BWI vs. IAD
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Anonymous
| I think BWI is far nicer, no people movers being the primary reason. It’s just much easier to get through the airport quickly. Not sure why someone said no food options, the whole airport has been redone in the past 10 years and there are p,e rumor options, it’s better than Dulles in that regard. |
Anonymous
Not sure what happened there, but there are plenty of decent food options at bwi. |
Anonymous
I disagree. BWI is a much easier airport to navigator - door to door than IAD. Security lines have been non-existent, no stupid-ass people movers or trains to your gate. No hours of waiting to come through immigration. The earlier poster who said BWI tries harder is 100% spot on. |
Anonymous
Really?? That hasn't been our experience at all. I avoid IAD like the plague, and haven't had any significant issues at BWI. If nothing else, at BWI at least you can walk to all the gates instead of dealing with stupid people overs or trains or whatever. And the new bathrooms at BWI are something to behold |
Anonymous
| When possible I fly BWI. I like it better than IAD. IAD is just too big, takes too long and generally more difficult. |
Anonymous
I found just the opposite. I much prefer BWI. I also hate IAD’s tram service, so there’s that. I’ve found BWI easy to get in and out. |
Anonymous
Not sure how often you fly or if you've been to IAD in the past decade but they've had a train between terminals since 2010. I think a lot of folks here who prefer BWI are leisure travelers who fly 1-2x/year and book their fare by sorting low to high on Expedia. If you travel often you have: -status with an airline (crap-tier airlines like Spirit/Southwest/Frontier don't offer any benefits for frequent flyers) -lounge access (it looks like BWI only has a lounge in a single domestic terminal, no SkyClub/United Club/Admiral's Club) -flying out of an airline's hub is 1000x more convenient in terms of mechanical issues and scheduling changes (United at IAD and American at DCA). IAD and DCA are both much better options for frequent flyers. |
Anonymous
Still need to take the moon buggy to terminal D at Dulles. And BWI is a huge hub for Southwest. It just depends on where you live and where you are going- each has their own advantages. |
Anonymous
| I'm basically equal distance btw IAD/BWI/DCA. My decision process revolves around what time is my flight? Early mornings or late afternoon to Dulles adds significantly to my getting there. What are my direct flight options? And of course cost. Almost always I use Dulles for international flights - but try to avoid the drive to Dulles in the afternoon, Metro just isn't a viable option for us FOR IAD. DCA - is great for quick trips with no family and light bags. But if I'm driving and bringing family I find it a hassle. The airport where I have run into the least problems - from parking, to security to flight delays has been BWI. This could be because I use it mostly for leisure travel to friends and family but its my favorite and least stressful of the 3 airports. I rarely care about food options at a departing airport - about all I want is a bottle of water. Parking at BWI has options and ease of getting to the terminal. My recent experience at IAD immigration was over 2 hours of waiting with one 1 agent handling US passports - so that has me reconsidering my use of it for international flights. I feel very fortunate to have so many options so easily available. |
Anonymous
DP and frequent flyer here. The IAD airtrain is a joke if you're going to the C gates which is where most United flights depart from. Because C is the "temporary terminal", the station is far form the gates, and hyou have to walk back to the actual C gates. I can walk quicker from BWI security to my gate than I can from the C train stop to the C gates. United also uses the D gates where your only choices are moon buggy or C gate train and an even longer walk. 
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Anonymous
No, you're just proving my point that the BWI cheerleaders don't fly often. You can get off the train at terminal C and walk to D gates. We did it a week ago as a family with small kids. Delta doesn't have a hub in DC metro but people who travel a lot for work and leisure are flying AA/United/Delta and not booking the "Wanna Get Away" fare on Southwest out of BWI because it's the lowest cost. |
Anonymous
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I'm actually equidistant between DCA, IAD and BWI (based on mileage) and I always fly BWI if I can. I find the navigation of the airport and parking to be much easier. Having said that, it really depends on time and traffic.
I used to avoid IAD like the plague but now that they have the train, it's not as bad. The parking is a really far walk though. I much prefer IAD if I am taking an Uber or have a ride. I only use DCA when I am going to the airport straight from the office (Metro Center). Driving there from my house is always a crap shoot with DC traffic. |
Anonymous
I’ve been on the train, it also sucks. One can walk directly to the terminals at BWI. I fly about once a month, maybe one trip a year out of Dulles if the route is unavailable at BWI. Another benefit, condescending idiots seen to prefer Dulles. Win-win for me. |
Anonymous
| I prefer BWI but it has fewer flights. I just go with whatever is cheaper. |
Anonymous
| If it’s international do NOT do IAD. Their customs setup is horrific. Took us 3 hours in April. |