It's little, but definitely worth flying into here...

It's little, but definitely worth flying into here for the easy 40-minute metro ride into the city (definitely the blue line, and I think the silver)--without that it would probably be 3 stars, maybe even 2, but with that it's easily the best choice for flying into DC (at least if you don't have people waiting to retrieve you by automobile). They're building a line to Dulles, but don't hold your breath. And BWI is tougher. Southwest flies here now, which can be awesome if their schedule and availability happen to work out for your trip. There's a shuttle to parking lots and the metro. You can walk to the metro from a bunch or all of the terminals, but it's a real trek between the metro and Terminal A. It's not a Great American Airport, but it helps you get from point a to point b.

With respect to Terminal A specifically: It's small and easy to navigate, but has basically nothing. As long as you don't arrive too early it should be fine, but don't go searching for the Tortas Frontera once you arrive (oh hai, Chicago). Security is super quick for the last flight out on a weekday night. There are charging stations, which is nice and is definitely not the norm. You'll see signs for a walkway between this terminal and the metro. Don't be fooled! You'll be dragging your stuff around for 20 minutes, minimum. Hop the shuttle instead, which goes door to door. The security are nice enough, and reasonably quick. The bags were out quickly upon arrival. And of course you've gotta cut DCA and this terminal some slack because they allow you to fly Southwest in and out of DCA.