flyer703

Anyone have any experience or advice to share? I'm flying out Thursday am and trying to figure out what to expect. I have TSA PreCheck, no checked bags, and mobile boarding pass. Is arriving 30 minutes prior to boarding still good? If you're taking Uber where is the best place to get dropped off before heading directly to PreCheck?

djp98374

30 min during the holiday travel rush…think again. Holiday travel will be at pre pandemic levels.

DCA is heavy traffic at this time so going Uber will be stuck in traffic at airport.

ive not gone through the new security layout. This was designed during the pandemic, I’m willing to bed there are going to be problems this holiday season no matter status.

IADCAflyer

Traffic getting to the terminals has been pretty bad past few days. GW Parkway was backed up in both directions. The majority of the mess was caused by folks getting to "A", but B/C wasn't a heck of a lot better.

If metro is an option, consider that way.

As to security, the GF made it through Precheck at the North pier in about 10 minutes (last Sunday). I'm sure things will only be at this level or worse as we approach Christmas Day.

Section 107

the new terminal entrances and PSCs were designed years before the pandemic and construction began well before the pandemic.

DCA writer

Arriving about 30 minutes prior to boarding wasn't a problem yesterday morning, although my wife reported that the Pre line was clogged by people who missed the giant TSA Pre sign and just walked to the first security line they saw. (I used Clear, which was a good 10 minutes' faster.)

You can save a little more time by using the "Express Passenger Drop Off" on the other side of the Metro station from the terminal--ask your driver to look for the purple signs for this left exit.

flyer703

Thank you!!! Super helpful! I will definitely use the express drop off. Appears to be the same place the Metro shuttles were using when the Blue/Yellow line stations were closed for platform reconstruction.

Sounds like 30 minutes prior to boarding will be fine, but I should probably add 10-15 mins to account for traffic congestion from the parkway into the terminal.

flyer703

Now that I've been thru it, I'll add my experience...

Due to traffic concerns, I did wind up taking Metro. However, there was little traffic on the Parkway or airport roads and I could/should have stuck with my usual Uber. With no checked bags and mobile boarding pass, getting to security from Metro was a breeze - probably a 30 second walk from the Metro exit. In the future I will definitely use the "Express Passenger Drop Off" mentioned above by DCA writer. That is a quick walk to the same point where the Metro station exits into the terminal.

Arriving about 7:45am last Thursday, I made it from the Metro exit to my gate in about 15 minutes. Very easy - why I LOVE DCA!!! There were probably 30 people in the PreCheck line and (as also pointed out by DCA writer) many were redirected to regular security since PreCheck is first (a nice feature!) and people just blindly went into that line. [Whatever happened to the airport agents checking boarding passes at the PreCheck entry???]

Overall, I'm very impressed with the new layout. MWAA did a nice job with this, and there is a lot of helpful info (including videos of the new process) posted on their web site.

Only remaining question is which checkpoint to use. MWAA directs all AA to north and everyone else to south. In theory that means south should be less utilized (all commuter terminal, all north pier, and most of middle pier (AA) to north and only B6 in middle and south pier airlines in south). Next time, I'll try the south checkpoint.

flyer703

30 minutes was more than adequate.

It wouldn't have been (and this was at 7:30am - a high-traffic time), but I get being being extra cautious.

Then why did you post? I specifically asked for people with EXPERIENCE, not speculation.

No, it wasn't (as previously pointed out by Section 107)

You'd have lost your bed.

DELee

And he's a bed boy too.

David

IADCAflyer

Just wait until the Centurion Lounge opens up.....Gonna be lot of walking for AA passengers!

flyer703

While it's great that we're getting a Centurion Lounge, I'm not sure how popular it will be. One of the great things about DCA is that you don't need to build in lots of extra time, especially if you live close by. PreCheck is consistently quick, and it's a quick walk (less than 5 mins - with no "Mobile Lounge", tram, etc.) from the entrance to any gate. I often brag to my friends that I can get from my front door in Alexandria to my gate in 30 minutes or less - and that is almost always the case. So I don't see myself getting to the airport an hour early just to hang out at the lounge - as great as the Centurion may be. Perhaps it will be popular with transient fliers connecting thru on their layovers. Anyway, I do hope it's successful!

bradleyl12

Looks like they will be renaming the piers A1-A9, B10-B22, C23-C34, D35-D45, E46-E59 (not resetting the numbers for each pier). Do you know when the piers are going to be renamed A-E? I'd figured they would do it relatively soon since there are less passengers now.

GUWonder

I think the Amex lounge at DCA will be much busier with DCA-originating traffic too because of all the relatively high-income earners with these Platinum/Centurion cards around DCA and how powerful the allure of "free" drink and food is in DC. And perhaps even because it's out out the way for AA passengers, they will either have to pad in more time for "getting their money's worth" out of the DCA lounge and use it for longer periods of time or not use it at all. I expect it to be one of the most packed Amex lounges I frequently encounter. Just a matter of when.

I used to be able to very reliably get from around Key Bridge (Georgetown/Arlington) to the gates at DCA within 16-18 minutes of launching into a taxi/car service. That era is gone and didn't come back with PreCheck; nor is it back with new DCA security in B/C.

DELee

While I bow to your vast travel experience, I agree with flyer703 - most folks even with Platinum/Centurion cards will be seeking the quickest way to their gates and to the Metro. I really see DCA as more of a commuter airport than a "I gotta spend more time at the airport" airport.

David

makin'miles

The new security facility looks new and fresh, but I'm not impressed for one reason: there's no priority channel for first class/status passengers. (My citizenship makes me ineligible for PreCheck/Clear). This just makes DCA much less predictable than it used to be, as I'm mostly in F and a oneworld Emerald.

I wrote MWAA about this - they said it was an airline decision. So I wrote AA and have added this to post-flight surveys. Seems silly it would be offered at most other AA domestic stations, but not DCA.