A single main terminal with iconic Saarinen architecture is used for check-in and arrivals.

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After passing through security, the airport is further divided into three buildings:

• Gates Z - You stay in the main terminal and only have to walk 5-7 minutes to the departure gate.
• Gates A, B - are in the satellite building "Concourse A/B", which can be reached from the main terminal by the underground AeroTrain in 3 minutes or by walking through the tunnel in 15 minutes
• Gatec C, D - are in the satellite building "Concourse C/D", which can be reached from the main terminal by the underground AeroTrain in 5 minutes (gates B) or by special airport buses on the tarmac in 8 minutes (gates D)

The AeroTrain and shuttle buses are free and run approximately every 3 minutes.

Gates D and B are connected by another shuttle bus. There is also an AeroTrain underground train between gates C and A/B.

The signage is very clear.

Transfer between flights

Transfer procedures differ for international and domestic flights.

Transfer from an international flight

As at all US airports, when connecting internationally (e.g. Paris-Washington-Mexico) or from an international flight to a domestic flight , you must always collect your baggage, exit the transit area, re-check your bag and go through security back to the terminal.

For this reason, even when transferring to a third country, you are always subject to U.S. immigration control and therefore must always have a valid ESTA or visa.

Lines at immigration can take 1 hour to 4 hours.

If you have transfer flights purchased on one ticket, the transfer is guaranteed and if you can't make it due to long immigration, you will be sent on the next flight for free. Depending on the destination, the next flight may be a few hours away, or even a few days for some flights to Central or South America.

A comfortable time to transfer from an international flight to an international or domestic flight (the procedure is no different) is 3-4 hours.

Transferring from a domestic flight

The procedure is considerably simpler in this case and it doesn't matter whether your connecting flight is again domestic or international. There is no immigration or passport control on departure from the USA.

You get off the domestic flight right in the terminal and can move straight to the departure gates without passport or security checks.

A convenient transfer time is 45 minutes.

Transfer to another airport

Many reservations have the inconvenience of transferring to Washington-Reagan DCA or Baltimore BWI.

Even if the transfer is on the same ticket, you'll have to organise it entirely on your own. Transportation between airports is not included in the ticket price.

For information on getting to/from the airport, see the Transportation section.

Airport map

A clear orientation map of the airport will help you to find your way around.

An interactive map of the airport terminals can be found on the airport's official website: maps.flydulles.com