D.C.'s airport parking woes

Finding parking at D.C. airports has recently been tough and is only going to get trickier with most local school districts on spring break next week.

What’s happening: Both Reagan and Dulles have seen a “dramatic increase” in travelers opting to drive themselves to the airport during the pandemic, a Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokesperson tells Axios.

• Slow Metro service is also likely pushing more travelers to drive. 

MWAA is encouraging travelers to reserve parking spots ahead of time ​​(DCA, IAD), but many of the DCA lots are already sold out for early next week, which means there may not be any available spaces at all.

If you can’t reserve a space but still want to drive yourself, check out parking options at nearby hotels. Sites such as SpotHero can help you find options. You can also check airport parking status online ahead of time ​​(DCA, IAD). 

Yes, and: Airport parking is back to Before Times prices. MWAA tells Axios it dropped its rates immediately after the pandemic began, but undid that change last month.

Bureau chief Kristen’s thought bubble: I recently searched for a spot at Reagan on a random weekday morning for a good 20 minutes…and had not factored that 20 minutes into my total travel time (eek!). I then failed to plan ahead for a subsequent trip, only to find out all the lots were already reserved. Don’t be like me!