FlyerTalk Evangelist
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Danville, CA, USA;
Programs: UA 1MM, WN CP, Marriott LT Plat, Hilton Gold, IC Plat
Posts: 15,722
This is a no brainer unless you are staying or working near Reston or Tysons Corner. The DCA flights are fantastic - saves me at least 1 hour for every arrival or departure - sometimes more depending on traffic into Washington. IAD has been a pit for decades - yes there are some nice *A and PP lounges but they are not convenient to the UA terminals. DCA has some great PP restaurants now but that is not a factor for me. The only reason I would not fly into DCA would be timing as AS and UA only have 1 flight a day.
As for security - you're joking right? With Clear I'm through in about 2 minutes - maybe a little longer with PreCheck. The only time security is a PITA is when you are connecting from International to Domestic at IAD.