The media loves a good party. Almost as much as they love a good story. But the story on Barack Obama’s inauguration is already a mass of doom and gloom travel predictions for Washington. Only time will tell if a combination of weather, number of travelers and luck make the event a relatively smooth running one, or a travel nightmare for the ages.
For travelers with no intention of going anywhere near Washington on Jan. 20, there are still, however, a few things you might want to know, especially if you are traveling around the Jan. 16 to 21 window.
First, “anywhere near Washington D.C.” is going to be a wide area. Hotel rooms are nearly filled up in Northern Virginia and Baltimore. Cities such as Richmond, Va., and Harrisburg, Pa.,, still have rooms about 100 miles away, but that could change as many people give up on getting closer and or make plans to drive as near to D.C. as they can get.
Also, Amtrak will be incredibly full to, from, and through, Washington, so think twice before planning train travel as well. Plus, with the record crowds expected, I wouldn’t be surprised to see many other trains in the Northeast and Southeast corridors delayed. (For example, some trains travel from Washington via New York to Boston.)
And Washington Dulles Airport is a major hub for United Airlines. Aside from the obvious issue that connecting through Dulles will be more hectic than usual, delays in and out of that airport could affect the rest of the system. Although with three major airports in the area – Dulles, National and Baltimore-Washington – most airlines are vulnerable to delays snowballing.
In addition, while no one has released airline advance booking data, it seems likely that with millions expected in D.C., a lot of them are going to fly. And it’s not only the flights into D.C. that may be fuller than normal but also connecting flights to and from major airports, as many nonstop cross-country flights were sold out by December. Also, many people are flying into Philadelphia, Richmond and Harrisburg for better availability. So it’s a good idea to allow a little extra time at the airport.
Finally, TSA security is likely to be tight systemwide. And it goes without saying that with security on high alert, it will be an especially bad day to quibble with agents.
Of course, on January 20 itself, inaugural visitors should all be where they are going, while many other Americans will stay home to watch the ceremony on television. And again, all these warnings might be overblown and it may end up being a smooth and simple travel week.
But I’m not counting on it.
Janice Hough is a California-based travel agent a travel blogger and a part-time comedy writer. A frequent flier herself, she’s been doing battle with airlines, hotels, and other travel companies for over three decades. Besides writing for Travelers United, Janice has a humor blog at Leftcoastsportsbabe.com (Warning, the political and sports humor therein does not represent the views of anyone but herself.)
