Washington Dulles Airport

IAD tends to be a miserable experience but it provides almost all the international options in the DC area and it should get better. Immigration/customs formalities are relatively efficient although it's still necessary to use the people mover (often crowded) to reach the immigration area. The ambiance and dining/shopping options vary by concourse. The United commuter concourse is the worst. The main C/D concourse (used by United for mailine flights) has gotten better over time. Departure security has gotten more efficient and there is now a second security area on the lower level near baggage claim along with the new security mezzanine. I recommend the lower level location as it is still lightly used. The new train system will connect to the smaller infield terminals before opening to the C/D. The opening of the train has been delayed but should occur early this year. Getting to the airport remains a hassle - the 5A bus to Rosslyn and L'Enfant Metro stations remains the cheapest option but is poorly promoted although information can be found on the DC Metro website. The buses to West Falls Church are the next best option; there used to be service to DC but it was not used enough to be profitable. Staying near Dulles means being carbound and having limited dining options. Service within the airport tends toward the indifferent. Allowing 2 hours before a flight will work outside of rush periods but 3 hours is more realistic during the usual business travel rush.

I was connecting from Narita (Japan) to Connecticut and since Dulles was my first US stop I had to go through immigration. Originally I landed at 2:15 and my flight was at 4:20 so I thought this would have been enough time to get through immigration recheck my bags and board my next flight. After spending 3 hours in the immigration line I sprinted to my gate only to find that my flight had already departed. Then came the long lousy customer service line where all the other who missed their flight because of the shocking immigration slowness were lined up to rebook their flight. Then I get to the front of the line only to find that the next flight is all booked and I am standby #5. Then to spend the night in the dreary old boring airport to board the earliest flight out to Connecticut the next morning at 8:30 and missing the first day back to school after winter break in the process. Terrible service and they really should work on that ghastly immigration line.

I actually rather enjoy flying through Dulles. I've never had any problems there and it's comfortable enough. I can understand that it may be a little confusing for some people who do not travel through large airports very often but I find it simple enough. I have only connected when flying on United so I cannot comment on the majority of airlines service at IAD.

I have used IAD a few times but never arrived on an international flight until last a week ago. We arrived in terminal C on a UA flight from LHR I believe the international arrivals facility is new and it did not require the mobile lounges. Maybe it was because it was early (10:30am) and there was only one flight being processed but I was very impressed from coming off the plane we were through immigration within 10 minutes and our bags were waiting and we were through customs and had the bags rechecked for our connection within another 2-3 minutes. I must say all the TSA staff were very friendly. The facilities are rather limited and with a +2 hour wait for our connection it was tempting to eat junk food out of boredom

Arrived on Austrian from VIE Saturday afternoon in October. The mobile people mover was very crowded and slow. Three different hurdles to jump; customs baggage retrieval and another entrance through security. TSA personnel were absolutely the rudest most impatient and unhelpful I've encountered in the years since TSA was born. An elderly foreign woman was castigated in front of everyone for daring to have a small (one ounce) bottle of hand sanitizer in her purse. The TSA people yelled instructions which were difficult to interpret in the crowded conditions and generally made my wife and me embarassed for our country which used to have a reputation for welcoming visitors and citizens. There's no excuse for this mess which represents entry into our capitol city. I've traveled six continents and never seen worse. At both LAX and IAD the reception of air travelers to our country is in need of drastic overhaul.

I arrived at IAD on a Wednesday afternoon from Geneva. I had a connecting flights 2.20 hours later to JFK. It took me 2 hours to go through immigration I almost missed my connection. I was lucky that the gate for the flight to JFK was not far away. Otherwise I would have missed my flight. I will try to avoid IAD for my next flights to the US because I will always be afraid of missing my next flight. EWR or ATL are far better for the immigration process.

Dulles seems to be an airport in transition at the moment. There are construction projects all over the place but I'm confident that "new" Dulles will get things right. Once the new AeroTrain opens later this year things will improve greatly (mobile lounges - which we all hate - will not be used much for one!) and then passengers will be able to enjoy a brand-new spacious security and transit mezzanine in the Main Terminal. It will take a while before the permanent Terminal C/D is built (keep in mind that the current building is temporary and has been that way for over 20 years now) so unfortunately everyone traveling on United (all mainline flights + some Express flights) Air Canada or Ethiopian will have to live with outdated facilities for now. Also it will take some time before the new International Arrivals facilities are finished. If you're arriving on a Star Alliance carrier (and are connecting to another flight) you'll be able to experience the newly-remodeled FIS. For everyone else sorry but you'll have to wait for the brand-new International Arrivals Building. Many people don't understand about the international arrivals process and often complain about it (see many of the comments below). Know that the process is not regulated by Dulles but rather Customs and Border Protection. Everyone must clear Passport Control. The US government says that you need to be cleared through passport control you must claim your bags before continuing on and you have to be screened at a TSA security checkpoint. It's just policy. I do agree that Dulles isn't the most efficient airport in the world - there are plenty of issues there. It sometimes takes forever for non-U.S. citizens to clear Customs it sometimes is a breeze. It all depends on how many officers are working when your flight arrives how many people are in front of you in line if there are any extraneous issues the airline/ airport must deal with etc. Until the facilities are improved the most you can do is schedule a longer layover at Dulles (i.e. more than 2 hours for an international connection; domestic connections aren't bad).

I have given Dulles airport a poor rating - this isn't for the airport as such however but rather for the service at immigration. I have visited Washington twice in the last 2 months - once in February and again in April. I was on the flight from South Africa - a long 17.5 hour flight which includes a 1 hour transit stop in Dakar Senegal. As I don't have an American passport I joined the queue for non-USA passports with other passengers who also had non-USA passports. We were then basically ignored by the officials/supervisors who tell you which queue you may go to. I admit our flight arrives early in the morning so it would appear there are not many immigration officers on duty at that time. I do not however think it is acceptable to take the 1 Immigration Officer appointed to deal with non-USA passport holders to assist USA passport holders - when there are already 3 officers helping them. I was 4th from the front in the queue and it took 55 minutes to see an Immigration Officer.

We had a little over 2 hours to catch our connecting flight in Washington. I asked United if those 2 hours where enough for immigration etc. According to them of course it was otherwise they wouldn't offer this itinerary. We arrived around 2.45pm and our flight to catch was around 5pm. It took us almost two hours to get through immigration (we were told by a very unfriendly immigration officer that we were lucky that we had to wait only 2 hours) Then we had to recheck our bags go through security again although there is no chance to get out of the airport at that point. And then we have to run all across the terminal for our flight. We arrived at the exact minute the plane should take off - but we were '"lucky": Our plane was announced to be 3 hours late. It gave us time to wander around at the airport. They should call this airport Washington Dull. It's extremely old and worn out especially for an airport in a city like this. There were no movable walkways etc. Normally I like hanging out at airports but this one I really hated. In the future I will avoid this one!

For serving such a big and important area of the world IAD is below my expectations. First it's quite small so there's not much to do there if you arrive early. On the other hand it does not seem have the benefits small airports normally have - fast and friendly service short distance from rental/parking over check-in/security to gate/flight. Rather the opposite. Rental car companies are situated miles away and you have to get on a slow bus to get there and back. Arriving at check-in a bit early there are no self-check-in counters and you just patiently have to wait until they decide to open the counter. Waiting there there's nothing to do no lounge or anything just a sorry bar. On the good side check-in and security was very fast much to my surprise. From the check-in counter opened and till I was in the departure hall no more than 10 minutes passed. Being in there was a bit sad. The architecture is dull and the shopping/restaurant options are limited. Smokers have to go into a white- walled crammed cell with poor lighting and insufficient ventilation strange way to treat passengers.