Travel WWYD (DC familiarity helpful)

[Susie]

I'm trying to decide on travel for a 1-day trip to DC next month.  Often I go down the night before (for a full day meeting), but this time I can't because I agreed to a speaking engagement in home city the night before.  I've checked; there are no flights (either nonstop or 1 layover) that depart late enough for me to get to DC before midnight after the talk.

As a result, my morning flight down is pretty set:  6:10am nonstop to DCA, which is a quick Metro ride to meeting venue, near Foggy Bottom/GWU.  

Options for trip home, on the back end of a day when I've been up since 3:30 or 4am:

1. Depart DCA 6:45pm, home 10:30pm with a 1 hr 20 min layover PHL.
2. Depart DCA 11:00pm, nonstop home arrives after midnight.
3. Haul across DC (via train?) to BWI for a 7:50pm nonstop home, arrive 9pm.
4.  Amtrak all the way home, depart Union Station 5pm, get home 11:30pm.

I checked IAD, and the options are less desirable than the above.  There's a 9:50pm nonstop that gets me home around 11:30, I don't think that's better than some of what I have above.  Other than that, it's 2+ layover options that I'm not into.

Which would you pick?

ETA:  oh!  Another (imperfect) option:

5.  Depart DCA 6:00pm, home 9:15pm with a 45 minute layover EWR   <-- this option is preferred if it goes smoothly, but is reckless to pick, right?  The last time I flew through EWR I spent the night there

[gardengal]

I would do 2. Getting to BWI from DC is doable but kind of a PITAin my opinion. And I hate layovers

Eta: I've also been getting shit sleep and have an infant so right now I frequently am up at 4am but am inexplicably unable to go to sleep until after 10

[ECB]

What time are you done with the meeting?

[Susie]

Aug 21, 2014 12:48:06 GMT -5 ECB said:

What time are you done with the meeting?

We typically meet from ~8:30am to 3:30 or 4pm.

[ECB]

To add, DC to BWI would probably involve a Metro train to Union station where you can then get the MARC to BWI.

I'm asking about your meeting because I'm wondering how much time you'll have - either to get to your various flight options OR how much time you'll have to sit around and wait for your #2 option.

[Susie]

Aug 21, 2014 12:50:48 GMT -5 ECB said:

To add, DC to BWI would probably involve a Metro train to Union station where you can then get the MARC to BWI.

I'm asking about your meeting because I'm wondering how much time you'll have - either to get to your various flight options OR how much time you'll have to sit around and wait for your #2 option.

We've done the BWI option once before, but we used a car service instead of train.  We almost missed our flight home from BWI.  I swore up & down I wouldn't do it again, but faced with less than stellar options, it's at least on the table.

Option #2 is definitely the easiest, but I'd probably be sitting at the airport for 6 hours waiting to board.  That's a lot of cooling your heels in an airport when you're too tired to do anything productive.

[ECB]

Ugh. I hate layovers too, but if you're done by 4:30, I also wouldn't want to sit around and have to wait until 11 for my flight. When I'm done, I want to HEAD HOME!

But if the meeting goes to 4:30, you'll be right in the thick of rush hour. I wouldn't want to try to get to BWI with that time frame.

I'd probably opt for #1. Especially since it gets me home on the earlier side of your options.

[mrshandy]

Aug 21, 2014 12:49:46 GMT -5 Susie said:

Aug 21, 2014 12:48:06 GMT -5 ECB said:

What time are you done with the meeting?

We typically meet from ~8:30am to 3:30 or 4pm.

I would just trek out to BWI to get home. You can take the MARC train from Union Station and there is a shuttle from the train station to the airport. If you left your meeting at 4, you could be at Union Station by 4:25. Catch a train and be at BWI by 5:30-45 at the latest.

Getting to BWI at rush hour is not too bad since trains come pretty frequently.

It depends on how much you want to get home. Otherwise you could grab some nice dinner and drinks and then take Metro to DCA. 

I would not drive. The drive from DC to BWI sucks during rush hour.

[orangeblossom]

2 or 4. Preferably 2.

I used to go from a union station to BWI all of the time when I would fly right after work, but after a day like that, it wouldn't be worth it to me. There's a train that takes you to Zbwi, then you take the shuttle.

Definitely not one. I avoid layovers when I can, especially for short flights.

[carifly]

Honestly I might consider the Amtrak option. It doesn't get you home later than most of the other options, and the train would let you sleep the whole way rather than having to deal with all the airport hassle.

The BWI flight is obviously the best in terms of getting you home sooner, but getting to BWI at rush hour from foggy bottom without much time is going to be stressful.

If you have stuff you want to do in DC that evening then the 11:00 flight makes sense, but if you are going to be tired from being up so early, I personally would rather just be chilling on the train than trying to find stuff to occupy myself before I have to go to the airport.

[monsterz]

I would do 2 or 3. I would not want a layover as I frequently seem to have issues with those. Depending on how easy it is to get to BWI would influence if that would be my top choice. Second factor would be airline as there are some airlines I just won't fly.

[Susie]

Aug 21, 2014 13:17:15 GMT -5 monsterz said:

Second factor would be airline as there are some airlines I just won't fly.

#1 and #2 - US Airways

#3 - Southwest

#5 - United

None of those make "no fly" status for me.  I think Southwest is the most pleasant, but I can do the other options too.  My morning flight is US Airways.

[gt7301b]

Option 2 and ditch your co-workers for a quick DC GTG

I'd probably go with Amtrak, I find several hours on the train to be far more pleasant than an hour on a plane.

[lemon]

Aug 21, 2014 12:55:05 GMT -5 Susie said:

Aug 21, 2014 12:50:48 GMT -5 ECB said:

To add, DC to BWI would probably involve a Metro train to Union station where you can then get the MARC to BWI.

I'm asking about your meeting because I'm wondering how much time you'll have - either to get to your various flight options OR how much time you'll have to sit around and wait for your #2 option.

We've done the BWI option once before, but we used a car service instead of train.  We almost missed our flight home from BWI.  I swore up & down I wouldn't do it again, but faced with less than stellar options, it's at least on the table.

Option #2 is definitely the easiest, but I'd probably be sitting at the airport for 6 hours waiting to board.  That's a lot of cooling your heels in an airport when you're too tired to do anything productive.

When you did the BWI option before, did you have 3+ hours to get there?  I'd probably pick that one, since you'd be done by 4 and have plenty of time to make it to BWI for an 8pm flight.

Otherwise, I would pick #1.  I don't find layovers to be the devil.  But then again, I live someplace that requires a layover to get pretty much anywhere, so I'm used to them.

[L]

I hate BWI and I hate southwest (only airline to ever cancel a flight on me, and it was out of BWI) so that option would scare me. I also try to avoid the last flight home out of any airport so that taking the later flight is there as a back up plan. I'd go through PHL and just plan to eat dinner during the layover.

[ECB]

Aug 21, 2014 13:41:10 GMT -5 L said:

I hate BWI and I hate southwest (only airline to ever cancel a flight on me, and it was out of BWI) so that option would scare me. 

This made me chuckle.  We almost always fly SW and always out of BWi.  Have yet (KNOCK ON WOOD!!!!!) to have a problem. 

[hbomdiggity]

I'd pick 1.

I'd rather a lay over than the trek to bwi.

And what the heck would you do from 4-10pm near dca? You will be exhausted so not like you are going to do fun stuff. Do you have friends nearby that you could hang with?

[L]

Aug 21, 2014 13:47:53 GMT -5 ECB said:

Aug 21, 2014 13:41:10 GMT -5 L said:

I hate BWI and I hate southwest (only airline to ever cancel a flight on me, and it was out of BWI) so that option would scare me. 

This made me chuckle.  We almost always fly SW and always out of BWi.  Have yet (KNOCK ON WOOD!!!!!) to have a problem. 

Lol, I hold grudges when it comes to air travel!

[aurora]

Aug 21, 2014 13:41:10 GMT -5 L said:

I hate BWI and I hate southwest (only airline to ever cancel a flight on me, and it was out of BWI) so that option would scare me. I also try to avoid the last flight home out of any airport so that taking the later flight is there as a back up plan. I'd go through PHL and just plan to eat dinner during the layover.

I'm actually impressed that you've only had one canceled flight!  If I boycotted every airline that had ever canceled a flight on me I would be completely unable to fly within the U.S. 

I guess I would probably pick #1 or #4.  I definitely try to avoid layovers when possible, but killing 6 hours in DCA would be a real drag and #1 still gets you home earlier.  I've never had a choice to pick an Amtrak option, so I don't really know the pros and cons of that, but not having to deal with airport security and being able to stretch/move around more on a train is appealing to me.

[chickens987]

Aug 21, 2014 12:58:07 GMT -5 carifly said:

Honestly I might consider the Amtrak option. It doesn't get you home later than most of the other options, and the train would let you sleep the whole way rather than having to deal with all the airport hassle.
       

Ditto. You can get on the train and pass out or watch movies, and still get home at a (decently) reasonable time.

[lasagnasshole]

Definitely not 3. The hassle of getting from Foggy Bottom to BWI during rush hour is not worth the 1.5 hours. I'd probably do #1 because that layover is enough time to get dinner in PHL and gets you home at a decent time.

[Deleted]

Unless you want to meet up with friends, I'd take the train.

[msmerymac]

I would rather kill myself than spend the night at EWR. And sadly, I have to fly out of EWR on Sunday.

If you are at all able to sleep on transit, I'd pick Amtrak all the way. It's a bit more door-to-door and less chance of missing a connection or flight or leaving a bag somewhere or something going wrong.

[ebeth]

I'd probably do 3 unless there's something you want to do in DC. I'd take the orange line to New Carrolton from foggy bottom and get on the penn line MARC train there.

but 45 min at EWR might not be that bad if you are leaving and departing from the same part of the airport. are you??

[Susie]

Aug 21, 2014 14:28:39 GMT -5 ebeth said:

I'd probably do 3 unless there's something you want to do in DC. I'd take the orange line to New Carrolton from foggy bottom and get on the penn line MARC train there.

but 45 min at EWR might not be that bad if you are leaving and departing from the same part of the airport. are you??

Both United - but flightstats.com gives the DCA-EWR flight a 1.4/5 star rating for on-time performance, only on time 64% of the time with an avg delay of 30 mins.  That doesn't sound like a flight I want to take into a 45 minute layover.

No, probably nothing I want to do in DC as much as I want to go home.  I have family in VA inside the beltway, but they are all busy and a Tuesday night isn't great for them for a GTG.  Plus I'm going to be a zombie by then anyway.

[HitchedIn2006]

#3, get's you home the earliest and you aren't keen on hanging out in DC for the night. I would take PP suggestion and take the Metro from Foggy Bottom to New Carrollton (that way you don't have to change Metro lines), then get on the MARC train to BWI.

I'm usually not a fan of flying out of Baltimore if your business is all in DC, but you won't be driving and MARC is nice.

[y4m]

Phl is a black hole I always seem to get stuck in, so I'd either chance the short Newark layover or the train.

[chia]

I'd take Amtrak.

[stealthmom]

Amtrak baby.

[patches31709]

I would take the train. You could take a nap, and it doesn't get in that much later than some of your other options.