Flights to Washington DC, Baltimore MD and other gateway cities
BA flies direct to Dulles International Airport, which though in northern Virginia is only 20 miles by purpose-built expressway from the White House and Interstate 95, the major north-south motorway along the east coast. Fly-drive packages are available for two weeks unlimited mileage, with pre-paid accommodation vouchers available from most agencies.
Beware: you may well need to book ahead for motel accommodation in the DC area due to the number of American visitors to the national capital area.
The alternative is to fly into Baltimore-Washington International which lies on the freeway linking Baltimore Maryland and Washington DC. It is actually very little further from central DC than is Dulles, and for those visitors for the capital's northern (that is Maryland) suburbs a deal more convenient.
Other Gateway Cities
- Atlanta. Delta flies from Manchester and Gatwick to Atlanta connecting to Nashville and much of the south east. Atlanta is a major travel hub for road and rail connections onward.
- Boston. Virgin Atlantic, BA, American and Northwestern all have direct flights from the UK to this city that is considerably nearer Europe than even New York. Take the subway into the city centre from this conveniently off-shore airport, or try the water shuttle if only for the view.
- Chicago is the great hub of the interior Great Lakes area. Try American Airlines.
- Dallas is served by BA, for links to much of the Great Plains and the Rockies, particularly ski resorts such as Aspen.
- Las Vegas is now served 'non-stop' from Gatwick. Try Airtours or Unijet for details.
- Los Angeles has the famously overcrowded LEX to which you can fly directly over the Pole avoiding the even longer flight to the east coast and across the continent. If you come via Asia or Australia you may find you go through Customs and Immigration in Hawaii, relieving the pressure on LEX.
- Miami and Orlando are increasingly major entry points for Europeans and South Americans, though Miami is a day's long drive from Disneyworld. BA, Virgin Atlantic, Continental and American fly direct. Air France flies via Paris.
- San Francisco is now served by British Airways, Virgin Atlantic, United Airways and Continental direct from the UK. Consolidators such as Bridge the World (020 7916 0990) can provide cheaper fares, but usually via other airports and then flying on.
