WUS

[Rail Freak]

What airport should I fly into for catching the Cap Ltd to CHI? Thanx!

 

[StriderGDM]

The cheapest.

Honestly, Dulles is probably the biggest pain.

Reagan-Washington National has convenient Metro access (yellow line to red at Gallery Place)

BWI isn't bad either. Hop the bus to BWI Amtrak station and then take MARC to CUS.

 

[the_traveler]

From BWI, both MARC and Amtrak go to WAS. Or as said, from National, the Metro has stops right at the airport and at WAS!

 

[HasTy]

Doing this on a relatively regular basis I would recommend doing the hop into BWI and then take the MARC to WAS. National is ok but the change of the Metro lines with luggage can be exciting. Then Dulles is just a nightmare no matter what you are doing.

 

[PVD]

It is a function of where you are flying from, preference for a specific airline, whether you are carrying luggage, and day of week/time.... Some cities may have better choices at BWI vs DCA or vice versa.....

 

[Johanna]

Dulles has become much less of a nightmare since the Metro Silver Line opened a couple of years ago. The Washington Flyer bus runs frequently and conveniently, and it costs $5 for the 10-minute ride to the Metro. From there, it is true, it's a long ride on the Metro to get into DC proper, but there are worse things that can happen. If you can get a much better fare or flight time by flying into Dulles, it could be worth it.

 

[Bob Dylan]

As others,said,by all means use National (naming the Capitol's Airport after the guy who fired the Air Controllers was a bit much eh?)or BWI depending on the Fares and Times that work best for you.

Dulles is still a long way away out in Virginia! Using the Metro from National or MARC or even Amtrak from BWI to reach Union Station is easiest and probably quickest.

 

[MARC Rider]

From BWI, both MARC and Amtrak go to WAS. Or as said, from National, the Metro has stops right at the airport and at

WAS!

It should be stated that, from National airport, a Metro ride involves a change of trains at Gallery Place (Yellow Line) or Metro Center (Blue Line). Transfer to Red Line to get to Union Station.

From Dulles, Silver Line requires a change to Red Line at Metro Center.

You should check on status of SafeTrack activities on the day you are traveling.

Personally, I prefer BWI and it's not just because I live in Baltimore. The evasive maneuvers made during the approach to National in order to avoid flying over the White House, Pentagon, etc. are a bit unsettling, at least to this white knuckle flyer.

 

[jebr]

BWI is likely the simplest to get to WUS, and may even be fairly cheap if you book the BWI - WAS ticket with your Capitol Limited ticket.

 

[Acela150]

My choice is Union Station. I'll fly into that any day! :lol:

 

[the_traveler]

On A3 (I think it is)! :giggle:

 

[Alexandria Nick]

Personally, I prefer BWI and it's not just because I live in Baltimore. The evasive maneuvers made during the approach to National in order to avoid flying over the White House, Pentagon, etc. are a bit unsettling, at least to this white knuckle flyer.

True fact: there's no restriction on flying over the Pentagon. Landing on Runway 33 or taking off on Runway 15 requires flying over the Pentagon.

There's a lesser known third no-fly zone. Everyone knows about the National Mall and lots of people know about the Naval Observatory, but no one seems to know that Mount Vernon is one.

 

[Seaboard92]

I understand the no fly on the National Mall, and Naval Observatory but why Mount Vernon

 

[Acela150]

I understand the no fly on the National Mall, and Naval Observatory but why Mount Vernon

Because a President was kidnapped there. Movie geeks will get that.

 

[me_little_me]

I understand the no fly on the National Mall, and Naval Observatory but why Mount Vernon

A former president resides there. Since he was hunted for years by armed men, the Secret Service has assigned thousands of its agents to protect him and his spouse in case those agents of that foreign power come again. I've heard that residents of that same country have visited the place in recent years, perhaps to gather intelligence for an attack.

 

[City of Miami]

I just did the BWI - WAS jaunt. It took me 40 minutes from the plane door opening to get to the train platform including a short wait for the shuttle so it could well be longer. Then you must buy a ticket. 3 quiktrak machines, 1 out of order. Senior MARC ticket is $3.50 but you must stand in line and buy from agent. MARC trains are approx hourly, schedules and all info available online. Amtrak is approx $25 and risky to buy in advance. The ride is 40 min on MARC half hour on Amtrak.

 

[I always rode the Southern]

I have family who fly into/out of tampa to all 3 airports. BWI is almost always the cheapest.. DCA(notice it avoids a name) is the closest to the station, but once southwest stopped direct flights, there was a period when there were no direct flights, and are not as many flights non stop now, I think only Jet blue and United. Because of the higher costs my son(who could probably walk from dca to where he lived) would ride up to bwi and fly back and forth from there

Not a long metro ride, and though I find it intimidating with my balance issues and age I have had no trouble taking the metro from Arlington to Union station, carrying my rolling suitcase, carry on and purse. I just also have plenty of time, and explicit written instructions on where to and amount needed to buy ticket and station to change. Would do everything I could to avoid going from Dulles to Union station. Never have done BWI.

 

[Ziv]

My cousin used to fly for the Navy and then a couple civilian airlines. He said his favorite airports to fly in and out of (most challenging) were the old (now closed) Kai Tak and Reagan National. So DCA does have a little yanking and banking when you are coming in or going out. If you coming in from or departing to the northwest, you get REALLY good city views on the North side of the aircraft. I always ask for an A window seat flying into DCA and an F window seat flying out.

From BWI, both MARC and Amtrak go to WAS. Or as said, from National, the Metro has stops right at the airport and at
WAS!

Personally, I prefer BWI and it's not just because I live in Baltimore. The evasive maneuvers made during the approach to National in order to avoid flying over the White House, Pentagon, etc. are a bit unsettling, at least to this white knuckle flyer.