america west asap.

i've never paid more than $144 each way (most fares are one way --> very flexible) and have been upgraded 100% of the time. this summer, they had a $100 fully refundable, no advance, base fare between dca and pdx, which was just awesome. more recently, i've had to use bwi to get the lowest fares, but dca and iad are still reasonable (rarely more than $200).

i was thinking more about your situation and decided more convincing is order, so here it goes. like you, i had mid-tier status on a respectable airline last year and was reluctant to switch loyalties to an lcc with a (slightly) below average ff program, but the low fares and the flexibility enticed me.

the fact of that matter is that the majority of the time, hp is considerably than everyone else, including wn. other good points include:

-good terminal at dca; the metro practically goes to the gate
-fox sportsnet bars in phx and las are both very nice (except for the smoke)
-generally short (less than 1 hour) layovers
-lots of capacity ex-was --> many options
-tons of flights between pdx and phx; even when i end up booking the redeye (always cheap), i've been able to switch to something else and they seem to be pretty cool about letting me switch from bwi to dca when there's adequate space
-nice people on the whole
-decent ife

i was thinking more about your situation and decided more convincing is order, so here it goes. like you, i had mid-tier status on a respectable airline last year and was reluctant to switch loyalties to an lcc with a (slightly) below average ff program, but the low fares and the flexibility enticed me.

the fact of that matter is that the majority of the time, hp is considerably than everyone else, including wn. other good points include:

-good terminal at dca; the metro practically goes to the gate
-fox sportsnet bars in phx and las are both very nice (except for the smoke)
-generally short (less than 1 hour) layovers
-lots of capacity ex-was --> many options
-tons of flights between pdx and phx; even when i end up booking the redeye (always cheap), i've been able to switch to something else and they seem to be pretty cool about letting me switch from bwi to dca when there's adequate space
-nice people on the whole
-decent ife

How are upgrades?

How are upgrades?

as previously noted, i'm at 100% on the year. i think switching flights lowers the odds, but did so times and was always successful.

I live very close to DCA, right across the street from a Metrorail station. I prefer DCA, but just remember, that you cannot exit your seat to use the lavratory 30minutes before landing at DCA or 30minutes after takeoff from DCA! Suposedly, the flight will divert to Dulles (IAD) if any passengers get up during that time. I have been on any number of flights where folks get up and fellow passengers or flight attendants instruct them to sit down--and the flight does not divert to IAD.

The no pee rule is the most annoying thing about DCA aside from the higher cost.

Or even worse . . .

BWI!

On the earlier post about getting from BWI to downtown DC -- MARC is the local commuter train and the way to go (caters to an upscale DC commuter crowd). I guess at hours when Marc service is less regular you might take Amtrak - but never thought of it when I lived there. (though a lot of times the last ticket check on the NE Corridor trains is between Baltimore and BWI, so it could be a free ride).

When I lived in Bethesda, MD (basically in between all three airports), I always flew out of DCA if possible. So much easier to get in and out of. But I would go to IAD for cross-country direct flights or BWI for southwest (jet service to places others fly regionals). So if I was in your shoes in reverse, I would take the United IAD-PDX non-stop. But I also had a car.

The direct flight would still be my suggestion. When I did not want to park at Dulles, I had a driver who would meet me in a private car -- pick me up just like a family member on the middle arrivals level - and take me to Bethesda for about $25. I would think you could find someone for $35 a ride -just ask your first couple taxi drivers in DC. To me, the direct flight is worth the extra cost and 45 minutes of getting in from Dulles to avoid the potential hassles of connecting.

Otherwise, I would be torn between HP and AA. The America West suggestion is a good one. Alaska now has a direct SEA-DCA service, but it is limited like the LAX-DCA service. I think they have two flights per day instead of just one here, but one of those is really early - probably too early to connect to from PDX. So if you miss the Alaska flight, you are out of luck. America West has more flights to Phoenix, so you will always get home.

But the downside of HP is having all those miles earned on HP instead of another airline. Sure, they have NW and BA as partners, but those awards take more miles than a home airline award. It is sort of like the Southwest awards I earn -- a free ticket on SW means I have to fly SW -- and I feel like I have to max the free ticket out. But the last thing I want to do is fly cross-country on SW - that is what I have status on these other airlines for -- upgrading on long flights. HP may be the best airline for your travel, but the last thing you will want to do is take America West for award travel.

All the other options (AA, UA, NW) connect through hubs like Chicago with many winter and summer weather problems. But if connecting so you can fly into DCA, I might be tempted to go AA so that all the miles I earn can have more value and would be easier to use for International award travel.

On the earlier post about getting from BWI to downtown DC -- MARC is the local commuter train and the way to go (caters to an upscale DC commuter crowd). I guess at hours when Marc service is less regular you might take Amtrak - but never thought of it when I lived there. (though a lot of times the last ticket check on the NE Corridor trains is between Baltimore and BWI, so it could be a free ride).

When I lived in Bethesda, MD (basically in between all three airports), I always flew out of DCA if possible. So much easier to get in and out of. But I would go to IAD for cross-country direct flights or BWI for southwest (jet service to places others fly regionals). So if I was in your shoes in reverse, I would take the United IAD-PDX non-stop. But I also had a car.

The direct flight would still be my suggestion. When I did not want to park at Dulles, I had a driver who would meet me in a private car -- pick me up just like a family member on the middle arrivals level - and take me to Bethesda for about $25. I would think you could find someone for $35 a ride -just ask your first couple taxi drivers in DC. To me, the direct flight is worth the extra cost and 45 minutes of getting in from Dulles to avoid the potential hassles of connecting.

Otherwise, I would be torn between HP and AA. The America West suggestion is a good one. Alaska now has a direct SEA-DCA service, but it is limited like the LAX-DCA service. I think they have two flights per day instead of just one here, but one of those is really early - probably too early to connect to from PDX. So if you miss the Alaska flight, you are out of luck. America West has more flights to Phoenix, so you will always get home.

But the downside of HP is having all those miles earned on HP instead of another airline. Sure, they have NW and BA as partners, but those awards take more miles than a home airline award. It is sort of like the Southwest awards I earn -- a free ticket on SW means I have to fly SW -- and I feel like I have to max the free ticket out. But the last thing I want to do is fly cross-country on SW - that is what I have status on these other airlines for -- upgrading on long flights. HP may be the best airline for your travel, but the last thing you will want to do is take America West for award travel.

All the other options (AA, UA, NW) connect through hubs like Chicago with many winter and summer weather problems. But if connecting so you can fly into DCA, I might be tempted to go AA so that all the miles I earn can have more value and would be easier to use for International award travel.

my thoughts:

-i usually opt for amtrak; that extra 6 bucks makes a world of difference
-the ua nonstop is certainly the most efficient, but is never the cheapest
-if i wanted to fly tomorrow to was in general, i'd pay 141 on hp, 202 on f9, 230 on ua (2 stops), 300 on wn, and a lot more on everybody else.
-into dca, f9 would win, with hp 30 behind
-as via sea is silly because they only have a few flights and aren't that cheap or good

i guess f9 looks ok but i've never really surveyed their ff program. the reason i went with hp in the first place is because they were very cheap this summer and have remained competitive since.

No one has mentioned the cheap way to get from Dulles to Downtown DC. Metro runs a bus (#5) that runs downtown with only 2 stops for $2.50. You can check their web site for details.

No one has mentioned the cheap way to get from Dulles to Downtown DC. Metro runs a bus (#5) that runs downtown with only 2 stops for $2.50. You can check their web site for details.

it may cheap, but pleasant, it aint. (try it during morning rush hour... with luggage.. some time.)

[QUOTE=dspringer28]Thank you all so far!

I will be working/living downtown with no car, so DCA will be a airport of choice. I saw that Amtrak's biz class fares from downtown to BWI are pretty good. The + to BWI is lower fares (even after the train) and more upgrades than DCA.

I will most likely be splitting between DCA and BWI. Cost is not that big of an issue, but I don't want to throw money away. When I'm arrving late leaving early I go with DCA, for mid day flights BWI, throw in a few IAD's and so on.
QUOTE]

I say that since you are going to be in downtown DC, stay away from BWI at all costs. Taxi from BWI to downtown is $100, whereas from IAD is only about $50. Also, the traffic on the Baltimore-Washington Parkway gets backed up far more often than the dedicated road to IAD. Put it this way, you will hit the same backups getting out of DCA to either the Dulles Toll Road (which isn't toll for airport traffic or to the BW parkway, but once on the Dulles parkway, it is 20 -25 minutes with no backups. There are also convenient shuttle services to IAD or a more roundabout Metro/Shuttle connection. From downtown, I allow an hour to get to IAD and 1.5-2 for BWI depending on time of day.

As for the train to BWI, allow yourself two hours before you even allow time for check in/security. The rail station is not at the airport. It is several miles from the airport and is served by a very inconvenient shuttle service, where you litterally have to push your way on the shuttle bus, otherwise you get left behind and may have to wait 15-30 minutes for the next shuttle. Here is my timeline for BWI - 15 min. taxi/metro to Union Station, 5-10 minutes to navigate the station, 25-35 min. train ride, 20-40 min shuttle service, so anywhere between an hour or two depending on time of day, timing, and luck with the shuttle from train to airport.

DCA is the most convenient. From the central business district you either hop on the yellow line (Gallery Place, Navy-Archives, L'Enfant Plaza) or the Blue line (Foggy Bottom/GWU, Farragut West, McPherson Sq., Metro Center, Federal Triangle, Smithsonian, L'Enfant, etc) and you are anywhere from 10-15 minutes to DCA. Front of the train for DL, CO, HP, NW and Frontier, and back of the train for US. UA, AA and Alaska are in the middle of the main terminal, so doesn't matter. You are litterally dropped off 100 yards and a moving sidewalk to the gate level. Security is a breeze at DCA because each gate area has its own screening, thus no bottlenecks.

As for airlines, HP probably offers a good connection through Pheonix and DL has two good connecting options through ATL and CVG (although CVG is more often than not, a RJ into DCA these days. Also with DL you get the option of CO and NW now and with that more options for rerouting if there are problems with one of your flights or connecting cities.

Good luck

I would use IAD if I were you. The asinine 30 minute no-pee DCA rule is enough to justify any other airport IMHO.

I would use IAD if I were you. The asinine 30 minute no-pee DCA rule is enough to justify any other airport IMHO.

i disagree. unless you live in fairfax or w. montgomery counties, iad is the least convenient of the 3. imo, the convenience of dca easily offsets the no-pee rule. bwi is pretty ok too, particularly if you live near a red line station. unlike some of the others here, i've never had any problems with the train-->bus connection at bwi rail station (there always seem to be vans waiting when i get off the train).

i've never had any problems with the train-->bus connection at bwi rail station (there always seem to be vans waiting when i get off the train).

For the most part I haven't had problems with the BWI rail station bus to the terminal either.

It can be bad at peak travel times like Friday afternoon. For me, all of the times that the lines to get on the shuttle buses have been bad there have been taxi cabs lined up to take people to the terminal for $5 a person. Unless you're on a tight budget that's not so bad.

Taxi from BWI to downtown is $100...

This is not true. It is much less. To downtown Washington it is closer to $65 bucks. I think my last BWI-to-Capitol Hill taxi ride cost $60. Here is a link to BWI ground transportation that lists average taxi fares to different points in the Greater Washington area (and lists a trip to downtown Washington as averaging $63):

http://www.bwiairport.com/ground_transportation/taxi_and_private_car/

First, it's clear that if nonstop is your preference, it's basically united.

If you are willing to give up non stop, I believe the choices turn into American (thru chicago), Northwest (which flies some nonstops from minneapolis to dca) and one screwy one -- Alaska Air has one of the few long nonstops to dca (from seattle). If you work close to downtown and can get out of work early, alaska has a 5:30 p.m. dca flight, that goes thru seattle, but would allow you to get back home on a friday night and you can catch the metro to dca.

fyi, in checking fares for my brother who lives in pdx, I've sometimes found some very screwy fares, where booking portland flights on american or united, is far more expensive than booking the flights on their partner airlines Alaska Air (American) or US Airways (united) though you fly on American or United.

as per the discussion of bwi/dca/iad, I personally hate connecting thru chicago (though it's where I'm from. Way too many delays). I vote for IAD over BWI, basically because from downtown, transit is more predicatable.

Driving to BWI is a mess and while getting to bwi on the train is fairly easy weeknights after work, you can have to wait awhile coming back on weekends. But basically even on weeknights, it's metro to amtrak to a bus to bwi, which is three opportunities to miss connections. Dulles is metro to a bus (which leaves every half hour from west falls church). You can have to wait but it's one connection.

[QUOTE=MrAOK
If you are willing to give up non stop, I believe the choices turn into American (thru chicago), Northwest (which flies some nonstops from minneapolis to dca) and one screwy one -- Alaska Air has one of the few long nonstops to dca (from seattle).
.[/QUOTE]

you forgot about hp. sorry to keep mentioning it, but i've never once found another airline in the same ballpark for last minute purchases and their total travel times are absolutely unparallelled (with the exception of ua from iad, which operates the ONLY nonstop in the market).

ps - i don't have any particular loyalties or interests in hp. it's just that this thread echos my current situation exactly so i've done quite a bit of "research" on the topic.