A Quick Tip To Speed Up Your Travel At Washington Dulles Airport (IAD)

I’ve called Washington Dulles Airport (IAD) my home base for roughly 15 years now.  The last 5 years or so, that’s meant over 100,000 miles a year originating out of IAD.  With that many miles, you tend to find every way possible to shave a few seconds off your travel time.

For the longest time, my best secret was the Dulles Diamond security lane.  It was a security lane downstairs in baggage claim that most people never knew about.  You could guarantee yourself a short walk through security pretty much every time.

Then came TSA Pre-Check, which is working out great for me.

Here’s another quick tip, valet parking is your friend even if you’re on a budget.  Most people don’t read the sign closely.  The daily garage costs $17 a day.  Valet costs $30, but that’s only for the first day.  After that, it drops to $19 a day.  So, it’s virtually the same price after the first day.

And now, the valet folks have modernized.  When I received my valet ticket last week there was a phone number on it for texting.  When I landed, all I did was text the ticket number to them and my car was waiting right up front for me when I got out of the terminal.

Not a huge timesaver, but it definitely adds to the already good value of valet parking at Dulles.

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