Getting to Dulles International Airport

Living in Washington, DC, we are blessed with three world class airports: Reagan National, BWI International and Dulles International. By having three different airports, the options to travel to almost anywhere in the world is endless.

For my trip to Tokyo, I am leaving from Dulles, which is located in Virginia. My normal way of getting to Dulles is beg for a ride from Cash Back Boy or Chris. However, both of them are going to be gone before I need to leave. Therefore, I needed to research various options of getting to Dulles:

Super Shuttle   

The cost of the Super Shuttle is dependent on the distance from the airport. From Northern Arlington and Northwest Washington, DC, the cost for a single passenger to Dulles is $29.00 for a van and $89 for an executive car. The problem with the Super Shuttle is that you don't have control of when the shuttle will pick you up. On a recent trip to Dulles, I was picked up 4 hours before my flight and arrived at the airport 3 1/2 hours before my departure time.

Taxi

The cost of a taxi to Dulles is exorbitant  Taxis going to the airport can not pick up arriving passengers to bring them back to the city. Similarly, taxis bring passengers from Dulles can not pick up passengers from Washington, DC. The result is a lot of empty cabs going to and from the airport. I called a bunch of Arlington cab companies resulted in me learning a taxi from Northern Arlington to Dulles will cost between $50 and $75. 

Metro Bus 5A

Metro runs a single bus line from Washington, DC to Dulles Airport. It is the 5A. The bus schedule is located here. The cost of the bus is $6. (Have exact change, as the bus driver or the machine will make change.) The bus can be picked up at L'Enfant Plaza Station (located on the Green, Yellow, Blue and Orange Metro Line) and Rosslyn Station (located on the Blue and Orange Line). 

I have never picked up the 5A from L'Enfant Plaza, but I wanted to give you some advice of where to pick the bus up from at Rosslyn. 

After getting through the fare gates, one should see this sign:

Do as the sign says, go out to street and take a left:

As of December 2012, one will need to walk under a wooden construction walkway to get to the bus stop.

The bus stop always has people with suitcases, but if you don't see anyone with a suitcase. The bus stop is across the street from a McDonald's. 

The 5A bus is always crowded. There was once that I did not get on the bus, because it was full with people. Rosslyn is the second stop; therefore, people will be on the bus before it arrives at this stop. Give yourself plenty of time to get to the airport if you choice this method.

The 5A will drop you off at the main terminal of Dulles.

Washington Flyer Coach

The method I will be taking is the Washington Flyer. Their website is here. The schedule is here. The cost is $10 one-way or $18 round-trip. Tickets can be purchased at the bus using credit card only. If you wish to use cash, you will purchase your tickets upon arrival at the airport. The ticket counter for the Flyer Coach is located on the Arrival Level by Door #4.

To pick up the Washington Flyer, one need to travel to West Falls Church (located on the Orange line).

After exiting the fare gates, one wants to take a left and go down escalators. There is a sign above the escalators indicating this is the direction for the Washington Flyer and metro buses.

After exiting the station, one wants to go toward the buses on the left (like this women in the picture):

The bus stop for the Washington Flyer is the first one on the left:

The bus comes every 30 minutes and looks like this:

I hope this helps you get to Dulles International, a little easier!