Skip to main content

Is it worth taking an early-bird or red-eye flight from D.C.-area airports?

It’s not always comfortable taking a red-eye flight, especially if you are in economy and forced to sleep upright, but off-peak travel may be worth it, if it means an emptier airport and cheaper airfare.

However, you’ll want to keep in mind which airport you’re traveling out of.

A new ranking of the 50 best and worst U.S. airports for both early and late-night flights put Arlington’s Reagan National Airport (DCA) toward the bottom of the list for both. DCA is No. 34 for pre-8 a.m. flights and No. 32 for post-8 p.m. travel.

The UpgradedPoints.com list of best airports for off-peak travel factors in the percentage of off-peak flights available, the number and average of delays and the number of places that sell coffee or alcohol.

Baltimore/Washington International (BWI) Airport fares better for early birds, coming in at No. 16. Dulles International Airport ranked at No. 27.

For late-night travelers, BWI falls to 27 and Dulles rises to 18.

Nationwide, Cleveland Hopkins International Airport in Ohio was No. 1 for early morning flights. Miami International Airport is in 50th place.

On the other side of the spectrum, Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport in Atlanta was first on the list for late night travel and Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky International Airport came in last.

1 dead after crash on Anacostia Freeway, DC police say

A man is dead after a crash on the Anacostia Freeway in D.C. early Thursday morning that shut down inbound access to the 11th Street Bridge for hours, according to police. Police responded to the report of an accident just after 2 a.m. in the southbound lanes of the freeway, at the exit for Interstate 695 Westbound.
Read Next Story