If you find yourself out of breath by the time you reach your gate at Dulles, you’re not alone. A study from Kuru Footwear found that IAD has the third longest walking distance of any U.S. airport.
Airport Walking Distance
According to Kuru, the walking distance from Dulles’ main entrance to its farthest gate is 0.97 miles. Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport ranked first at 1.5 miles; Denver International Airport took the second spot at 1.14 miles.
On the flip side, the airports with the shortest walks are Trenton–Mercer Airport in New Jersey (.03 miles), Paine Field in Washington (.04 miles), and Tween New Haven Airport in Connecticut (.05 miles.)
Kuru said it identified the airport ranking based on land area, then measured the walking distance from each airport’s main entrance to its farthest terminal. It only included airports within 60 miles of a major metropolitan area.
Travel Survey
Kuru also surveyed 1,000 Americans about their travel plans in 2026. It found that 60% plan to travel this year; 56% had already booked air travel.
Forty-four percent of respondents plan to travel about the same amount as they did in 2025, 36% plan to travel more, and 20% plan to travel less. Of those who plan to travel, 83% of respondents had already postponed trips, citing reasons like rising airfare, safety concerns, and long TSA lines.
Feature image, stock.adobe.com
