Cheapest€59.73
- Mesa Airlines MA917318:551h 20m20:15Washington DCAColumbia CAE
Door to door 4h 30mCO2 165.1 kgChanges 0Fixed, no changes
Traveling from Washington D.C. to Columbia costs €59.73 at the cheapest and takes 4h 25m door to door at the fastest, across 1 mode and 4 operators. The route covers 671 km. Cheapest is by flight, fastest is by flight.
At a glance
- Distance
- 671 km
- Fastest
- 4h 25m
- Average
- 4h 30m
- Services per day
- 20
- Cheapest
- €59.73
- CO2 per passenger
- 165.1 kg
Every way to make this journey
Journey times below are door to door, so they include getting to the terminal and away from it at the other end. Fares are the cheapest we currently sell on September 29, 2026.
| Mode | Door to door | Moving | At the ends | From | CO2 | Per day |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight | 4h 26m | 1h 16m | 3h 10m | €70.94 | 165.1 kg | 16 |
- 4h 26mFastest, by Flight
- €70.94Cheapest, by Flight
- 165.1 kgLowest CO2, by Flight
- 671 kmDistance traveled
The cheapest and the fastest on September 29, 2026
Two journeys we can sell today, with the service number each operator files them under.
Fastest€65.63
- PSA Airlines PS410510:361h 16m11:52Washington IADColumbia CAE
Door to door 4h 26mCO2 165.1 kgChanges 0Fixed, no changes
Lowest CO2€80.64
- Amtrak A556107:304h 5m11:35Washington Union StationCharlotte
- Amtrak A492512:531h 4m13:57CharlotteColumbia station
Changes at Charlotte, with 78 minutes between services and a walk of about 5 minutes.
Door to door 7h 11mCO2 22.0 kgChanges 1Refundable
Today's real departures
Live from the operators' own published timetables, through the open transit feeds they publish. Times and services are real. Fares are modeled until our booking connectors are live.
Checking the live timetables.
Live from the operators' own published timetables, through the open transit feeds they publish. Times and services are real. Fares are modeled until our booking connectors are live.
Prices over the next three weeks
Live from our own engine, refreshed on every request. The cheapest days for each way of traveling are marked.
| Cheapest fare by mode and day for Washington D.C. to Columbia | SunSep 13 | MonSep 14 | TueSep 15 | WedSep 16 | ThuSep 17 | FriSep 18 | SatSep 19 | SunSep 20 | MonSep 21 | TueSep 22 | WedSep 23 | ThuSep 24 | FriSep 25 | SatSep 26 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Flight | €119.91 | €103.98 | €88.05 | €90.41 | €121.09 | €109.88 | €88.05 | €81.56 | €70.94 | €70.94 | €75.66 | €92.18 | €85.69 | €73.30 |
| Train | €166.99 | €187.89 | €135.09 | €126.29 | €157.09 | €182.94 | €130.69 | €127.94 | €96.04 | €100.99 | €96.59 | €123.54 | €126.84 | €107.04 |
Cheapest day: 2026-09-29 · €59.73
That is the traveling done. What happens after you walk out into Columbia is not something we sell.
Looking for somewhere to stay in Columbia?
The search opens on Columbia with your nights already filled in, so it is one step to a real price.
Search Columbia on Booking.comOr compare on Expedia
Partner links. We do not sell accommodation. We earn a commission when a booking completes, and it never changes what you pay.
When to book Washington D.C. to Columbia
The same search run across the whole booking window, so the shape of the curve is visible rather than described.
- €69.1790 days
- €50.2960 days
- €49.7045 days
- €51.4730 days
- €70.9421 days
- €73.3014 days
- €88.057 days
- €88.053 days
- €119.911 days
- Cheapest lead time
- Fares bottom out around 45 days ahead, at €49.70.
- How much it moves
- The gap between the cheapest and most expensive lead time is 141 percent. The most expensive point is €119.91, 1 days out.
- What that means
- Today sits inside the cheap window, which closes about 45 days before departure. Waiting from here has usually cost money on this corridor rather than saved it.
Book now Fares on this route are lowest around 45 days ahead. You are inside that window.
Which departure day costs least
Median cheapest fare for each weekday, taken across the next three weeks of real prices.
- €81.56Sun
- €70.94Mon
- €70.94Tue
- €75.66Wed
- €92.18Thu
- €85.69Fri
- €73.30Sat
How the fare moves month by month
The same journey priced on the fifteenth of each of the next six months.
- €88.05Sep
- €66.22Oct
- €60.32Nov
- €57.96Dec
- €57.96Jan
- €49.11Feb
The route
What the journey actually looks like
Direct or connecting, how far the route really runs, and what happens when a connection is missed.
- Direct or connecting
- 80% of the services we sell on this corridor run through without a change. The remaining 20% involve one connection.
- How far it really runs
- The route covers 671 km against 651 km in a straight line, a detour of 3 percent. Track and road geometry account for the difference.
- Where the change is
- Connections are made at Richmond, Greensboro, Charlotte, Durham. The gap between arriving and leaving is 56 minutes, of which about 5 is walking.
- If the connection is missed
- The tightest connection we sell here has a 17 percent chance of not being made on the timetable alone. Both legs are sold on one booking, so a missed connection is ours to fix and you are rebooked at no charge.
- First and last departure
- The first service of the day leaves Washington D.C. at 06:13 and the last at 18:55, across 16 departures. The return direction keeps its own timetable, so the times back are not these times reversed.
Where you leave from and where you arrive
The stations, airports and ports each mode on this corridor actually uses.
Washington
Rail
- Washington Union Station
- L'Enfant
- Seabrook
Bus
- Washington Union Station
- Washington Deluxe Bus
Air
- IAD
- DCA
Ferry
- City Cruises Washington DC
- The Wharf Ferry Landing
Columbia
Rail
- Columbia station
- Union Station (Columbia)
Bus
- The Comet Central
Air
- CAE
Who runs this route
Speed, flexibility and what is on board. Nothing here is a rating, because we have not earned one.
| Operator | From |
|---|---|
 CommuteAir | €61.50 |
 Mesa Airlines | €59.73 |
 PSA Airlines | €63.27 |
| United Airlines | €63.86 |
What the fare is made of
Every part of the total, so the number at checkout is the number here.
| Part | Amount | Share |
|---|---|---|
| Operator fare | €43.00 | 72% |
| Taxes | €7.74 | 13% |
| Supplier fees | €7.00 | 12% |
| Our service fee | €1.99 | 3% |
| Total you pay | €59.73 | 100% |
The flight gets in hours before any room is ready. Holding a bag is not what we sell.
Somewhere to drop the bags in Columbia?
Stores, cafes and hotels that take luggage, with the hours on the map so you know what is still open when you come back.
Check Columbia on StasherOr try Bounce
Partner links. We do not run these networks. We earn a commission on a booking, and the price is the same as going direct.
Questions about Washington D.C. to Columbia
The questions people actually ask about this trip, answered from the same prices and times the page above is built on rather than written once and left to go stale.
How long does it take to get from Washington D.C. to Columbia?
The fastest journey from Washington D.C. to Columbia takes 4h 25m door to door, of which 1h 16m is spent moving, on the flight. Most services take around 4h 30m, because that average includes slower stopping services and journeys with a connection. Times include reaching the terminal and leaving it at the far end.
How much does it cost to travel from Washington D.C. to Columbia?
The cheapest fare from Washington D.C. to Columbia is €59.73, checked on September 12, 2026. A typical fare across the next three weeks is €93.66. Both figures are the total for one passenger, including taxes, supplier fees and our service fee, so nothing is added at checkout.
What is the cheapest way to get from Washington D.C. to Columbia?
The cheapest way from Washington D.C. to Columbia is by flight, at €70.94 for one passenger on September 29, 2026. That journey takes 4h 26m door to door. Cheaper is rarely faster on this corridor, and the comparison table on this page shows what each mode costs against what it saves.
When should I book Washington D.C. to Columbia?
Fares from Washington D.C. to Columbia bottom out around 45 days before departure, at €49.70. Across the whole booking window the gap between the cheapest and the most expensive lead time is 141 percent, measured on September 12, 2026. Booking inside the last week has consistently cost more on this corridor.
Which day of the week is cheapest for Washington D.C. to Columbia?
Monday is the cheapest day to depart from Washington D.C. to Columbia, at €70.94. That is the median of 21 priced departure days across the next three weeks, checked on September 12, 2026. Shifting a departure by one day is usually worth more than shifting the booking by one week.
Which month is cheapest for Washington D.C. to Columbia?
February is the cheapest of the next 6 months to travel from Washington D.C. to Columbia, at €49.11 for one passenger. Each month is priced on its fifteenth, so the comparison is like for like rather than a mix of weekends and midweek departures.
Who runs service from Washington D.C. to Columbia?
4 operators sell services from Washington D.C. to Columbia across 1 mode: CommuteAir, Mesa Airlines, PSA Airlines, United Airlines. Journey times, fares and fare conditions differ between them, and the operator table on this page compares all of them on speed, flexibility and what is provided on board.
Is there a direct service from Washington D.C. to Columbia?
80 percent of the services we sell from Washington D.C. to Columbia are direct. The rest connect at Richmond, Greensboro, Charlotte, Durham, with about 56 minutes between the two services. Both legs are sold on one booking, so a missed connection is rebooked at no charge.
Which station or terminal do services from Washington D.C. to Columbia use?
Services from Washington D.C. to Columbia by flight leave from Washington IAD and arrive at Columbia CAE. Allow about 3h 10m in total for reaching the departure terminal and leaving the arrival one, which is already included in every door to door time on this page.
Can I change or refund a ticket from Washington D.C. to Columbia?
0 of the 4 operators we sell from Washington D.C. to Columbia allow a change or a refund. A change on a changeable fare costs €5.00. The operator table on this page names which is which, and the condition is shown again before you pay.
Where these numbers come from
Observed service A carrier record shows this named operator serving this named pair, and we carry that through unchanged.
Schedules, seat counts and fares are generated by our own model until the supplier contracts are signed. Places, coordinates, operators, which operator serves which pair, and every distance are real. We would rather say that on every page than let a modeled number pass for a filed one.
Defined in full at Door to door, Fares, The booking window, Carbon, Distances
- On this page
- Every figure above was computed for Washington D.C. to Columbia on September 12, 2026: 671 km of route against 651 km in a straight line, 20 services a day, 4 operators, a cheapest fare of €59.73, and 4h 25m door to door on the fastest mode. The return direction is computed separately and its numbers are not these numbers.
Our job ends at the platform. What fills the days in Columbia afterward does not belong to us.
Anything to book in Columbia before you go?
Day trips that leave Columbia in the morning and cover a good part of United States by evening.
See Columbia on GetYourGuideOr browse Viator
Partner links. We do not sell tours or tickets. We earn a commission on a booking, and it never changes the price.
Other ways to make this journey
Leaving Washington D.C.
Washington D.C. to AtlantaWashington D.C. to MinneapolisWashington D.C. to TorontoWashington D.C. to NashvilleWashington D.C. to DetroitWashington D.C. to BuffaloWashington D.C. to OrlandoWashington D.C. to RochesterWashington D.C. to ChicagoWashington D.C. to WarwickWashington D.C. to MontrealWashington D.C. to St Louis
Arriving in Columbia
Leaving Columbia
- 37Places you can leave for
- 1Countries
- 14Operators
Plan a trip from here
Ask Ori for the same corridor under a different constraint, or for a longer trip that starts on it.