Axios D.C.

August 17, 2026
🧳 Good Monday morning! Today's special edition takes you inside the latest arrivals at our airports — new routes, restaurants and more.
🌦️ Today's weather: Mostly sunny then chance of T-storms. High 90, low 73.
🎂 Happy birthday to our members Maurisa Potts and Richard Fleitas!
Today's newsletter is 1,140 words — a 4.5-minute read.
1 big thing: ✈️ New nonstop flights
Washingtonians have a bunch of new places they can fly nonstop — from Taipei to Cartagena and Cabo — as airlines expand their schedules at Dulles.
The big picture: Dulles has launched around a dozen nonstop routes this year, with more coming this fall and winter.
- And if you're wondering why there's nothing new at Reagan National, the small but mighty airport is slot-restricted by Congress.
🌎 Going international
- Taipei: EVA Air launched four-times-weekly, year-round service in June. At roughly 7,800 miles, it's among the longest nonstop routes out of Dulles.
- Seoul: Air Premia began flying to Seoul four times a week in April, year-round.
- Reykjavik: United launched daily seasonal service in May — an easy jumping-off point for hot springs, waterfalls and the rest of Iceland.
- Toronto: Air Canada began daily, year-round service in June to Billy Bishop Airport, the downtown hub that puts travelers closer to the heart of the city.
- Halifax and Quebec City: United added seasonal Saturday flights to both Canadian cities in May.
What's next: More warm-weather escapes are coming.
- Cabo San Lucas: United starts four weekly flights Oct. 25.
- Liberia, Costa Rica: Daily seasonal service starts Dec. 17, putting travelers within easier reach of Guanacaste's beaches and national parks.
- Cartagena, Colombia: United starts flying there four times a week Dec. 17.
🇺🇸 Closer to home
A few new domestic flights could make long weekends easier.
- Orange County: United began daily, year-round service this month, offering a new nonstop to Southern California.
- Fort Lauderdale: Frontier started daily service in May.
- Myrtle Beach: United launched daily seasonal flights in May.
2. 💪 MAHA skips DCA
Nearly one year and $1 billion later, you still can't do pull-ups at Reagan National Airport à la RFK Jr.
Why it matters: The Trump administration's nearly $1 billion "Make Travel Family Friendly Again" initiative promised healthier, more family-friendly airports with amenities like exercise and play areas.
❌ Yes, but: The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority tells Axios there are no renovations planned at either Dulles or National under the initiative.
- So yes, airport rules still apply at DCA — you can drink wine at 9am like a normal traveler instead of exercising.
💸 Follow the money: The FAA says the broader initiative is advancing across the country. So far, 133 grants were awarded to airports in 45 states, including:
- $2 million for Mississippi's Tupelo Regional Airport to add a family security screening lane.
- $2.8 million for Boston Logan to renovate four Kidports play areas.
- And no surprise, the largest grant is going to Palm Beach's newly renamed Donald J. Trump International Airport: $10 million toward new restrooms, mothers' rooms and a sensory room for families.
3. 🔑 D.C.'s hottest club is at DCA
Comfy leather seats. High ceilings. A celebrity chef-backed kitchen that sends out jamón, tapas and burnt Basque cheesecake.
- The catch? You'll need a boarding pass to get in. It's the Capital One Landing at DCA.
Why it matters: Most airport lounges are unpredictable and often bad. This one — in partnership with José Andrés — is a place worth showing up early for.

⌚️ State of play: The 90-seat space always seems to have a wait.
- Venture X or Venture X Business cardholders get access to Landings in the D.C. area and New York (LaGuardia) as part of their annual membership.
❌ Capital One took away one of the big perks in February.
- Instead of cardholders getting a free guest pass to Landings, the company started charging $45 for adults and $25 for kids.
- Additional cardholders on your account can buy an annual pass for $125.
David Borowik, the head of airport experiences at Capital One, tells Axios that the Landing at DCA has "seen an outsized number of repeat visitors compared to other locations."

😎 Gabe's hack: If there's a wait, ask for a spot at the standing-only high-top.
- I did this the other day, and they ushered me right in.
4. Around the Beltway: ⚜️ The Trump touch
🌟 President Trump's gold-fixture fixation continues, with new renderings of the East Wing project sporting shiny gold U.S. seals on the White House facade. The images raise new questions about the ballroom design. These were revealed in new court filings asking SCOTUS to continue construction. (Axios)
📉 The D.C. condo market is in free fall, with sales this year on track to decline 40% from pre-pandemic levels, per real estate data from Bright MLS. The culprits: DOGE layoffs, high interest rates, and more competition. (CityCast)
😂 The reviews are in ... for D.C.'s embassies. Turns out people love sharing Google reviews of the diplomatic missions in town, ranging from feedback like "Haunted house, spooky" (one star) to "love France never been there..." (five stars). Among the top three rated: Ukraine. (WaPo)
5. 🍽️ New pre-flight munchies
Good news for hangry travelers: New food options are hitting Dulles and Reagan National.
Why it matters: More options = less likelihood that you'll have to fill up on mini pretzels 30,000 feet in the air.
DCA
✈️ Busboys and Poets: Open now near gate D37
✈️ Mi Vida: The Mexican spot is opening this month at the end of Concourse B
Dulles
✈️ Clyde's: Open now near gate D16
✈️ 2 Silos: Open now near gate B37
✈️ Starbucks: Open now near gate C14
Plus: When the new Concourse E opens at Dulles this fall, expect local names like Aventino, Honor Brewing, Ellie Bird, Good Company Doughnuts and MurLarkey Distilled Spirits.
6. 🍸 1 lounge idea to go
Premature eulogies have been flying in for Dulles' iconic mobile lounges ever since President Trump announced plans to scrap the "people movers" as part of a multibillion-dollar overhaul.
Why it matters: Not so fast.
- The lounges "will be phased out eventually," an MWAA spokesperson tells Axios, calling it "a massive construction project that will take years."
For now, the vehicles remain "a vital part" of airport operations.
The big question: What happens to them?
- Could they be auctioned off, à la D.C.'s retired streetcars? MWAA says their fate is "unknown at this time."
So let's assume, for fun, they'll be up for grabs. What would you do with them?
🍸 Anna's thought bubble: I'd turn one into The Jet Age, a retro cocktail lounge.
- We're going back to their 1960s roots as actual lounges, serving icy martinis from galley carts and snacks like shrimp cocktail, deviled eggs and tomato aspic.
And yes, there'd be complimentary peanuts and cigarettes. It's the '60s.
- Now we want your ideas — hit reply. The weirder, the better!
🍣 Anna is trying a new sushi spot.
😋 Mimi is a die-hard Cap One Landing girly and is now craving one of their healthy granola bite thingies.
🏖️ Cuneyt is flying out of Dulles today, as it happens.
Today's newsletter was edited by Alexa Mencia Orozco.
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