Reagan Airport Parking

Location of Ronald Reagan National Airport

Located in Arlington, Virginia, Washington DC Airport, commonly known as Ronald Reagan Airport, is in the DC 20001 ZIP code area, next to the Potomac River and just five miles (eight kilometers) from Downtown DC. It is ideally located for towns and cities surrounding DC, including Baltimore, Alexandria, Bethesda, Rockville, Gaithersburg, Columbia, Ellicott City and even the more distant Harrisburg, Richmond and Philadelphia.

The I-95 along the east coast splits into a loop road when it reaches Washington DC. From the south, the I-395 runs on into the city center from the I-95 and passes the airport. From the north, you can come through the city on the DC 295, joining the I-395 after crossing the Potomac River.

Public transport options are provided by bus and rail from Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority (WMATA). Metrorail Yellow Line trains, which run from the north to the south of the city via the city center, and Blue Line trains running from the east of the city to the south, both call at the airport station and Metrobus has a stop outside the terminal buildings, which runs to the airport from the city center of DC.

History of Ronald Reagan National Airport

Ronald Reagan National Airport was established in 1940, when construction began to create a national airport in Washington that was in a better location than Washington-Hoover Airport, which served the city at the time. Originally named Washington National Airport, DCA opened its doors in 1941 after a complex construction reclaiming land from the Potomac River.

The airport was immediately popular, with almost 350,000 passengers in the first year and over two million visitors going just to see the airport and visit the observation terrace overlooking the runways. Terminal expansions were carried out in 1950 and 1955 and a new terminal building was added in the 1960s as passenger numbers passed five million a year. Numbers doubled over the next decade, but by the 1970s, they slowed slightly to a rate of steady growth, reaching 15 million passengers in 1994.

In 1998, the airport was renamed Ronald Reagan National, honoring the 40th President of the United States on his 87th birthday. A new terminal complex was also constructed to further extend passenger capacity, but demand didn’t change much until 2010, after which it sky-rocketed. Around 18 million passengers passed through the airport that year. By 2016, it served almost 24 million people and ushered in a new phase of development and expansion.

Which terminal?

There are three terminal buildings at Ronald Reagan Washington Airport, lettered A, B and C. The airlines operating at the airport are each assigned to one terminal for their arrivals and departures, so as long as you know your airline, it's quite easy to find your way around.

A 24-hour free shuttle bus service runs between the terminals and parking garages, so even if you do lose your way, you can be at another terminal within a few minutes.

Travelers Aid operates at the airport; you can find the volunteers working at the information desks there to help you with your inquiries.

The airport has excellent access for disabled passengers, but please contact your airline in advance if you need to reserve a wheelchair. For any other advance inquiries, you can contact Ronald Reagan Airport customer services on (+1) 703-417-8000.

The airlines currently offering public flights to and from Washington Reagan Airport can be found on the Washington Reagan Airport website.

Car

The easiest way to reach DCA Airport by road is from the I-395 from the city center or the I-495 loop road around the city, both of which connect with US Route 1 passing the airport.

If you’re coming from outside the area, the I-95 connects DC to the major east-coast cities both north and south, connecting to the airport via the I-495, the I-395 from the south or DC 295 from the north.

If you’re driving in from the west from somewhere like Pittsburgh or West Virginia, the I-66 and I-270 both connect to the I-495 loop road.

DCA offers a range of restaurants, shopping and services that you would expect from an airport of its size; shopping covers all the essentials and there's a good selection of food available across the various terminals.

It's worth noting that concessions usually close overnight, so if you have a delayed flight or plan to stay overnight at the airport, make sure you get some snacks before 10pm.

Travelers Aid, a volunteer program supporting passengers with a wide range of services, operates at Reagan National Airport. Their volunteers are stationed at the information desks in all terminal buildings.

If you need to speak to someone in advance of traveling, your airline is often the best option to contact first; it is your airline that will, for instance, arrange a wheelchair if you require one. Reagan Airport customer services can be contacted on (+1) 703-417-8000.

• Short-term parking

• Long-term parking

• Covered parking garages

• Economy parking lot

• Reserved parking

• Cell phone lot

• Electric vehicle charging stations

• Bus stop and train station

• Hotel shuttles

• CLEAR and TSA PreCheck

• Airline lounges

• USO lounge

• Shopping

  • Duty free

  • Gifts and souvenirs

  • Apparel and accessories

  • Jewelry

  • Technology and gadgets

  • Books and newsstands

• Drinks

  • Coffee shops

  • Bars

• Food

  • Fast food

  • Snacks, delis and sandwiches

  • Food market

  • Seafood

  • American, Italian, Asian, Mexican and Lebanese cuisine

• Art exhibitions

• Historic exhibit hall

• Spa and massage

• Nursing rooms

• Travelers Aid

• Interfaith chapel

• Information desks

• Lost and found

• WiFi

• Conference rooms

• Currency exchange

• ATMs

• Disabled access

• Pet relief areas

A popular service provided at some hotels close to Ronald Reagan Airport are the hotel and parking packages. Anyone booking in advance and staying for one night at the hotel can also park for free in the hotel lot for up to a week, taking a free shuttle bus to the airport terminals and back.

These packages can make economic sense if you are going to be away for around a week, since they can be cheaper than the typical parking options even if you don’t use the hotel room. If you do choose a room, it’s a better option than staying overnight in the uncomfortable airport and it guarantees you a safe and secure parking space.

Holiday Inn and Old Colony Inn, both in Alexandria just a few minutes’ drive from the airport, provide packages for Ronald Reagan passengers. The Old Colony Inn offers a basic service with fully stocked rooms and a free breakfast, whilst the Holiday Inn is a small step up with restaurants and room service to boot.

Relax with a spa and massage

Found pre-security in the National Hall, there's a great opportunity to wind down from a stressful drive and be completely relaxed before you go onto your flight. The XpresSpa offers a range of back, neck and hand massages that can be as short as 15 minutes or as long as an hour, whilst they also offer beauty treatments like manicures and facials.

You’ll also find the iRelax-n-Massage in the National Hall to help you with relief from chronic and acute body pain using electrophysiology techniques.

Enjoy great airport food

Reagan National Airport has a surprising range of food available, including many satellites of popular DC restaurants. There's chili and hot dogs from U Street's Ben's Chili Bowl, Hoagies from locals, Taylor Gourmet, breakfast bowls and a Greek yogurt bar at the Cava Mezze Grill and custom-built pizzas from &pizza.

There are a lot of flavors to find from beyond DC as well; Matsutake Sushi (Japanese), the Lebanese Taverna (Lebanese), Il Viaggio (Italian), Reservoir (French), Page (Southern cuisine) and Wow Bao (Chinese) are all highly revered by DCA passengers.

Look around the airport art program

The arts program at DCA Airport includes many site-specific murals and paintings worked into the architecture of the building to bring a ton of color and activity into the different concourses and terminal areas.

These permanent pieces are also supplemented by rotating displays of work relating to the DC area. The program includes occasional live performances by musicians and dancers, too; you can inquire if any are on while you're at the airport by asking at the passenger information booths.

Get the comfort of an airport lounge

American, Delta and United Airlines all have lounges at Ronald Reagan Airport, with access typically reserved for priority ticket holders and club members. However, they all offer day memberships that grant access to anyone.

The lounges offer a comfortable member's area that’s usually much quieter than the public areas. Free snacks and drinks are also included, along with benefits like newspapers, TV, WiFi, business services and travel booking assistance.

If you're traveling at a busy time or have a long layover or flight delay, the added comfort and free benefits of the lounges can make your time at Washington Airport that little bit easier.

See the exhibit hall

The exhibit hall is located between Terminals A and B and displays artefacts from a collection documenting the history of the airport. The hall tells the story through museum-style displays with models, videos, photography and other memorabilia.

It also looks back to the use of the land before the airport was built. The historic Abingdon Plantation shares land with the airport and the Exhibit Hall displays a range of items preserved from plantation life on it.

Smithsonian Air and Space

Housing the largest collection of air and space craft in the world, the Smithsonian National Air and Space Museum is just four miles (6.4 kilometers) from Reagan Airport.

There are icons like the Apollo 11 command module, the Bell X-1 that broke the sound barrier and the Wright Brothers' plane, but there's much more to it than just displays of craft.

The whole history of aviation is covered through a range of media including IMAX films, artefacts and exhibits and even subjects like geology, geophysics and planetary sciences are explored in how they relate to space flight and technology like GPS.

National Mall

At the heart of the city four miles (6.4 kilometers) from Reagan Airport, the National Mall is a vast green space full of monuments and museums that attract over 25 million visitors every year.

Playing host to political protests, music concerts and Presidential inaugurations, the Mall was originally envisioned as a grand central avenue by city planners, but evolved over time into parkland.

Just a few of the famous attractions around the Mall include the US Capitol Building, the Lincoln Memorial, the Washington Monument, numerous Smithsonian Institute museums, national war memorials and art galleries.

The park itself is a great place to spend a day in fine weather, with various landscaped gardens and pools, including the famous reflecting pool, creating an unrivalled city park atmosphere.

Newseum

An unusual, highly interactive and hugely popular attraction in DC, the Newseum charts the history of printed communication from the earliest printing presses to the digital age.

Located five miles (eight kilometers) from Reagan National Airport, there are 15 theaters and 15 galleries of exhibits throughout the building. It includes sections of the Berlin Wall, front pages from over 80 newspapers around the world, explorations of the First Amendment, Pulitzer Prize-winning photographs and the mass media forms of radio, TV and Internet to make every space as engaging and brilliantly delivered as the last.

Lincoln Memorial

There's a long list of memorials found in DC, with many found around the National Mall about four miles (6.4 kilometers) from Ronald Reagan Airport. The Lincoln Memorial is perhaps the most iconic of all, though, sat proudly at one end overlooking the reflecting pool.

The memorial building is full of detail, designed in the style of a Greek temple and adorned with features like the 36 Doric columns, representing the 36 states in the Union during Lincoln's time. The interior is made up of beautiful bronze and marble and, of course, the remarkable statue of Lincoln sat atop the steps. He has an awe-inspiringly calm presence in the grand memorial building.

National Gallery of Art

Displayed in a beautiful building on the National Mall, the National Gallery of Art depicts the history of Western Art from the middle ages to the present day.

Including paintings, prints, decorative arts, photography and a six-acre (2.4-hectare) sculpture garden, some of the gems of the collection include works from the Italian Renaissance, sculptural works by Rodin and Degas and a broad collection of modern art.

You can rush around and see some highlights in an hour, but to really absorb everything on display and, indeed, the architecture of the building itself, allow yourself a whole day if you can.

US Holocaust Memorial Museum

Documenting the Holocaust in remarkable detail, the US Holocaust Memorial Museum collection includes 80,000 photographs, 13,000 artefacts, 1,000 hours of film footage, 84,000 library items and 49 million archive documents.

Located four miles (6.4 kilometers) from Ronald Reagan Airport, the Museum experience is almost overwhelmingly detailed with a lot of poignant exhibits on display. Providing a powerful telling of the Holocaust story, it has a deep impact on many visitors; you cannot help but leave feeling introspective and deeply-moved.

U Street Corridor

The U Street Corridor is the liveliest district in DC, packed with shops, galleries, clubs, music venues and restaurants; it’s about six miles (9.6 kilometers) from Ronald Reagan Airport.

It’s a key feature of the city music scene that’s famed for venues like the Lincoln Theatre, Howard Theatre, Bohemian Caverns, 9:30 Club, Black Cat and the U Street Music Hall, so it’s no surprise that the area hosts events like the Funk Parade festival every year.

U Street is also a hub for community arts, with much of the neighborhood decorated in colorful graffiti murals. The Corridor represents much of the cultural and creative heartbeat of the city.

Vietnam Veterans Memorial

There are many war memorials in Washington, such as the World War II and the Korean War instalments, but perhaps the best-known is the Vietnam Veterans Memorial.

Covering two acres (0.8 hectares), the memorial consists of the famous wall listing the servicemen who died in the war, as well as two large bronze statues; one of servicemen and the other depicting nurses with an injured soldier to commemorate the role women played in the war.

The simplicity of the wall nevertheless creates a somber atmosphere and the many flowers, mementos and messages left there are telling reminders of just how recent it was as a tragedy.

Try to book flights at quiet times

The busiest times at the DCA Airport check-in lines are early morning and mid-afternoon on weekdays, so try to book your flights for midday, evening or weekends to get through the airport quicker.

Slow progress at busy times

When the airport is packed with passengers, the WiFi can slow down significantly, as can the various security checks. Give yourself at least two hours to get through whenever you travel. If WiFi access is important to you, consider a day membership for one of the airline lounges; they have separate WiFi services to the main terminals.

Book parking in advance

The on-site airport parking at DCA can fill up quickly, particularly the economy lot (and not just during peak seasons), so be sure to book your parking space on- or off-site to avoid paying premium rates or struggling to find a space at all when you get there.

Interfaith chapel prayer times

The airport chapel is more than just a quiet space; it has regularly scheduled, clergy-led worship and prayer times for Protestant, Catholic, Jewish and Muslim passengers. You can find details of the prayer times on the Ronald Reagan Airport Website.

Airside closes overnight

Ronald Reagan Airport is open 24 hours, but post-security airside shuts completely at around 11pm and concessions typically close at 10pm. If you intend to sleep at the airport during a layover, make sure you stock up on some snacks during the day.

Many local hotels offer free shuttle bus services, so it is easy to stay in a hotel nearby and get back to the airport for free and on time in the morning. If you do have to sleep at the airport, the heating vents near the windows are recommended as the best spot.