Washington Dulles International Airport

IAD: 5 Things We Love about Washington Dulles International Airport

July 28, 2020Harriet BaskasAirport guidesairport meals, Boeing 747, family travel, IAD, Washington Dulles International Airport

Our “5 Things We Love About…” series celebrates features and amenities at airports around the country and the world.

Today, we are landing at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD).

We know that right now some of the features we mention might be temporarily unavailable due to health concerns. But we are confident they will be back.

Did we miss your favorite amenity at Dulles International Airport (IAD)? Let us know in the comments section below.

Have an airport you’d like to see featured in the “5 Things We Love About…” series? Make your nomination in the comments section as well.

5 Thing We Love About Dulles International Airport

1. The IAD Main Terminal Building

Opened in 1962 as the country’s first ‘jet-age’ airport, Dulles International Airport is perhaps best-known for architect Eero Saarinen’s iconic curved-roof design for the main terminal.

2. The mobile lounges at IAD

These days, many passengers at IAD move between concourses on the underground AeroTrain, a 3.78-mile underground people mover system.

But IAD’s historic mobile lounges are in still in use.

IAD’s mobile lounges transport international arriving passengers from their arrival gate to the International Arrivals Building. The mobile lounges shuttle passengers between the main terminal and the concourses, and between concourse. And when airplanes are parked on a remote hardstand, the mobile lounges ferry passengers to the main terminal.

3. The historic FAA air traffic control tower at IAD

The original Airport Traffic Control Tower (ATCT) at Dulles International Airport dates to the airport’s opening in 1962 and remains on-site because of its historical significance to the airport’s design.

A new tower was dedicated in 2007 and is about one mile from the original tower.

4. Kids play area at IAD

What can we say? Sometimes kids have all the fun at the airport.

5. Only airport with Chipotle breakfast

Want a breakfast burrito made by Chipotle? The only place you will find that on the Chipotle menu is at Dulles International Airport.

Bonus: Pat Nixon christens 1st 747

Back on January 15, 1970 then-First Lady Pat Nixon christened the first commercial Boeing 747 during a ceremony at Dulles International Airport.

She also got to sit inside the plane’s cockpit.

Take a look at some of the other airports in the “5 Things We Love About...” series.

Washington, DC-area airports celebrate Cherry Blossom Festival

March 17, 2017Harriet BaskasFestivalsCherry blossom festival, Cherry Blossoms, Reagan National Airport, Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport

(Washington Dulles International Airport, photo by J. David Buerk)

The month-long National Cherry Blossom Festival is underway in the Washington, D.C. area and even the airports are getting into the spirit with cherry trees in bloom and buildings lit in pink at night.

Pink lighting is illuminating the iconic main terminal of Washington Dulles International Airport and the parking garage stairwells at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport.

Inside the airports, there are cherry blossom-themed promotions and entertainment scheduled through April 16.

There will be Cherry Blossom stilt walkers strolling through airport halls pre-and post-security from 1 p.m. to 5 p.m. on Fridays (March 24, March 31, April 7 and April 14).

Photo courtesy Sidney Woods

Entertainment on tap includes souvenir photos, paint sessions with a Japanese Sumi-E artist (black ink painting) and performances by Cellist Peter Kibbe at Dulles International on Thursday, April 6, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m., and at Reagan National on Friday, April 7, from 9:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Several restaurants will be offering pink-themed menu selections and drinks through April 17 and shoppers who spend more than $100 (pre-tax) on food or retail can turn those receipts in for a free National Cherry Blossom coaster set.

Social media followers of the airport Facebook pages can also win free ticket to official Cherry Blossom Festival events. Details here.

Tidbits for travelers: new airport, new avatar on duty

June 4, 2012Harriet BaskasAirport guides, Airports, Architecture, AssistanceAvatars, King David the Builder International Airport, virtual assistants, Washington Dulles International Airport

Mari, a Stuck at The Airport reader who works in air navigation in Georgia – the country, not the state – wrote to draw our attention to the King David the Builder International Airport being built in Kutaisi, Georgia by the Dutch architectural firm, UNStudio.

The airport is scheduled to be completed by September, 2012. Here’s what the tower is going to look like:

(Photo courtesy UNStudio)

Very futuristic-looking, right?

At Washington Dulles International Airport, the future is already here.

A 3D-looking Tensator Virtual Assistant – Dulles has named her “Paige” – is on duty welcoming passengers, offering Customs and Border Protection information and sharing connecting flight information in the International Arrivals Building.

Here’s a video (taken by an airport representative) of Paige in action:

Free Wifi now at Dulles and Washington National Airports

April 19, 2011Harriet Baskasfree Wi-Fi, Wi-Fiairport amenities, airport WiFi, free Wi-Fi, Reagan National Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport

On Monday, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority rolled out complimentary wireless internet service at Reagan National and Dulles International Airports.

Until now, if you didn’t have a subscription with a major wireless carrier or hotspot provider, you’d have to pay for access to the service. All those pay services are still available, but now a complimentary option shows up on the wireless networks list.

The service is so new that on Monday afternoon, during my layover at Dulles, there were no signs posted alerting travelers to the free service. Nor was there anything on the front page of either of the airport websites.

Once I figured out that you actually have to scroll through the ‘Terms and Conditions’ notice before clicking ‘agree,’ I was able to log onto the service quite easily. No pop-up ads show up yet, but airport officials say that may happen n the future.

Bottom line: a great new amenity at two major US airports. Yay!

Cute alert at PIT, IAD and DCA airports

December 1, 2009Harriet BaskasArt, Festivals, KidsPittsburgh International Airport, Reagan Washington National Airport, Washington Dulles International Airport

Many airports are already all gussied up for the holidays, and over the next few days loads more will join in.

Students from the District of Columbia, Virginia and Maryland will celebrate the annual tree-trimming celebration at Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport and Washington Dulles International Airport by decorating trees with “Winter Wonderland-themed ornaments they created.Students will be decorating the trees at Dulles on Wednesday, Dec 2 from 10:30 to 11:30 am and at Reagan Washington National on Thursday, Dec. 3 from 10:30 until 11:30 am.

And on Friday, Dec. 4, 2009, between 7 and 9 am, there’ll be live classical piano music by Claudia Sanchez on the ticketing level of Pittsburgh International Airport.

Later that morning, between 10 and 11 a.m., the Aliquippa High School Chorus will sing for passengers while students decorate the holiday trees.

More holiday events tomorrow!