Some spring-break travelers at Reagan National Airport had to scramble for alternate parking last month after all available spots filled up.
Airport officials expect the same situation on high-traffic days throughout the summer and are urging drivers to make reservations to ensure they get a parking spot.
The weekend of April 11-13 represented “our first big test” of 2025 parking at the airport, said Chryssa Westerlund, executive vice president of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA).
On April 11, the Transportation Security Administration screened more than 42,000 travelers at Reagan National. That’s the highest total ever for a single day at the 84-year-old airport.
Because of the heavy passenger loads, parking lots “did completely fill for a period of time, and we did have to turn away passengers,” Westerlund said in a report to the MWAA board of directors yesterday (Wednesday).
Airport personnel handed drivers information listing alternative parking options near the airport, she said.
The April 11-13 weekend led into spring break for most public-school systems across the region, including Arlington’s. That week, the total parking in Reagan National’s lots was up 7.6% from a year before, bringing in $180,000 in additional revenue.
Already tight parking during peak periods is further complicated at the airport as portions of the long-term surface lot are off-limits. The airport is currently constructing a temporary parking deck.
Those extra spaces will be needed as other lots are out of commission during extensive restructuring of the airport’s road network in coming years.
The construction work has removed about 40% of available spaces in the economy lot, leaving 1,732 up for grabs there. Adding in other parking options at the airport, there are about 7,900 total spaces on the grounds.
By contrast, Washington Dulles International Airport, which has roughly the same passenger totals as Reagan National and also is connected to Metro, has more than 21,000 parking spaces spread across multiple lots and garages.
Westerlund said Memorial Day and Juneteenth are also times when parking at National is typically tricky. She encouraged travelers driving to the airport to make a parking reservation that will guarantee a space even as others are being turned away.
“Make a reservation and guarantee your spot,” Westerlund said.
An increase in passenger totals during the busy summer travel months would be welcome news at Reagan National, where March’s enplanement total of just under 1.06 million was down 10.2% from March 2024.
A number of factors led to the decline, airport officials said, including weather issues, operational challenges, downscaling of the federal workforce and concerns about the economy. Spring break and Easter coming in April this year may have also contributed to the disparity.
Passenger totals at National in late January and early February were negatively impacted following the deadly Jan. 29 collision between a U.S. Army helicopter and a regional jet over the Potomac River. A snowier than typical winter season also tamped down on passenger totals.
MWAA officials said they are projecting higher year-over-year passenger totals for the second quarter, both at Reagan National and Washington Dulles International.
“We have very strong demand at our airports,” CEO Jack Potter said.
