NW in DC - IAD or DCA? Any Suggestions?
 

Hi All-
Heading to DC in a few months.
Price is same for IAD / DCA - Does the board have a preference?

Arriving 10AM Friday, Departing 4PM on a Monday.

- Easier access to rental cars?
- shorter Baggage arrival time?
- Shorter security lines when departing?
- Better u/g potential?
- Better NW World club?
- Anything else worth considering. (I've never been to DC)


Thanks.

The way to think about this is to think about where you have to be in the DC area, then chose which airport you use.

When we lived there, we preferred BWI..... but that was before WN came in there and in fact the DC9's were operated by Republic.

Bob H

It depends where exactly you are going. I always fly into DCA because it is better located for DC. (IAD is far away.) Also, DCA looks crappy but it's fast (security lines are very quick, luggage comes out quickly). IAD is bigger and I find it more of a mess. (You have int'l pax as well, people with more luggage, etc.) I don't have a good enough basis for comparing UG's.

Thanks.
It's actually a golfing weekend. It's late March - I'm hoping the weather is warm enough to play?
We'll be driving all over. We might have to head further south if it's colder than usual I guess.
Just wondered which DC airport was more "seamless" for NW travellers really.

** Just saw that our IAD option is on the CRJ . . . Nuff said, DCA it is ** Thanks all

Like others said, it depends on your final destination. Keep in mind that DCA and IAD are separated by 29 miles of pure traffic hell.

If you have plans to be in Virginia outside of the Alexandria/Arlington area, pick IAD. If you plan to be in the city of DC, go with DCA.

All things being equal and trying to answer your question, DCA is better for "gate to rental car" time. IAD B Terminal is better for food/shopping options or if you happen to be stuck for a few hours.

I have no experience with upgrades via DCA but this NW Gold has been upgraded on the IAD-DTW and IAD-MSP flights I take 100% of the time.

March is NOT an ideal month for golfing in northern Virginia unless you like occasional snow squalls, wind and heavy rain.

Luggage quick at DCA? Surely you jest. It's been averaging 30-40 minutes for me lately. Really a joke given the short distance from the gates to the terminal at A.

Price is same for IAD / DCA - Does the board have a preference?

Arriving 10AM Friday, Departing 4PM on a Monday. Traffic at these times will be manageable for either airport: Tie
- Easier access to rental cars? DCA hands down
- shorter Baggage arrival time? Both are bad. I'd suggest renting clubs
- Shorter security lines when departing? DCA hands down
- Better u/g potential? Tied, both are good
- Better NW World club? IAD hands down
- Anything else worth considering. (I've never been to DC) DCA has better views on your flight approach, if coming from the North you follow the Potomac River and can clearly see the Washington Monument, the White House, the Lincoln Memorial, etc.

Um... yes. Just came in on the 25th to DCA. Slow travel day, right? It was over 20 minutes from deplaning before the carousel even started. And it was like a cruel joke too, because after finally seeing the thing start up after 20 minutes, it then just ran another 5-10 minutes before a single bag came up. I also had priority tagged luggage, and I stopped counting after the 40th or so bag came up and it was not mine.

As long as they are not using the sniffer
 

Then the lines can be very long.

depends on where your business is....if a rental is a must I'd do bwi, if you'll be downtown I'd do dca and metro it....for golf I wouldn't be north of RIC or PHF

Permission to disagree. DC-Dulles traffic can be a ..... in the afternoon, any day. Remember IAD is really busy in the 4-7 period, when the Europe flights are leaving. From DC -- and again it depends where you plan to be -- DCA is a heavenly 15 minutes away.

Agree to this all, well stated and succinct. May I add that the port side of the aircraft is what you want for the awesome views on landing, assuming they fly the S-turns...


All the best, James

Only took 37 miutes tonight to get my bag. ;) Northwest: the DCA baggage claim situation is a joke. The distance from the gates to the terminal is miniscule compared to other airports that are able to deliver checked bags much more quickly. Furthermore, you do not "compete" or share your carousel with any other airline. This needs to be fixed.

Unless I'm actually doing business in Herndon or McLean, I go DCA every time. The baggage waits can be counter-intuitively long, but that's the only downside. I've flown in/out of both, and DCA's much more convenient.

Since the OP is SE, I have to differ with this opinion. I always have an easier time UG'ing from IAD than DCA - I believe there are many, many more PE's flying from DCA (consultant, lobbyist, pol shuttles) than from IAD on a given day. In this Gold's experience I have rarely not been UG'ed on the typical, business-heavy Sun PM, Mon, Thurs PM, and Fri DTW-IAD-DTW flights. However, my times into and out of DCA have almost always, with rare exception, been in Y.

Then again, with little over an hour enroute, I would pick airport location and convenience over a possible elite UG any day.