Shuttle at Dulles question (how much, bus, moving)

[msjack]

Hi all! I'll be flying out of dulles next week and will be parking in the economy lot. I've never parked my car before and wondering if anyone knows how often the shuttle comes by to take me to the terminal? My flight leaves at 6:55am and was planning on being there between 5-5:15, but how much extra time do I need to add for shuttle time? Thanks for any suggestions!

[VRE332]

Don't waste your time finding spots, just go directly to the gold lot.

extra 30 mins..

Each colored area gets it own group of shuttles. I have parked in the long-term lot many times, and had not waited more than 10 minutes for a shuttle. When you get picked up, it usually takes 15 minutes to arrive at the terminal depending on customer load.

When you get a parking spot, write down where you parked on the back of the ticket. When returning usually the shuttle drivers will drop you off at your car.

[msjack]

Thank you for your help. It would be great if the shuttle drops me off at my car when returning, because I will coming in after 10pm. I will keep my fingers crossed about that. Thanks again for the help.

[Doppelganger69]

We flew back to Dulles on Friday, which was my first time since moving here. On departure, when we got to the shuttle stop, there was a sign telling us to call for a shuttle, which we did. Shuttle arrived within 5 minutes. I don't know whether they regularly troll the stops in case someone doesn't have a cell phone.

On return, the gold lot shuttle took about 10 minutes to arrive at the terminal. It did not drop us at our car, but at the designated shuttle stop. So in case your shuttle driver isn't as nice as VRE332's, be sure to write down the number of your bus stop as well as the aisle where you parked (the two numbers do not correspond).

Also, be sure to take your parking ticket with you on your trip and do not lose it. When leaving the airport, before exiting the doors to get on the shuttle, there are green-edged automatic kiosks where you pay your parking fee. I did not see any of the kiosks in the parking lot, though I think there was one attended lane at the lot exit for those who forgot or otherwise needed help with the process.

[ChristineVA]

I've been to Dulles several times and have never gotten dropped at my car.

I can't ever remember the different lots I've been in but the shuttle always seems to be there within a very short time. What I notice is that when I come back, I sometimes wait at the terminal and, say, 3 BLUE shuttles will go by and then I'll get a GOLD or something like that. Grrrr....

[dkf747]

If you park near a shuttle stop then that's the same, or almost the same, as getting dropped off by your car, isn't it?