Metro Washington Airport Auth   

1 Aviation Cir
Washington, DC 20001
703-417-8600
www.metwashairports.com

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Top Tips:Parking: For drop- off and pick-up, hourly parking is available near the terminal in Lot A and in Garage B/C (the latter is connected to terminals B and C by covered pedestrian walkways). Rates are $2 per half-hour for the first two hours, and $4 for each subsequent hour, to a daily maximum of $28. The daily parking lots charge $2 per hour to a daily maximum of $12. Parking Garage B/C offers both daily and hourly parking in the same structure, so make sure you wind up in the one you want. Remote Parking offers a more economical alternative with a daily maximum of $8. Free shuttles run from all parking areas to all terminals. The closer daily parking in Garage B/C fills up at busy times; radio station 530 AM broadcasts availability information as you approach the airport.Transportation to & from airport: All ground transportation options can be easily located by following signs. Metro and taxi are both attractive options. National Airport is serviced by public Metrorail (blue and yellow lines) and Metrobus from a station located outside of Terminals B and C. Fares vary, but are never more than a few dollars. Rental cars operate from Parking Garage A. Taxis servicing DC, Maryland, and Virginia are located outside the terminal exits. A ride downtown costs approximately $12.The shuttle market is dominated by the blue SuperShuttle vans, which have an exclusive contract to cruise for passengers. Any company can pick you up by prearrangement, and you can sometimes get a better deal on longer trips by calling Affordable Airport Shuttle or Suburban Airport Shuttle. (Montgomery Airport Shuttle offers attractive rates but has reportedly been the subject of consumer complaints in recent years). Shuttle dispatchers group passengers in shared vans by destination, and vans are not supposed to make more than 3 stops. Shuttle fare to downtown DC is about $13, with additional people in a group travelling to the same stop paying about $8. The Washington Flyer Express Bus provides service from National Airport to Washington Dulles International Airport (approximately 45 minutes, $16).Inter- terminal Transfer: Free and frequent buses connect the terminals, but walking is often your best bet as the airport is not large.Food: National Airport is following the national trend of beefing up consumer offerings, particularly in the newer B and C terminals. You can get everything from pizza slices to a formal dinner. For quick snacks, chain outlets TCBY, Starbucks, and Cinnabon are popular. Every terminal has a solid beer-and-burgers place. The Cheesecake Factory is a good deal if you can restrain yourself from ordering entrees and stick to the enormous appetizers. Legal Seafoods is an outlet of an upscale downtown restaurant; though the menu is shorter and the atmosphere more bustling, it's still your best bet for a more formal meal. They also boast lobsters to go.Frustrations: National Airport's convenient suburban location places it squarely in the DC traffic nightmare; while it can be a breeze to drive here at off hours, a rush hour trip is to be avoided if possible. Metrorail is a cheap and wonderful daytime alternative, but keep in mind that it starts later and stops earlier than many subway systems (it opens around 5:30am weekdays and 8am weekends; the last train for DC leaves the station at 11:47pm weekdays and 12:47am weekends). Also note that while farecard machines take $20s, they do not dispense more than $4.95 in change, so make sure to have small bills if you don't want to put a lot of credit on your farecard. As everywhere, travelers at National are increasingly required to show up extremely early for flights; commuters and business travelers can put the wasted time to use by taking advantage of the airport's dry cleaner and Customer Service Centers offering fax service, photocopying, some postal services, and a notary public. - Gwendolyn Bradley