Reagan National Airport. Photograph by Carol Ross Joynt.
Summer travel season typically brings the threat of higher
airfares, and this summer is no different—but the good news for
Washington travelers is that the area’s two principal airports
are adding some new routes, especially nonstops out of Reagan
National to places as varied as Austin, San Francisco, San
Juan, and Portland, Oregon. Dulles has added a daily nonstop to
Honolulu, and two new carriers will provide daily service to
Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, answering our request, sent all kinds of updated information about new service
from DCA and IAD. Here’s how it breaks down:
Starting this summer from Reagan National: Southwest nonstop
to Austin (July 8); Virgin America to San Francisco (August 14);
JetBlue to San Juan (August 23); and Alaska Airlines to
Portland, Oregon (August 28). Also new to Reagan this summer: American
Airlines nonstop to Los Angeles International Airport, which
began this month, and US Airways flights to San Diego, Minneapolis,
Montreal, Toronto, Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Augusta,
Georgia, which all begin July 11. There’s new JetBlue service out
of DCA, too, which started this month. The airline added a new
flight to Tampa and additional flights to Boston, Fort Lauderdale,
and Orlando.
The news from Dulles includes Lufthansa adding a
bigger jumbo jet for its route to Frankfurt, a daily flight of the new
747-8
series, which seats 362 passengers. According to MWAA it is the
first aircraft of this type to enter commercial service. KLM
is adding three flights per week to Amsterdam (July to
September); Aeromexico started new daily service to Mexico City; and
United now has daily flights to Doha, Qatar, and Dublin.
Emirates is a new carrier to Dulles, and will offer daily service
to Dubai. Also new is Etihad Airways, with daily service to Abu
Dhabi.
We contacted a local travel agency, McCabe World Travel, to get a reality check about fares. Yes, they are soaring, and yes,
there are sensible ways to go about beating the higher fares. Cristina Gifuni, McCabe’s international travel adviser, said fares “change by the second. We find they are really high lately. Go for advance
ticketing, and be flexible with the time of travel.”
Gifuni also made an argument familiar to seasoned
Washington travelers: fly from BWI. “You do see some cheaper fares from
Baltimore,” she said. Factoring in the costs of getting to and
from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
“may not be cost effective for one person traveling alone, but
if it’s a family they can find big savings,” says Gifuni, who
adds that many hotels in the Baltimore area offer “park and
fly” arrangements, which spare the traveler any airport parking
fees. Interestingly, of Southwest Airlines—long reputed to be
one of the best deals out of Baltimore—Gifuni says, “I don’t
find them to be that much cheaper anymore. They don’t charge
for baggage, but their airfares nowadays are comparable to the
other carriers.”
As for the new flights out of Dulles and Reagan,
Gifuni says new flights are typically good for the consumer beyond
simply
the convenience. “When there’s a new carrier in the market with
a reasonable price it will force the other carriers’ [prices]
to come down. It’s supply and demand.”
We leave you with this: There’s always a road trip. The national average for a gallon of gasoline is dropping, in some areas
by as much as 50 cents from two months ago.
Airlines Bring New Routes and Nonstop Service to Dulles and Reagan Airports
A look at the new flights available from the area’s principal airports, plus tips on finding more reasonable fares.
Summer travel season typically brings the threat of higher
airfares, and this summer is no different—but the good news for
Washington travelers is that the area’s two principal airports
are adding some new routes, especially nonstops out of Reagan
National to places as varied as Austin, San Francisco, San
Juan, and Portland, Oregon. Dulles has added a daily nonstop to
Honolulu, and two new carriers will provide daily service to
Abu Dhabi and Dubai.
The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, answering our request, sent all kinds of updated information about new service
from DCA and IAD. Here’s how it breaks down:
Starting this summer from Reagan National: Southwest nonstop
to Austin (July 8); Virgin America to San Francisco (August 14);
JetBlue to San Juan (August 23); and Alaska Airlines to
Portland, Oregon (August 28). Also new to Reagan this summer: American
Airlines nonstop to Los Angeles International Airport, which
began this month, and US Airways flights to San Diego, Minneapolis,
Montreal, Toronto, Fayetteville, Arkansas, and Augusta,
Georgia, which all begin July 11. There’s new JetBlue service out
of DCA, too, which started this month. The airline added a new
flight to Tampa and additional flights to Boston, Fort Lauderdale,
and Orlando.
The news from Dulles includes Lufthansa adding a
bigger jumbo jet for its route to Frankfurt, a daily flight of the new
747-8
series, which seats 362 passengers. According to MWAA it is the
first aircraft of this type to enter commercial service. KLM
is adding three flights per week to Amsterdam (July to
September); Aeromexico started new daily service to Mexico City; and
United now has daily flights to Doha, Qatar, and Dublin.
Emirates is a new carrier to Dulles, and will offer daily service
to Dubai. Also new is Etihad Airways, with daily service to Abu
Dhabi.
We contacted a local travel agency, McCabe World Travel, to get a reality check about fares. Yes, they are soaring, and yes,
there are sensible ways to go about beating the higher fares.
Cristina Gifuni, McCabe’s international travel adviser, said fares “change by the second. We find they are really high lately. Go for advance
ticketing, and be flexible with the time of travel.”
Gifuni also made an argument familiar to seasoned
Washington travelers: fly from BWI. “You do see some cheaper fares from
Baltimore,” she said. Factoring in the costs of getting to and
from Baltimore/Washington International Thurgood Marshall Airport
“may not be cost effective for one person traveling alone, but
if it’s a family they can find big savings,” says Gifuni, who
adds that many hotels in the Baltimore area offer “park and
fly” arrangements, which spare the traveler any airport parking
fees. Interestingly, of Southwest Airlines—long reputed to be
one of the best deals out of Baltimore—Gifuni says, “I don’t
find them to be that much cheaper anymore. They don’t charge
for baggage, but their airfares nowadays are comparable to the
other carriers.”
As for the new flights out of Dulles and Reagan,
Gifuni says new flights are typically good for the consumer beyond
simply
the convenience. “When there’s a new carrier in the market with
a reasonable price it will force the other carriers’ [prices]
to come down. It’s supply and demand.”
We leave you with this: There’s always a road trip. The national average for a gallon of gasoline is dropping, in some areas
by as much as 50 cents from two months ago.
Most Popular in News & Politics
Every Bus Line in DC Is Changing This Weekend. Here’s What to Know.
Yet Another Anti-Trump Statue Has Shown Up on the National Mall
8 Takeaways From Usha Vance’s Interview With Meghan McCain
Another Mysterious Anti-Trump Statue Has Appeared on the National Mall
Bans on Underage Vaping, Swastika Graffiti, Synthetic Dyes: New Virginia Laws Go Into Effect in July
Washingtonian Magazine
July Issue: The "Best Of" Issue
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
How Would a New DC Stadium Compare to the Last One?
The Culture of Lacrosse Is More Complex Than People Think
Did Television Begin in Dupont Circle?
Kings Dominion’s Wild New Coaster Takes Flight in Virginia
More from News & Politics
Speaker Johnson’s Megabill Prayers Likely to Be Answered Before Holiday Weekend, Wrongly Deported Maryland Man Faced Abuse in El Salvador Prison, and We Found Some Yummy Nepalese Food
Pardoned J6er Will Join Ed Martin’s Justice Department Office, Trump Outlines Hypothetical Alligator Escape Plan, and We Have Fireworks Show Recommendations
The “World’s Largest Outdoor Museum” Is Coming to DC. Here’s a Preview.
A Cult Classic of Cannabis Brands Is Making Its DC Debut
The Commanders Wine and Dine DC Council Members; GOP Senator Suggests Tax Language Was “Airdropped” Into Spending Bill; and Trump Wants DOGE to Investigate Musk
100 Reasons to Love DC Right Now
How DC’s Attorney General Got So Good at Double Dutch
DC Council Ponders New Way to Expel Trayon White, the GOP’s Budget Bill Advances, and We Found You Some Tacos With Ethiopian Flair