Sweet! I have a DC trip coming up. Buying a ticket now!
QuoteFrontier Airlines is adding a new line of service from the St. Augustine airport: Nonstop flights to Washington Dulles International Airport.
QuoteTo kick off the service to Dulles, Frontier is hosting a 12-hour sale in which flights can be booked for as low as $15 each way. To book flights, visit flyfrontier.com.
http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2014/05/13/frontier-airlines-adding-flight-to-washington.html
Crap. They don't start flying until September. But with tickets as low as $10 one-way, I may still make a purchase.
I've been thinking about a fall trip to DC ...
Dulles is so FAR from the city, but I've never tried the public transport from there so maybe it's not so bad. Once the Metro's Silver Line is finished this could be a decent option.
I'm still waiting on JetBlue to add the flight from JAX-DCA. What's taking so long?!?!
It's not so bad. You just hop on a van or shuttle bus that takes you into the city or nearest metro stop.
And the Udvar-Hazy branch of the NASM is out there ...
Quote from: thelakelander on May 13, 2014, 10:46:29 PM
It's not so bad. You just hop on a van or shuttle bus that takes you into the city or nearest metro stop.
It's 1-2 hours to get to the city, depending on when exactly you leave the airport. Not horrible but not great...especially with Reagan being the alternative.
It works when you get great flight deals. I normally fly late, so its never taken me two hours to get to city. More like 45 minutes from what I remember from my last flight to Dulles. Nevertheless, yes Reagan is a great alternative when there's no big discrepancy in the fares.
Quote from: ProjectMaximus on May 14, 2014, 12:14:51 AM
It's 1-2 hours to get to the city, depending on when exactly you leave the airport. Not horrible but not great...especially with Reagan being the alternative.
The Silver Line station at Wiehle Ave. will be opening in a month or two, which is only a few miles from IAD. That should reduce transit travel time a great deal.
Quote from: Charles Hunter on May 13, 2014, 10:59:49 PM
And the Udvar-Hazy branch of the NASM is out there ...
That place is a "must-see" but be sure to schedule most of a day for it. It's HUGE! There are lots of BIG airplanes and rockets in there. Just inside the front door you come face to nose with an HR-71 Blackbird. The Enola Gay is in there and is a very popular place for Japanese tourists to have their pictures taken. Go figure!
Quote from: ProjectMaximus on May 14, 2014, 12:14:51 AM
Quote from: thelakelander on May 13, 2014, 10:46:29 PM
It's not so bad. You just hop on a van or shuttle bus that takes you into the city or nearest metro stop.
It's 1-2 hours to get to the city, depending on when exactly you leave the airport. Not horrible but not great...especially with Reagan being the alternative.
please....it is less than an hour in to DC when there isn't traffic....we used to make it to Dulles in 1 hour from Columbia, MD
and now my parents live in Gettysburg, PA...its basically 1.5 hours regardless of whether I fly into Dulles, National, or BWI.
^The last time I flew into Dulles, I jumped on a van for around $10-$15/person that took me straight from Dulles to my hotel's front door in Dupont Circle. I didn't time it, but it felt just as fast as flying into Reagan, catching the Metro and then walking a few blocks to my desired destination.
Quote from: tufsu1 on May 14, 2014, 10:09:27 AM
Quote from: ProjectMaximus on May 14, 2014, 12:14:51 AM
Quote from: thelakelander on May 13, 2014, 10:46:29 PM
It's not so bad. You just hop on a van or shuttle bus that takes you into the city or nearest metro stop.
It's 1-2 hours to get to the city, depending on when exactly you leave the airport. Not horrible but not great...especially with Reagan being the alternative.
please....it is less than an hour in to DC when there isn't traffic....we used to make it to Dulles in 1 hour from Columbia, MD
and now my parents live in Gettysburg, PA...its basically 1.5 hours regardless of whether I fly into Dulles, National, or BWI.
Don't take it up with me...I was using the trip planner on wmata.com!! 1-2 hours was based on 55 min - 1hr 38 min in transit time + 0 min - 32 min in wait time for the first departure (depending on what time exactly you're ready to depart)
btw, your comment of less than an hour into DC when there isn't traffic really isn't disputing my statement in any way. Have you sat in traffic at 11pm in DC traveling 5 miles in an hour? I have done this multiple times...traffic is pretty common up there.
^Oh I should also specify my trip planner search was to Chinatown (arbitrary destination point) and I searched for four different departure times to get a gauge for the range of wait and transit times.
Quote from: finehoe on May 14, 2014, 09:13:21 AM
Quote from: ProjectMaximus on May 14, 2014, 12:14:51 AM
It's 1-2 hours to get to the city, depending on when exactly you leave the airport. Not horrible but not great...especially with Reagan being the alternative.
The Silver Line station at Wiehle Ave. will be opening in a month or two, which is only a few miles from IAD. That should reduce transit travel time a great deal.
Yep, that is definitely gonna be better!
Quote from: thelakelander on May 13, 2014, 09:41:20 PM
Crap. They don't start flying until September. But with tickets as low as $10 one-way, I may still make a purchase.
They were also doing $15 from Orlando to Dulles, but I don't think any of the flights start til September.
Yeah. Sucks for me since I'm headed back up that way in July.
Don't know what the schedule looks like, but it opens up new possibilities for flying overseas. Dulles serves many international airlines with reasonable fares, such as Turkish. It's fairly competitive. Apart from Delta through ATL, most connections from JAX involve regional jets, which are cramped and piloted by underpaid and inexperienced staff.
Quote from: johnny_simpatico on May 14, 2014, 02:54:16 PM
Don't know what the schedule looks like, but it opens up new possibilities for flying overseas. Dulles serves many international airlines with reasonable fares, such as Turkish.
United has two or three daily flights between JAX and IAD. Of course, they are more expensive than I expect Frontier will be, but just saying.
... and I believe the UA flights are on RJs.
Welp...that didnt last long.
http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/blog/morning-edition/2014/10/frontier-airlines-flights-stopping-between-st.html
More flights for St Augustine:
QuoteSt. Augustine airport to get new direct flights to Charlotte
The Northeast Florida Regional Airport in St. Augustine is getting new, seasonal nonstop service from ViaAir — the second carrier to offer passenger service to the airport this year.
The service, between Charlotte Douglas International Airport and St. Augustine, will begin on Dec. 19. The 30-seat Embraer EMB-120 aircraft will fly on select dates through Jan. 20.
The flight is a big deal because it helps connect Northeast Florida to a big banking city, helping efforts to expand that industry here.
Read more at http://www.bizjournals.com/jacksonville/news/2014/12/04/st-augustine-airport-to-get-new-direct-flights-to.html
Nice!
I'm sure it's a positive step but it seems pretty minimal to me. Appears to be a one-month trial flying once daily only on weekends. Combined with Frontier cutting the Dulles flight looks like the only scheduled commercial flight may soon be to Trenton. Hopefully the momentum can get going again.
Dulles is hurting these days:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/nationals-explosive-growth-threatens-dulles/2014/11/28/51cba95c-76f3-11e4-8893-97bf0c02cc5f_story.html
Quote from: finehoe on December 05, 2014, 08:06:06 AM
Dulles is hurting these days:
http://www.washingtonpost.com/local/nationals-explosive-growth-threatens-dulles/2014/11/28/51cba95c-76f3-11e4-8893-97bf0c02cc5f_story.html
Interesting. I never thought of Dulles as an optimal airport for domestic travel in and out of the District. I always fly into Reagan simply because I have access to transit.
And yes, Congress does mess with airline arrangements. When I worked in Chicago and had to fly to DC a lot, I could always get a flight fast because United always had a flight ready at the first gate across from check in and security. It is known locally as the "Congressman Special" because they (the local members of Congress) needed uninhibited access to a flight without having to walk the concourse like normal people and have to deal with those pesky & intrusive constituents.
When an elected official was on the flight, it would be full. But for the most part it wasn't. But United keeps it going lest they get a call from the House Subcommittee on Transportation.
I flew into Dulles one time because it was signifigantly cheaper. It seemed severely outdated. Only good thing was it was a ghost town at 7am and was one of the easiest airport experiences I have had.
Quote from: ProjectMaximus on December 04, 2014, 11:08:51 PM
I'm sure it's a positive step but it seems pretty minimal to me. Appears to be a one-month trial flying once daily only on weekends. Combined with Frontier cutting the Dulles flight looks like the only scheduled commercial flight may soon be to Trenton. Hopefully the momentum can get going again.
I agree, it's a seasonal add by a charter company. It's something, but not much.
QuoteThe flight is a big deal because it helps connect Northeast Florida to a big banking city, helping efforts to expand that industry here.
::)