Washington Ronald Reagan Airport Departures (DCA)

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which was formerly the Washington National Airport, has the official IATA code of DCA, and serves the city of Washington D.C, along with the Washington Dulles International Airport. Both airports are managed by the same company, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA), and they form a busy two-airport system. Departure flights are offered by several airline companies from the Reagan National Airport to many cities in the United States, but the airport is a focus city for US Airways. A few flights depart for Canadian city airports as well.

The DCA Airport can be reached by the main roads that surround it, which include the George Washington Memorial Parkway and the Interstate 395. It is also well signposted from all the major turnoffs in the area. Passengers travelling to the airport have choice of over 9,000 car parking spaces, found in several parking lots, where their vehicles can be safely left while they leave on their departure flight. For a few hours passengers can leave their vehicles in the Hourly Garages of the terminals, but for a few days, it is slightly cheaper to use the Daily Garages. The cheapest parking rates, however, are available in the Economy Parking Lot, that is located at a distance from the terminals. Free shuttle buses take passengers to and from this parking area, and are available twenty-four hours a day. Even though the garages are not too far from the passenger buildings, shuttle buses for transport are available as well.

Private shuttle services are available to the airport by SuperShuttle and Supreme Airport Shuttle from all surrounding areas, and taxis are another common way to travel to the airport. Additional public bus services are available on Saturday and Sunday mornings when the Metrorail trains are not yet operational. The Reagan Washington National Airport is fortunate to have its own Metrorail Station, which is served frequently by Metrorail trains. By train is the most cost efficient way to reach the airport.

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport departures are offered by a wide range of airline companies, but most non-stop flights are only offered to destinations that are within 1,250 statute miles of the airport. This is to ensure that all major air traffic volumes are sent to the larger Washington Dulles International Airport that is not located as close to the city centre as the Reagan National Airport. Regardless, this major national airport handled almost nineteen million passengers in 2011, and just over eighteen million in 2010, and is therefore one of the larger airport of the United States. Its main airline company is US Airways, accounting for the largest share (21.56%) of traffic at the airport, and the second largest carrier is Delta Air Lines, accounting for 14.53% of traffic. American Airlines is the third largest carrier.

The three airline companies mentioned above operate their departure flights from piers in Terminal B of the airport, which is one of the newer buildings. Terminal B and Terminal C replaced several older passenger constructions in 1997. A few destinations offered by these carriers include New Orleans, Jacksonville, Las Vegas, Phoenix, San Diego, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas/Fort Worth, Los Angeles, Miami, Atlanta, Minneapolis/St. Paul, New York-JFK and Salt Lake City. A couple of these routes are also the busiest of the airport, along with the flights to Boston, Orlando, Fort Lauderdale and Houston. Additional airlines of importance at this American airport include United Airlines, Air Wisconsin (US Airways Express), AirTran Airways, Frontier Airlines, Continental Airlines and American Eagle Airlines. Each of these companies offer departure flights to several destinations in the country.

Although the Reagan National Airport does not handle international flights, there are departures available to a couple of cities in Canada, such as Toronto by Air Canada, Montreal-Trudeau and Ottawa by Air Canada Express and Halifax, Toronto, Ottawa and Montreal by Air Wisconsin (US Airways Express). Flights from these airports are not considered as international, as they have US border preclearance facilities, and are therefore treated as domestic flights as their passengers have already undergone all necessary customs and border control procedures.

The airport has a third terminal building as well, referred to as Terminal A. This is an interesting building as it was constructed in 1941, and remains as one of the original terminal buildings. It is even listed on the National Register of Historic Places. Renovations are currently underway for this terminal in order to restore its original architecture. The improvements should be completed in the next few years. Terminal A currently has nine airline gates, while Terminals B and C have thirty-five gates. In Terminal A, gates 1 to 9 are found on the main level of the terminal, which is also the level where the ticket counters and baggage claim areas are found. Gates 10 to 22 are behind the Security Checkpoint in Terminal B, at the southern end of the terminal on the Concourse level (one level down from the Departures (ticketing) level), and gates 23 to 34 are found in the centre of Terminal B/C, also on the Concourse level. Passengers can reach gates 35 to 45 at the north end of Terminal C (Concourse level). Passengers may check-in for their departure flights at the conventional check-in counters, or, if permitted by their airline company, online or at self-service check-in kiosks.

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport has many facilities for its passengers, and is completely accessible to disabled travellers. There are many shops and restaurants, selling high quality goods and tasty treats, and services that include free Wi-Fi connections, automated bank tellers, a full-service bank, public telephones, information counters, lost and found offices, currency exchange services and an interfaith chapel. Conference rooms may also be hired at the airport.

In general, information regarding Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport departures is available online, or from the airport, at the following contact number: (703)417-8000.