Originally Posted by
usmsbow
IAD's number of domestic passengers has been declining since 2006. Its number of Intl passengers has been steadily rising during that same period. IOW it is not becoming increasingly popular for those in the region for domestic flights. DCA's numbers meanwhile are at a record high.
Yes, those that live in loudon county and Fairfax prefer IAD, but that's probably it.
Any talk about DCA being a legitimate alternative to IAD is a red-herring. As long as it's slot restricted and perimeter restricted it is nothing more than a well positioned focus city for east coast travel and very limited O&D travel to the cities it serves outside the perimeter. Not to mention it's physical size prevents it from ever offering international traffic (other than Canada / Mexico) since it's not really practical for heavies (DL used 763s for ATL - DCA during Obama's inauguration and Boeing landed a 787 there during its promotional tour but otherwise it hasn't really had any non-emergency heavies)
I would hazard a guess that IAD will see domestic numbers rise again once the Silver Line is complete. IAD is a huge pain coming from Arlington / Orange line but once the Silver Line is in place that makes IAD that much more attractive especially to those of us who live in Arlington / Orange Line