DCA Temporarily Closes Terminal C. No More Gate 35X — For Now.

DCA Temporarily Closes Terminal C. No More Gate 35X — For Now.

If you’ve ever been around DCA, you’ve likely heard the complaints about the dreaded 35X gate.  A flight out of gate 35X at DCA always seems to be a cluster.  Good news for travelers who dread the gate: It’s temporarily closing for the foreseeable future.

⚠️ Passenger Advisory: Beginning Monday, May 4, all @AmericanAir flights ✈️ will depart from the center concourse at Terminal B/C using Gates 23-34 to streamline operations until further notice.

More information 👉 https://t.co/IkChGQWkHE pic.twitter.com/TcZc5oU84D

— Reagan Airport (@Reagan_Airport) April 30, 2020

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority recently announced that starting May 4, American airlines will move all of its flight operations to the B/C Terminal.  The airport is temporarily closing the C Terminal due to reduced activity.  That means that flights will no longer be operating out of Gates 35-45 for an unspecified amount of time.

Gate 35X has long been an annoyance for people traveling in and out of D.C.  As a resident of the D.C. area, I’ve spent a little bit of time there, and it’s always a disaster and disorganized to board the aircraft.  The reason behind that is the gate was originally opened when US Airways operated turboprops from the gate.  However, as the gate started to fly bigger regional jets out of the gate, it stayed the same size.  Basically, a terminal made for smaller aircraft carrying a couple dozen people became a terminal carrying 50+ passengers.

Of course, the gate has a fixed lifespan already since the airport authority is revamping the airport.  That project is ongoing, and at its conclusion will render Gate 35X a dreaded memory.  The project is also reworking restaurants so that more of the dining facilities will be after security screening.  Currently, many of the airport’s restaurants are located before the security screening process.

Bottom Line

On one hand, those who are still traveling can avoid an annoying gate — although it’s probably less clustered during this time.  But the news also demonstrates the impacts of coronavirus and the decrease in traffic.