It is the smallest of the three major airports in the Washington, D. C. area, but it has a long and storied history. In a nutshell, that's the current situation at the airport formerly known as Washington National.
Although the name changed to Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport in 1998, many locals still refer to it as DCA, or simply “National”. That's according to an online survey that Express conducted in December after seeing intense disagreement among staff. To our surprise, 42,082 people responded, and many of them have the same opinion on the subject. “I think it's ridiculous that they changed the name of the airport,” says John West, a retired government worker from Alexandria.
West's complaint is common. The name change was part of a larger effort by Congress to honor former President Ronald Reagan in 1998. The then Senate Majority Leader, Trent Lott, Republican for Mississippi, proposed a bill to rename Washington National Airport after Reagan. Metro and the National Park Service were then forced to review the signs on behalf of the agencies. Mike McCurry, Clinton's former press secretary, suspects that his boss had bigger problems in mind at the time.
“I think he was more concerned about other things than what we were going to call an airport in Virginia,” McCurry said. The loss is still smarting for some locals. Patti Brown, 53, a consultant who lives in Arlington, says she still calls it “National” out of habit. Even though 17 years have passed since the name change, he still avoids the R-word.
Like most of the respondents who refuse to call the airport “Reagan”, Brown is, in her words, “a great Democrat”. In our survey, only 35 percent of Democrats call the airport “Reagan” or “Reagan National”, compared to 72 percent of Republicans. One of those Republicans is Chris Sloan, 50, a banker from Connecticut. He says he calls it “Reagan” out of respect for the former president and his legacy.
In the long run, it looks like “Reagan will win”. Our survey revealed that younger generations are more likely to use Reagan, regardless of political affiliation. This may be because, for them, “Reagan simply connotes “the comfortable airport that is in Metro”, just as “Dulles” for many locals means “the airport that is far away in Virginia” and not “the namesake of John Foster Dulles, architect of the risky politics of the Cold War”. As for how to call the airport, Thomas sidesteps the whole topic.
“I just call it 'the airport',” he said with a laugh. We need to verify that you are a real person! This is an unscientific user survey. The results are not statistically valid and cannot be assumed to reflect the opinions of users of The Washington Post as a group or of the general population. This story was corrected to add “Washington at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport” - The irony of this correction does not go unnoticed by us! Don't you want a federal monument in your neighborhood park? Bad luck - It's illegal to have a ferret in DC! The site of what is now Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport is rich in historical importance that dates back to colonial times.
It is located just across the Potomac River in Virginia and is the closest airport to DC - just 5 miles from downtown Washington D. C. It has 3 terminals: A, B and C and 46 gates with walkways - for terminal locations and additional information see the Washington National Airport terminal map. Terminals B and C are the newest and largest terminals at this airport - both terminals have three lobbies and Terminal C (doors 35-45) is exclusive to American Airlines - Reagan National Airport serves as an operations center for American Airlines as well as several other airlines including Southwest Airlines, Air Canada Express and Alaska Airlines - see full list of airlines operated at DCA airport here.
DCA airport parking is available at all terminals - from parking for hours and days to long-term parking there are several parking options at Reagan Airport - transportation services are also available on both levels - after arriving at this airport passengers have several ground transportation options to their next destination including airport transfers car rentals buses Uber Lyft and taxis - car rental is very easy at DCA with several car rental agencies available such as Hertz Enterprise National and other well-known car rental providers offering travelers a wide variety of vehicles to choose from - airport transfer services are also great way to travel from Reagan National Airport with several shuttle services available taking passengers almost anywhere nearby - public transportation is also available from this airport to main nearby areas - it is one of most economical ways to get in and out depending on mode (bus or train) and time of day This can actually vary from day to day depending on flight schedules so we recommend that you contact your airline directly to see how far in advance you can check in at this airport - baggage claims from all airlines will be made at arrivals floor of each terminal - Southwest baggage claim area is located at arrivals floor of Terminal A - American Airlines operates from Terminal C - if you need switch from American baggage to Delta baggage you can do so at baggage claim area - United Lounge can be located on Level 2 near Gate C3 - Southwest baggage claim area is located at arrivals floor of Terminal A How long can you park at this airport? Are there any limits? You can park in long-term lots for up to 30 days but there are also hourly parking lots available with no time limit.
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