I'm looking at a ticket that has a 3h30m connection with a change of airport from Reagan/National to Dulles. I know that an extension to the Metro recently made this, if not necessarily faster, at least more reliable/predictable.
I'd have to collect and re-check luggage—for which I'd have access to BA's premium line. Would that time be sufficient to comfortably make the transfer?
It would be a Tuesday or Wednesday, landing DCA at 19:15.
I wouldn’t do it and I have been flying out of DCA and IAD my whole life. It is going to take more than an hour on the metro to get to IAD (90 minutes is probably realistic). It is a long walk from the Dulles silver line station to check-in. Also there are lots of delays at DCA. For years, I flew regularly to/from DCA for business and I cannot tell you how many times my flights were delayed. If there is any kind of weather issue (e.g., afternoon thunderstorms in spring and summer) things get backed up very quickly. DCA’s main runway is the busiest in the U.S.
Is BA really selling this connection as a single ticket?
What time of year? ( weather possibly a problem?)
Laura's unequivocal rejection is quickly convincing!
AA is selling it, but I'd bet it could be booked via BA, too.
There's a perfectly sensible 2-hour layover in PHL, but PHL is boring and I was kind of jazzed by the idea of taking BA's a380 out of IAD. Oh well...
When it comes to air travel "boring" is good.
How about flying into Reagan/National (DCA), then take the metro or taxi to Chantilly, VA, hotel for the night, and flight the next day out of IAD?
All the chain hotels in Chantilly have courtesy vans to take you to IAD.
That's what we do from Nashville and it takes the stress out of the connection.
Definitely go with "boring". Two hours in the PHL airport isn't bad and AA has more options there if things should go wrong.
I checked the Metro trip planner. I used next Tuesday, leaving at 20:15. That assumes that you land on time and are able to collect your luggage and make it to the Metro station within an hour. The travel planner calculates an 81 minute trip with a transfer at the Rosslyn Station, arriving at Dulles at 21:28. That would be outside of my comfort zone, but I get anxious about that sort of tight timing. As Laura said, it’s probably a 15 minute walk from the Dulles metro station to the terminal. Add in checking a bag, going through security and riding the train to the gate and the 3.5 hours starts to look short.
Short answer - No. Too many things beyond your control to make this a “comfortable” doable transfer.
The only way I'd even consider this is if the airline provided ground transportation between airports. Even then, ugh. Laura's right, this is fraught with risk, and for no apparent benefit.
But back to the big picture for a second -- the 2 options are:
- a 3.5-hr layover with an airport change in which you'd have to collect your bags, find transportation, and go thru security again
- a 2-hr layover in a single airport where you'd have to do none of those things, and could instead relax or go to the bar
The first option is preferable? Barring a steep discount on the DC-connected flight, I'd re-think the premise.
When it comes to air travel "boring" is good.
and for no apparent benefit.
For an avgeek air travel is never boring, just varying levels of thrill. And for such characters, like myself, there absolutely is benefit to flying on particular equipment.
While I'd have gladly taken the hassle, I'm not so foolish as to want to plan in risk. I appreciate the helpful insight into the transfer, whose nuances were unknown to me.
In addition to the concerns already expressed, there's the fact that WMATA always seems to be doing some sort of line maintenance every time I head outside the city core, which can mean closed stations requiring detours by shuttle bus and/or single-tracking leading to less-frequent service than usual.
