Washington Dulles Airport

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traveling on United (all mainline flights + some Express flights) Air Canada or Ethiopian will have to live with outdated facilities for now.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.

Immigration and baggage reclaim were up to Zurich standards of speed. Although there is no direct access to the Washington Metro the coach to West Falls Church station was quick and comfortable. Coming back security was a doddle. So I found the basics just fine at IAD. The airport could do with internal modernisation and redecoration as it seems stuck in the 70s. Also if you go through security and expect to see a departure lounge you're going to be disappointed. You need to take the moon buggy to your departure pier where there is a proper range of shops. However if you need to eat a meal before travelling better eat elsewhere as the food options seem limited to fast food certainly not what I would want just before a long haul flight.

I fly through to and from Europe every month and have only once had any problem. Could the facilities be more elegant? Perhaps but the fact is that most people want to get in and out as quickly as possible and in my opinion IAD meets that challenge especially given the newly renovated customs halls. Last Wednesday I landed at 15.05; I got on the mobile lounge quickly moved through customs collected my bags picked up my rental car and was at my hotel by 16.30. Flying back out the next day I was through check-in and TSA and at my gate in less than thirty minutes. One simply cannot complain about that. These are not one-off experiences but rather the norm. Even at Thanksgiving and Christmas I found the experience of transiting IAD to be quick and painless. I have found staffing to be adequate to meet most needs but occasionally issues arise that create challenges and to their credit the ground staff try to do their best and usually do so with good humor (there are of course the occasional grouches but they are to be found everywhere). In sum this airport gets more stick than it deserves.

Dulles remains an awful place to arrive at from the dated bus/mobile lounge transporting you from aircraft to the arrivals lounge which is dreary dingy dull and more third world. From disembarking to clearing customs from my United flight took over 2 hours. No toilet facilities until past immigration these are inadequate. Connection to DC remains poor no direct link to the metro. Returning via departures can be deceiving being fooled by the impressive main terminal which fine and artistic at one time now to overcrowded and needs expansion to cope with the passenger volumes. Until the over-deferred rail link links between departure /arrivall concourse with the main building is complete. Dulles remains an awful place and nowhere up to the standard of LHR. Baltimore Washington or Reagan National are better choices.

Overall Dulles seemed a pleasant enough airport to spend several hours waiting for connecting flights. The worst experience at Dulles was waiting in the overcrowded terminal for a connecting flight to Syracuse. There were too many flights leaving at similar times such that the seats were completely full with people standing and sitting on the floor crowding the walkways. Meanwhile many of the flights must have been overbooked as the desk people were frequently asking for people to offer to take later flights. The environment was so noisy and crowded that I ended up waiting in another terminal waiting until just before my flight's departure to head back to the area.

The worst of the worst. When arriving internationally from Vienna first you're greeted by a long walk to the "mobile lounges" and their unfriendly and rude operators next off to the impossibly drab and super-slow immigration not to mention the weirdo baggage reclaim which seems like from a bad movie. We had to catch a connecting flight and scheduled 3 hours for it. Plan to have at least 5 hours time. It's so ridiculous I can't even describe it. Here in Vienna a busy international airport with tons of connections to eastern europe the process of immigration (for non-Austrians or non-EU citizens) baggage claim and customs and hopping in a cab takes about 15 minutes. Avoid Dulles at all costs.