Frontier Airlines is offering a chance for travelers to win free flights on the carrier for one year — but you have to get to Dulles International Airport Tuesday morning for a chance to win.

The low-cost carrier is holding the contest as part of the celebration of  its new service from Dulles, where it will offer 17 routes to places such as Las Vegas, Minneapolis, Cancun, Atlanta and Chicago.

Here is how to enter:

Entries can be made at the airport on the departure level between 9:30 and 11:30 a.m. Tuesday, Aug.19. The winner does not need to be present to win, but must enter the contest in person at the airport. The drawing will be held at 11:45 a.m.

The winner will be selected by random drawing and will win a year of flights on Frontier to any of the airlines’ 18 destination. The winner will receive up to 50 round-trip tickets for travel to be used by the winner for travel until Aug. 19, 2015. Full details of the contest will be provided at the entry site.

The red ribbon has been cut and Phase I of Metro’s long-awaited Silver Line is now open.

Residents can now look forward to the completion of Phase II, which will take them all the way to Dulles International Airport and into Loudoun County. The expected completion date is in 2018.

Here are some things to know about the next next 11-mile phase, which is expected to cost $2.9 billion.

1. There will be six stops.

Silver Line Phase II will stop at Reston Town Center, Herndon, Innovation Center, Dulles International Airport, and Routes 606 and 772 in Loudoun County.

The Reston Parkway station, located on the Dulles Toll Road, will be a few blocks from Reston Town Center. However, future planned development for the area between the station and the existing toll road will practically bring the gateway to the town center to meet the station.

2. Phase II money problems are not completely solved. 

When Metro’s Silver Line project received approval for $1.9 billion in federal Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loans in May, it seemed as though Phase II’s money woes were solved and tolls would remain steady for the next five years. While Phase I received $900 million in federal funding, Phase 2 did not, which put the project in a precarious position the last several years.

The project has been approved for $1.9 billion in federal Transportation Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act (TIFIA) loans, but the U.S. Department of Transportation recently notified all states that restrictions will be placed on their federal highway funds starting Aug. 1 because the Highway Trust Fund, which funds the TIFIA loans, is bordering on bankruptcy.

3. Preliminary design work is underway.

Capital Rail Constructors, a joint venture of Clark Construction Group and Kiewit Infrastructure South, are building Phase II. However, a year ago, the contractors predicting starting construction work in Spring 2014. That has not happened. Like Phase I, there will probably only be an “estimated” completion date for quite a while.

Reston residents who travel out of nearby Dulles International Airport will have a new low-cost airline option beginning this summer.

Frontier Airlines announced on Tuesday it will launch  service at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) with nonstop flights to 14 destinations and introductory fares as low as $15 each way.

Beginning Aug. 19, Frontier will offer nonstop flights to Atlanta, Charlotte, Orlando, Minneapolis/St.Paul, Chicago-O’Hare, and Tampa.

Service to Cincinnati, Detroit, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Memphis, Fort Myers, St. Louis, and Jacksonville, Fla. begins Sept. 8.

The airline is hosting a 12-hour, today-only sale with flights from Dulles to any of the new cities for just $15 each way.

Says Frontier: Tickets must be purchased by 11:59 p.m. Eastern time May 13, 2014, for travel through Nov. 19, 2014. Additional introductory fares as low as $39 will be available at FlyFrontier.com through May 17, 2014. Tickets may be purchased at FlyFrontier.com.

The airlines will use the Z Gates at Dulles.

“The addition of Frontier to the Dulles family represents a significant, positive development for passengers interested in additional low cost, domestic travel options to and from the National Capital region,” Jack Potter, President and CEO, of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority, said in a statement. “Today’s announcement of service to 14 destinations coincides perfectly with the other amazing changes taking place at Dulles — enhanced parking options, spacious concourse makeovers and new food, beverage and retail options coming throughout the year.

“With the Washington area economy growing and the Metrorail Silver Line on the way, Dulles will continue to fill the expanding air travel needs for the region and these new options from Frontier will play an important role. We welcome Frontier aboard.”

Photo: Wikipedia

Reston-based brb (be right burger) is among the many new dining and shopping options coming to Dulles International Airport in the next few months, the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority has announced.

Both Dulles and Reagan National are getting a shopping expansion, and there will be nearly 70 more food and shopping options at the airports by the end of 2014.

Among them:

International and domestic passengers at Washington Dulles International Airport will have the opportunity to shop at Michael Kors, Estee Lauder, L’Occitane, Burberry and Coach, as well as and dine at Chef Geoff’s and Bar Symon.

District Chophouse will be located in the pre-security area on the Main Terminal building’s ticketing level. 

From MWAA:

“The new shops and restaurants will bring more world-class offerings to a world-class airport,” said Chris Browne, vice president and airport manager for Washington Dulles International Airport. “The improvement to the food and retail offerings at Dulles will fit nicely with the significant facility expansions we have completed in recent years. All of these changes will benefit our passengers from the moment they come in the door to liftoff from one of our four runways.”

Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport, which already has major changes underway with pre-security construction, including Legal Sea Foods and Ben’s Chili Bowl, will add local favorites &pizza and Taylor Gourmet to its second wave of food and retail choices.

The Airports Authority has launched new web pages for airport customers to keep track of food and retail offerings under construction at Reagan National and Dulles International. The web pages will be regularly updated as construction of new shops and restaurants continues at both airports.

New/Enhanced Options Coming to Dulles International in 2014

 Food and Beverage

• Bar Symon – Michael Symon, co-host of ABC’s The Chew, brings hearty farm-to-table fare
• D.C. Craft Brews – traditional favorites with selections of local beers
• Smashburger – handcrafted burgers that are smashed, seared and seasoned to order
• ‘brb’ (be right burger) – made-to-order gourmet burgers with chef-inspired toppings
• District ChopHouse – steakhouse classics
• Carrabba’s Italian Grill – flavorful, handmade Italian dishes
• Chef Geoff’s – Washington DC’s local favorite chef, serving contemporary cuisine
•  ‘&pizza’ – made-to-order specialty pizzas
•  Potbelly Sandwich Shop – Fresh, fast, and friendly toasted sandwiches
•  Starbucks – fresh-brewed coffee
• Capitol Grounds Coffee – café with coffee and deli sandwiches

Retail

• Michael Kors – latest jet-set apparel and accessories for women and men
• Coach – American luxury leather goods
•  L’Occitane – natural beauty products
•  Thomas Pink – British fashion apparel for men and women
•  Chanel – designer beauty and accessories
•  Dior – designer beauty and accessories
•  Lancome – luxury perfumes and cosmetics
•  Burberry – iconic British men’s and women’s apparel and accessories
•  Montblanc – manufacturer of writing instruments, watches, jewelry and leather goods
• Estee Lauder – luxury perfumes and cosmetics

Passengers and visitors to Dulles International Airport are getting a little taste of Reston in the baggage claim area.

That’s because Reston Initiative for Public Art Reston (IPAR) has an exhibit between Carousels 9 and 10 that chronicles Reston’s rich public art history. The IPAR information will be in place until May 31.

Comprised of panels organized by geographic locations, the exhibit traces the internationally known planned community’s rich public art history and its continued dedication after 50 years to the arts. It also showcases Reston’s still-growing inventory of close to 50 existing and temporary public art works.

Airport spokeswoman Margaret Bishop says this is the first time Dulles has welcomed this type of freestanding exhibit. Anne Delaney, IPAR’s executive director, says a spot at the airport is a great chance to promote Reston.

“This is a wonderful opportunity to introduce Reston’s public art and Reston as a cultural destination to visitors who may have heard of the community but have not yet had the chance to visit it,” she says.Award-winning exhibition designer Jeanne Krohn and urban planner and former National Building Museum curator Mary Konsoulis created the overall design and content of the IPAR exhibition. Sean Bahrami, media manager at Reston Association, took the photos used as the exhibit’s backdrop.

The idea to install “Reston: The Art of Community” temporarily at Dulles grew out of a conversation between Bishop and Delaney. Delaney drew her attention to the art of place making and how public art reflects a community, Bishop said, noting “we loved the name ‘The Art of Community’ and how it captured what Reston is about and what we’re about.”

The original exhibition was a collaboration between IPAR, whose mission “seeks to inspire an ongoing commitment to public art and [to] create a new generation of artworks in Reston,” and the Reston Historic Trust, which operates the Reston Museum.

In addition to the panels, the IPAR exhibition features a video shown on monitors above the baggage belts. The video is a three-minute clip of a longer documentary, “Fun, Beauty, Fantasy: Reston’s Public Art,” made by Peabody-Award winning filmmaker Rebekah Wingert-Jabi, a Reston resident. The video clip’s music, “The Reston Story,” was composed by Brian Scarbrough, also a Reston resident.

When Metro’s Silver Line opens later this year, it will also bring several changes to the Washington Flyer airport bus service.

The buses that run to Washington Dulles International Airport will get a new name — Washington Flyer Dulles International Airport Silver Line Express.

Instead of running to and from the West Falls Church Metro station, the dropoff and departure points will now be Reston-Wiehle East. That station, at the intersection of Wiehle Avenue and Sunset Hills Road, will be the terminus of the Silver Line for at least five years.

More importantly, the bus from the airport to the Metro will be shorter and much cheaper. The fare will decrease from the current $10 one-way or $18 round trip to $5 each way, Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority spokesman Rob Yingling told The Washington Post.

The airport bus stop will remain unchanged.

When Phase 2 of the $5.6 billion Silver Line is completed, the rail will extend all the way to Dulles and into Loudoun County.

There still is no firm opening date for Phase 1 of the Silver Line, which will run from Tysons Corner to Reston. MWAA Officials are currently in the testing phase of the rail line, but have said they expect to turn the project over to Metro this month. The line should open within 90 days after that.

Other changes coming to the airport transport:

• New buses with an interior layout similar to airport shuttles, with seats and large luggage racks.
• A new schedule. Buses currently run every 30 minutes. When the new line opens, they will run every 20 minutes and as often as every 15 minutes during some weekday peak hours, MWAA says.
• Riders will be able to pay with cash or credit cards. The buses will not take SmarTrip cards.