Originally Posted by
Often1
IAD is a major PITA because it is a hassle to get from curbside to the gate, whereas DCA is 5-10 minutes with Pre-Check and no more than 15 without. The PP differential would have to be a Michelin-starred restaurant before I schlep from Crystal City to IAD over DCA.
I have had a different experience. At IAD, I regularly make it from dropoff to gate in seven minutes. If I have to wait the max of 4 min for a train, 11 min curbside to gate tops. I find the TSA Pre line is consistently short at IAD and the IAD-SFO gate is in the international terminal, which is a quick one minute ride on the underground train and at the top of the escalator.
At DCA, I’ve found TSA Pre security can take 10-20 min at 4:30pm, the time I would arrive curbside for the DCA-SFO flight. Lastly, Alaska still runs IAD-SFO service 2x per day (yes, severely cut from the 3-4x a day it used to be, but still better than 1x) which provides valuable flexibility for SDC and IRROPS, whereas DCA-SFO is 1x per day. Aside from the trip to IAD, I find IAD preferable for AS flights in every way.