Washington National Airport

Being a regular traveller out of this airport I can honestly say that it's decent. Due to its small size I find it easy to manoeuvre around this airport. The signs are well-marked and the terminals are clean overall. The only complaint I have is that the baggage claim belts are a bit bulky and they seem to take up most of the room space even by baggage claim standards. Other than that the airport is convenient for travel but not perfect.

DCA may be cramped and congested but no other major US airport is as convenient to the city it serves. We were at our hotel in just over 30 mins. Terminal 2/3 was recently renovated to widen the corridors and create a pre-security mall with a handful of eating and shopping outlets but the terminal complex is too small for the volume of passengers it serves so overcrowding is a major problem during peak times. However the TSA checkpoints move very efficiently.

It's a very convenient airport for Washington DC visitors though somewhat pricey as US Airways dominates the traffic however I would still take it over the other two(IAD and BWI) just for its closeness to the District. The only fly in the ointment is that sometimes gate changes don't get communicated to the TSA staff-one of them told me that I was going to the wrong gate but I mentioned that I checked in online at my hotel and the gate shown on my boarding pass was the one of record at the time and they were fine with that.

Flew in and out of DCA terminal A via Northwest Airlines. The terminal is currently shared with Airtran Spirit and Midwest. Since my outbound flight was delayed I had to endure approximately 4 hours in this run down cavern lest I wish to endure an additional dose of security theater at the hands of the TSA. A-Terminal is LOUD. There is no acoustic treatment to soften the constant PA boarding banter terror warnings etc. Additionally one of the three food vendors located almost in the middle of the room (yes it's a large circular room) runs a high-powered blender about every 8 minutes. There were only 4 electrical outlets that worked to charge cellphones or laptops - all occupied of course by the hundred of people crammed into this too-small space. DCA now has WiFi but it costs a minimum of $8.00/day - and the signal is very very low in terminal A. Do your best to avoid Terminal A. If you must fly out of A bring earplugs and extra batteries.

There's a very long walk (probably the best part of a mile) from the Metro station to Terminal A and you have to pay for luggage trolleys. There was virtually no queue at all either to drop off my luggage at the check-in desk or to go through security. The TSA people were helpful and courteous.

While DCA is being renovated the renovations will end and the facility will be improved. During the 15 years I lived in the area the renovations at Dulles never ended and the facility was never improved. Note however that some DCA TSA employees (and airline employees at other airports) do not understand the concept of visa on arrival and are fully prepared to keep you off your flight because "you don't have a visa for the country you are going to".

Washington National is a mixed bag. While it has a great location and a metro station it doesn't really offer too many flight options. Also while Gates B/BC/C offer beautiful architecture the older Gate A is beginning to show how really rundown it is. One of the most frustrating issues with the airport is the lack of updating of information. For example there were signs all over the airport warning travelers that all the bathrooms past the security checkpoint of our gate were closed due to renovation. Well that turned out to be old news as the bathrooms in our gate had already undergone the dreaded renovation. There were also updating issues with the directories which didn't show half of the restaurants/stores beyond our security checkpoint.

The airport is quite convenient if you are staying in DC either a short cab ride or Metro ride to anywhere in DC proper. My biggest complaint (other than the A Terminal being rather run down and dirty) is that ATA only flies in to DCA on a very limited schedule and there is NO ONE from ATA staff on site once the flight has arrived and deplaned. Not even a sign at the ATA ticket counter informing passengers of this fact. The baggage handling is spotty at best.

Clean modern and airy (lots of windows; even a nice view of planes the Potomac River and Washington). Decent stores. What a contrast to the old dirty downright depressing Dulles (which has been under renovation for years). Parking is limited and pricey.

If I think about DCA Reagan Airport necessarely I have to think about Dulles as well. What a difference. DCA is great for the very simple reason that the alternative is a far expensive unorganized airport calles Dulles. If you're living in the DC area arriving at Reagan is just an excellent way to get to downtown in some minutes by metro. Try the same with Dulles: wasted time wasted money and patience gone.