Washington Dulles Airport

Not Verified | I made the mistake of flying international out of Terminal 1 at Dulles. Thursday evening flight, I arrived at 4 pm. There are meant to be four restaurants, but two of them (Wolfgang Puck and an oyster bar) were boarded up closes. Carrabas was open until they told me the bar was closed. Bracket was the only place to get a beer left, and they have exactly zero electrical plugs. On a long international flight, you need power. I ended going to Volo Vino which had a plug (horray!) but not beer or spirits, just wine. I knew Dulles was a terribly managed airport, but this experience takes the cake. There were thousands of people in the terminal and nearly zero places to sit down and eat. Don’t ever ever fly international in or out of Dulles. It’s like it’s stuck in time from 1960. The reason I rated it 1 instead of 0 or -3 is because it was clean. There are plenty of places peddling their wares of course, but that’s about it. If you do get stuck flying out, you might consider bringing along a Sherpa and some oxygen. It’s not the airport staff’s fault either, it’s management.

✅ Trip Verified | After long trip from Copenhagen we about 200 passengers were directed to funny “bus” - packed to the limits and very hot. We did arrival at what looks like United Airlines hub. We are Global Pass/TSA members so we got our face screen and after we had to pickup our luggage to place it back on the conveyor for transfer? There was no screening, no one checking why we had to do this? After we were directed to TSA check - why? We did our Global check which should include TSA? After a long wait we arrived in terminal where we had to walk fast the full length of terminal to catch our connecting flight. There was no place to sit and most of the restaurants had long waiting lines. For anyone specify for one’s arriving for the first time in USA this Capitol airport is total embarrassment! It looks old, dark and dirty. Airport management needs to invite Secretary of Transportation to visit this place as a regular passenger without any preparation for his visit.

✅ Trip Verified | Worst airport WiFi. Has been the same since 2010 - no improvements. No cell coverage so WiFi is the only option - and it’s horrible. Plan on no connectivity and if you get it - it’s a bonus. Bring a hard cover or paperback book or a pillow and you will be happy. Plan on answering email or making a call & you will be sadly disappointed. If I could give a negative 1,000 rating I would. This is the 21st century. WiFi is cheap - use the surcharges to fund an upgrade. Your customers, employees, and vendors will be thrilled !

Not Verified | A debacle. International arrival at 8pm on a Monday. Non-US passport control took 2 hours with one desk open. Several people in line with connecting flights pleaded for help to no avail. Once through, there was little signage or help for direction to connecting flights. By 10pm, only one of two security screening areas was open after a long walk and much guessing.

✅ Trip Verified | Dulles airport recently created massive, unnecessary traffic jams on Departure by allocating two of the available five lanes in the Departure area to a completely unneeded Valet Parking service. On a regular Saturday evening in early June, we experienced a half-hour traffic jam because of this decision. The problem will be even worse at peak travel times, with added chaos created by people trying to do end-runs by dropping passengers in the arrival zones. All of this creates enormous stress for passengers and the airport security and support staff. Valet parking is used by very few. In the past, it was available in the parking lot just outside the terminal, without creating any disruption to traffic. Why take almost half the available traffic lanes in an area prone to traffic jams? This was an unimaginably bad decision. Please reverse it before the traffic jams get even worse.

Not Verified | My family and I visited the USA to visit my cousins. We had to land at Washington Dulles International Airport as this was the nearest major international airport closest to my cousins residence. The arrivals experience was just pathetic! The immigration took forever to complete. Even though the lines are very long, there appeared to be only one or two guys in the immigration kiosks, which together combined made a terrible immigration experience as a passenger. After the immigration was done (finally!) and on entering the baggage claim and arrivals waiting area, I found the area to be poorly maintained and also found water leaking from a spot in the ceiling. The departure experience was a little better. But the security areas made me feel like I'm in a building that is under construction. To sum up, I don't think a major capital city like Washington DC deserves this kind of a pathetic, poorly maintained international airport.

✅ Trip Verified | I am beyond embarrassed for our nations capital. Tourists waited inline for over two hours to get through immigration. Some were elderly and many with small children. Is this how we as Americans want to welcome guest into our nations capital? My experience: Yesterday I arrived at IAD and had to go through customs. There were hundreds of people in the immigration lines (that is not an exaggeration). I was told by an employee to downloaded the MPC app on my phone and I could join the shorter line. I did as instructed and got a QR code. I thought WOW, this is great! Not!! I was in line for just shy of 2 hours. There were only two custom agents for our line and they didn’t even look at my phone or need the QR code. Just wanted to see my passport. I do not have an answer but there has to be a better way in this day and age to do better.

Not Verified | The first time I Landed in Dulles back in January 2022 worse the worst travel experience I had ever had, or so I thought till I landed there again in January 2023. What a horrible place to embark or disembark. The terminals, immigration, customs, everything is just so archaic, and as much as the the ground staff try to make your experience pleasant, they are up against a 7 headed beast that just refuses to die. This must be the worst airport in the world. The powers that be who run this airport ought to cringe in shame for putting their fellow humans through such an life changing ordeal.

Not Verified | Every time I fly back into the US through Dulles, I'm struck by the inanity of those ridiculous shuttle vehicles they force us into. Perfect reflection of Washington, DC: inefficient and outdated. Plus, they never seem to have enough customs officers at passport control, even within a couple of days of the Christmas holidays. Sad because leaving the US through Dulles has always been pretty efficient.

✅ Trip Verified | After uncomfortable, cramped flights on United Airlines, the transit experience at Terminal D was very poor. Long walks between gates, no moving walkways, low ceilings, dismal decor, minimal gate area seating, and filthy restrooms were all on a par with a dingy Greyhound Bus Terminal.