
Why you should Never fly into Washington National Airport - domino
http://jethead.wordpress.com/2011/12/24/why-you-should-never-fly-into-washington-national-airport/
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vbtemp
I live in DC and fly into reagan all the time. There is a small park at the
very end of the runway where you can watch planes landing that fly just 100 ft
above you. It's pretty awesome.

The author of this post suggests you should rather fly into Dulles because the
approach to reagan is so dangerous. What isn't factored in is that in rush
hour, a commute from dulles to DC can take 2+ hours (and, mind you, the DC
metro area has the worst traffic and highest rate of accidents in the
country). From reagan you can take the metro and be downtown in 15 minutes.
Also, a mere cost of a taxi from dulles (or BWI) to DC will cost just as much
as your airfare.

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ams6110
The post says there is a metro line to Dulles. Is this not correct?

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smacktoward
Technically there's not a Metro _rail_ line to Dulles, but there is a Metro
express bus that runs there -- the 5A bus picks up passengers at L'Enfant
Plaza in DC and Rosslyn in Virginia, and then goes straight out to Dulles
without any further stops. [1]

Rail would be better, since the rail cars are more comfortable than buses and
don't get stuck in traffic. Unfortunately given the dysfunctional nature of
Metro governance the long-hoped-for rail line to Dulles is one of those things
that never actually seems to get any closer to completion.

[1] <http://wmata.com/bus/timetables/dc/05a.pdf>

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pge
The 5A stops at Herndon and often at Tysons/Westpark as well. I don't mean
this as a nitpick; it's relevant because a direct trip from Rosslyn to Dulles
could take the airport lanes on the toll road all the way from the 66/267
split, but the additional stops mean the bus can't take advantage of the
airport lanes, making for a painfully slow trip. I've done it a few times, and
it's just not practical if one is travelling for business and at all pressed
for time.

National on the other hand is a downright pleasure to fly out of. I go through
National once every week or two and Dulles every month or so. Parking,
security lines, and everything else are _so_ much better at National.

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sswezey
He fails to mention that on the approach you get one of the best views of DC
you can get, the pentagon on the right, and the entirety of the city on the
left. It is one of the most scenic approaches of any major airport. And it
being 10 minutes from downtown is nice as well.

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pge
Second this one - choose a window seat on the left if you have a flight into
DCA. If you are lucky, you'll land from the north, and get an amazing view of
the city as you approach - at pretty low altitude so you see everything very
clearly.

I've lived here all my life and fly in and out of DCA every week or so, and
that view still never gets old.

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helmut_hed
Great article. It's nice to hear from experts in other fields regarding things
that involve their expertise, but affect me in ways I didn't previously
understand. It's not unlike being in one of those conversations with my
relatives on how the computer works...

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cleverjake
Commenters are failing to mention that the article is about why you shouldn't
fly a plane into Regan, not why you shouldn't be on a plane that is flying
into Regan.

All of the issues is about piloting, not about traveling.

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ams6110
Well all else being equal, would you rather be on a flight with an "easy"
approach and more margin for safety in terms of things like runway length and
not falling into a river if the pilot makes a mistake, vs. not?

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michaelcampbell
On the other hand, would you rather have a pilot that's relaxed due to an easy
approach and not giving a landing his full attention or one that he knows he's
coming into a dicey situation and giving it his all?

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jinushaun
The author posts this criticism of DCA from a pilot's perspective, but
sprinkles it with cynical opinions on why _passengers_ prefer DCA over IAD,
which undermines the whole article. The reality is that I—and many
others—would rather pay more to fly out of DCA than IAD. For me, it's Metro
access that seals the deal. We'll see what happens after IAD becomes metro
accessible.

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marquis
There are a few airports I can think of around the world that are a little
more concerning (and possibly more fun).

<http://www.oddee.com/item_93109.aspx>

