National Airport Parking - Track Down The Best Locations at Reagan Airport (DCA)

In an effort to decrease aviation noise, flights at the Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA) are limited to locations within 1,250 miles. Nevertheless, nearly 20 million passengers still fly through DCA Airport yearly, a number that’s more than in most medium-sized airports in the United States. Fortunately, National Airport parking isn’t as hard as in some other airports with comparable passenger traffic.

The National Airport parking rates here include lots and garages currently administered by the airport authority. The DCA parking rate schedule may have changed since the publication of this hub - please determine the up-to-date prices via the parking map and rates tool at BestParking.com or by logging on to the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) official web site at:www.metwashairports.com.

Economy Parking Lot Rates
Serving all Terminals

* $3 per hour or fraction
* $12 maximum for 24 hours

Daily Rates

* $5 per hour or fraction
* $20 maximum for 24 hours

Hourly Parking Rates
Garages A, B and C (Please see map above)

* $2 per half-hour for the first two hours or fraction
* $4 per hour for the 3rd through 8th hour or fraction
* $36 maximum for 24 hours.

DCA parking information contact number: (703) 417-PARK (417-7275)

To find the various private lots and garages, please check out the the BestParking map above. Parking map of DCA Airport below shows the locations of the various on-site parking facilities: hourly, daily, economy parking, cell phone waiting area, and parking for handicapped passengers. Please proceed to the source websites to look at the interactive or larger versions.

There are over 9,400 National Airport parking spaces open to the public at present. Approximately 2,956 of these are in the economy parking lot in the south end of the airport. Daily and hourly parking are allowed at airport garages A, B, and C. Hourly parking can be quite costly at $4 per hour, not to exceed $36 for a full 24 hours period. Still, this is the best parking alternative when you have business at the airport and would need to park for up to 2 hours. If you aren’t sure of the time, you might want to take a daily parking space at the rate of $20 per day. Of course, there’s always the economy lot for only $12 per day.

There are numerous assigned National Airport parking spaces for handicapped travelers, conveniently located near elevators and shuttle vehicle stops. Vehicles with disabled persons on board needing parking assistance are encouraged to display their state-issued placards or plates to the uniformed parking assistants, who can also assist in locating a nearby parking spot in case the designated areas are already full.

If you’re picking up a family member or a friend from the DCA, you can use the designated cell phone waiting area. Driver-less cars inside the waiting area will be impounded and you can park for a maximum of 2 hours, but this still trumps wasting fuel to pass the time or paying the hourly parking rates at the airport garages.

If you’re parking at DCA Airport during an extended business or vacation trip, daily parking is by far the most prudent option. Still, just like anywhere else today, airport-managed facilities are always available at inflated prices for their proximity to the terminals. For more affordable DCA parking destinations, your best bet would be the nearby private parking garages and lots providing comparatively much cheaper rates.

Many of the premium hotels near the airport have very budget-friendly long term parking services. Courtyard Crystal City (half a mile from the airport) and Sheraton Crystal City Hotel (1.20 miles from the airport), both located on Jefferson Davis Highway, charge only $8 per day at their parking garages, for example. Here’s a brief list of private parking facilities serving DCA:

Sheraton National Hotel
900 South Orme Street

Crystal Gateway Marriott
1700 Jefferson Davis Highway

Courtyard Crystal City
2899 Jefferson Davis Highway

Sheraton Crystal City Hotel
1800 Jefferson Davis Highway

Planning an extended holiday? Take a look at any of the ‘park, stay, and fly’ alternatives at close by DCA hotels - it could be the more inexpensive way if the long-term parking fees at the airport are too costly. 

It's also a smart plan to park and stay at a nearby hotel before your trip if you don’t want to be late for your flight or if you have to be in fine shape during the trip. Here’s a brief list of the top-rated hotels near DCA Airport which offer ‘park, stay, and fly’ parking option to travelers:

Crowne Plaza Hotel Washington Natl Airport
1480 Crystal Drive, Arlington, Virginia 22202
Phone: (703) 416-1600
Fax: (703) 416-1651

For a hypothetical 5-day trip, you’ll be paying $100 at the airport garages, $60 at the economy lot, but only $40 at the hotel parking locations. Add the free shuttle service that will take you to and pick you up from your terminal at the end of your trip, your choice for your National Airport parking becomes quite apparent.

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), being very close to federal government offices including the White House, is comparatively restricted than most other airports, in terms of international access, security procedures, and flight distances. Still, with over eighteen million travelers using DCA yearly, National Airport parking can still be a a bit difficult particularly during the holidays. This doesn’t have to be your plight, however: just be familiar with your parking alternatives and book your parking spot in advance.

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