Washington Airport ParkingRonald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA)

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) sits in Arlington, Virginia, directly across the Potomac River from Washington, D.C. — just 5 miles from the White House and 4.5 miles from the U.S. Capitol. It's the only major airport in the Washington area with a direct Metro rail connection. American Airlines is the dominant carrier with hubs in Concourses C, D, and E.

DCA is unique among major U.S. airports: it has a 1,250-mile perimeter rule limiting most nonstop flights, plus federal slot controls capping operations at 67/hour. Both rules keep DCA at capacity year-round. The airport handled 24.89 million passengers in 2025.

On-airport parking at DCA ranges from $25/day (Economy Lot) to $35/day (Parking 1). Off-airport parking through Triply typically costs a fraction of the terminal garage rate; the lot list on this page shows current per-day rates, and a search with your dates shows your total with taxes and fees. But here's the most important fact: a round-trip Metro fare for two people ($9–$27) costs less than ONE day of any on-airport parking option.

Westin Crystal City — Closest bookable lot at 0.8 miles. Underground garage parking, free shuttle every 30 minutes from 4:30 AM to 10:30 PM — no shuttle overnight. Seats are first-come, first-served with priority for hotel guests, so a full shuttle can mean an Uber or Lyft. No extra charge for full-size vans, pickups or large SUVs. Enroll your car at the front desk or you won't get out of the gate.

Sheraton Suites Old Town Alexandria — Covered underground garage 2.6 miles out in Old Town, with 24-hour access to your car and 24-hour monitoring. Free shuttle every hour on the hour, 7 AM–10:30 PM, with on-demand airport pickups — no shuttle 11 PM–7 AM. Park on Level P2 only, or risk being towed. EV charging on site (first 4 hours complimentary, $2.50/hour after).

DCA's Metro Yellow and Blue Line connection is its single biggest competitive advantage over IAD (Dulles) and BWI. The Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport Metro station is connected to Terminal 2 by a covered moving walkway — no shuttle needed.

Metro fares from DCA:

• L'Enfant Plaza (near National Mall) — 10 minutes, $2.25 off-peak / $6.75 peak

• Pentagon — 3 minutes, 1 stop

• Metro Center (downtown D.C.) — 19 minutes via Blue Line

• Crystal City (home of the Westin Crystal City lot) — 2 minutes

• Foggy Bottom (Georgetown access, GWU) — 15 minutes via Blue Line

For solo travelers, a round trip on Metro costs $4.50–$13.50. For a couple, $9–$27. Compare that to:

• ONE day of Parking 1 at $35

• ONE day of Parking 2 at $29

Metro round-trip beats ANY parking option for trips of any length if you're heading anywhere on the Yellow or Blue Line. This is uniquely tilted at DCA — IAD requires 60+ minutes of Metro from Rosslyn, and BWI requires MARC/Amtrak.

DCA's Project Journey ($1B+) was completed in April 2021 — delivering Concourse E (replacing the notorious Gate 35X bus boarding), two new security checkpoint buildings, and expanded post-security retail/dining.

Active 2026 construction:

• Economy Lot Parking Deck ($40M) — A new 3-story parking deck is being built on top of the Economy Lot. Phase 1 (939 spaces) opened February 2026. Phase 2 (1,230 additional spaces) opens May 2026. Up to 1,100 of 2,680 Economy Lot spaces are unavailable during peak construction. Reserve in advance.

• Cell Phone Lot — TEMPORARILY CLOSED during construction. Use Parking 1/2 garages (first 60 minutes free) for passenger pickups instead.

• DCA Reimagined — Multi-year program of concession upgrades, restroom modernization, and new amenities throughout Terminal 2.

Pre-booking parking is strongly recommended given Economy Lot capacity reductions. Book at reserve.flyreagan.com.

• Skip parking, take Metro — For most travelers, a round-trip Metro fare beats ANY parking option on cost. Bring a SmarTrip card or use contactless payment.

• First 60 minutes free in garages — Use Parking 1 or Parking 2 for passenger pickup/drop-off — no charge for the first hour. Beats the closed Cell Phone Lot during construction.

• Verify shuttle hours — No bookable off-site shuttle runs 24/7. Westin Crystal City runs 4:30 AM–10:30 PM, and Sheraton Suites Old Town Alexandria runs 7 AM–10:30 PM. For very early or very late flights, budget for a rideshare or take Metro.

• Pre-book Economy Lot — With Phase 1/2 construction reducing capacity ~40%, the Economy Lot can fill up. Reserve at reserve.flyreagan.com.

• Watch for congressional travel patterns — DCA sees unique Monday morning and Friday afternoon spikes from Congress members and government commuters. Allow extra time on those days.

• Add 30 min for Snow Emergencies — Taxi fares go up 125% during declared Snow Emergency. Build buffer time December–March, especially January–February.