Is there an airside shuttle at DCA?
 

I may be traveling through DCA this summer. The first flight operated by US Airways, second operated by United, and will probably have to get to the other gates in terminal C. When I was last at DCA I recall a shuttle bus that took you to the other side. Is it still there? If so does anyone know the gates it operates from? I think one of the gates is 36 if I remember correctly? Do you have to request it? I'm just trying to figure things out because I've never had a connecting flight alone and I don't want to get lost, or have to go through security twice, for that matter ;) (I'm 17)

Most likely you'll have the arriving and departing flights on different piers within DCA. The area where the two airlines operate is not too large, so you should be okay. There is not a shuttle and you will have to exit security, walk to the other pier and then go through security again. It's not a big deal just follow the signs.

Look at the link below, it shows that US flights are at gates 35-45 and gates 23-34 is where the UA flights are located. You'd follow the signs to leave the gate area where you arrive, then turn left and follow signs for the gates 23-34 where the UA gates are located and re-enter security there.

http://www.metwashairports.com/reagan/1325.htm

I've never used it, but there often is a shuttle between the north and central piers. I say "often" because I think it may not always run. If it's running, it'll go between the gates closer to the main corridor. In any event, exiting and going back through security isn't a big deal.

Actually, there is a shuttle. I've never taken it but US Air makes announcements about their shuttle between the two piers of the C concourse about every 45 seconds whenever I fly out of DCA. It runs between gates 36 and 25.

I connect through there a lot, and that shuttle does indeed have poor reliability.

Including the one time it was "closed for maintenance", but looking out the window, it was clear that the "maintenance" was "drivers on lunch break". Once they finishing eating, the shuttle resumed. By that point I had left and reentered security. Generally, that's pretty smooth at DCA, but I've had times where that wasn't really an option due to lines.

Troof. Interestingly, yesterday, the announcements meant for
the other pier were being piped into 36-45, with pax there
wandering around dazedly looking for gate 25.

I've had decent luck with it over the years (there was a day
when RCC members couldn't use the USAC, so the shuttle
was very handy).

Yes, there is an airside shuttle (and has been for over three years) between the north (US exclusively) and Central (UA, some US and some others). It operates during times when there are connecting flights. Is less than a minute between piers and they are very acommodating about making special runs for tight connections.

There is a shuttle between the north and middle piers. Its operated by US.

The middle pier is US, UA, and AA.

Don't say that in the Travel Safety/Security Forum. :D

Hi all! I am making a connection from Continetal Express to United this Saturday at DCA.

In addition to the shuttle discussed above connecting the US gates to the UA gates, is there another shuttle that connects the CO gates (at the pier with gates 10-22) to the UA gates (which is referred to above as the "middle pier")?

Thanks!

No, there's just the one shuttle that connects the other two piers; no shuttle between the CO gates and the UA gates.

I've taken that shuttle a number times, but only when I'm not paying attention and I go through security at the wrong bay. The shuttle bus goes from gate 25 in the middle bay to gate 34 in the north bay. I think they leave every 10 minutes or so and the actually bus trip is something like 2-3 minutes.

As others have mentioned, there is a shuttle between the 2 piers that US operates out of (one of which is where UA operates too). However in the near future the DCA PMUA gates will be moving to the the DL/CO gate area which is not served by the shuttle. If this happens before your trip, you will need to exit security and re-enter for your US flight.

I should know this, but I haven't flown out of A since CO closed the club there a decade or so ago.

I'm flying the new DCA-AUS SWA flight next week, it leaves out of A. I'd love to hang in the UA Club in B before the flight, as I doubt there's anything in A except hard chairs at the gates. Is it possible to get from B to A without having to go through security again at the A gates? No priority lines of any kind there, so I'm expecting it to be a zoo.

no shuttle A-B the last time i was there, and the walk is a long one.

why would you expect a zoo? the only crowds i have ever seen at the gates is for the flights to south america at pier 3 in the morning. those can be avoided by checking through B and riding the shuttle over.