This is making me nervous for my 8am flight on Monday morning. I'm going to throw my US Airways Chairmans card on top of my UA boarding pass and hope for the best.

I flew out of IAD last Sunday. I had a 9:35 AM flight on UA that got canceled due to mechanical difficulties. I got moved to an AA flight at 6 PM. I arrived at LAX at 9 PM, and it was even more crowded than IAD.

The AA ticket agent said a lot of people travel on weekends in fall. Most will fly out of town on Friday night and back home on Sunday.

Another FT'er mentioned last Sunday was the end of Ramadan, which added to the heavy travel.

Still, I thought September and October were "shoulder season" where travel is a lot lighter.

All of you should buy *me* a drink. I transit through IAD at least twice EVERY SINGLE WEEK OF THE YEAR. :p

I saw exactly the same sign on my last trip trough IAD. I didn't have any idea who the line was for, but the TSA rep didn't either! I figured I'm as "premium" as anyone else, so I got through security line quickly.

I was in the IAD lines last Sunday as well - they were bad. There are a few shortcuts, and they really are worth mentioning here...

* if you see insane lines for carry-on only checkin (from the chickens), go downstairs and use one of the four machines...most of the time they won't have a line (or it will be short)

* if you are at least 2p (I think they have their own checkin line) or are traveling in F, check in using the premier checkin line. 1Ps and 1Ks definitely have their own line. You'd think this would be such an easy thing and everyone would know about it...but you wouldn't see how many people I saw waiting in line with the rest of the GMs, getting gold bp jackets after waiting for an hour to check-in.

Finally, regardless of your status, use the 'premium passengers' security line. There is no strict rule on who can and cannot use the line - and i've never had a problem, nor seen anyone turned away. Once again, you wouldn't believe how many 'United First' BPs I saw with people standing in the normal security line.

My girlfriend had a flight (she's not YET a silver -2P equiv on US, so no elite anything) on UA at 17:15 and she made her flight by 20 seconds...this is after me getting to the airport 50 minutes or so before her flight left, but using the checkins downstairs and running back up to the security line.

The sad thing was...two Fridays before that, it was around 17:00 and I saw IAD the worst i've ever seen before. Checkin lines at United were tightly wrapped and went all the way out to Harry's Tap Room. Worse off, the security line was four people wide, snaking throughout the terminal and probably wrapping around the length of the airport (if you unwound it). I got to the airport 45 minutes before my flight (I know, i'm dumb), but if I didn't have 1P checkin and Premium security, I definitely wouldn't have made my flight. I still only made my flight by a matter of minutes.

Good luck - I really haven't ever seen Dulles like the way its been. Luckily it was DCA for me this week :)

-jeremy

Flew IAD to LAX last Friday on the 6:00 p.m. flight, so it's show time at Dulles. But...used the premier security line, got through in just a few minutes, and was on my way. And no, didn't arrive at 2:00, got there about 5:00.

[Stuck in the very last row, BOB ran out of food, and the cabin crew took pity on me and got me a crew meal, but that's another story.]

Dulles/IAD always a complete mess??

Always is pretty inclusive but as to Dulles, this may just be true.

After decades of continuous construction you still have narrow consourses with lousy amenities and the worst baggage performance I've ever seen or heard about.

I can't see how UA has made anything better. And sadly, they seemed resigned to mediocrity. A few weeks ago we were checking in for an Int'l flight in the business class line and UA had one check-in agent. The C line grew to 15 people, and when a fellow came out to move the line ropes, he was of course inundated with irate premium customers sick of the long wait. He said they were trying to encourage people to use self check-in! Can you imagine that they would make some of their best customers, who are paying thousands of dollars for a premium ticket, wait longer, not because they are short-handed but to teach them a lesson on why they should use machines (which in my case and many others, we could not do anyway).

I told the agent "You're encouraging me to go to Delta".

This is my concern with the Premium line at IAD. The BP checkers do not have the backbone to turn anyone away if they do not have elite status or a F/C ticket. In short order, the Premium line will be deemed a failure by MWAA and go away if the standards of "Premium" are not enforced. In the past few weeks, I've noticed the Premium line get longer and longer.

The main terminal layout is extremely user unfriendly. I don't think the Washington DC Airort authority or the airlines (UA in particular) have the stomach to redo the layout until the bigger project is undertaken ( could be a long long wait!!!).

As for my own travel, unless I absolutely have no control, I have gradually switched to DCA in this year.

I have flown from DCA to ORD for my Asia connecting flights, DCA to Florida (on US), DCA to ORD to LHR, DCA to YYZ (on AC) and more recently this week I have switched to flying US Shuttle to LGA instead of dealing with Messy Air out of IAD. UA is losing revenue from my some of my travels solely because of IAD.

I really don't mind flying to Europe out of ORD as the fares are competitive and all those additional miles. ;)

From where I live just north of the Potomac River on the Maryland side, it is actually quicker to get to DCA and not far from my local Metro stop. DCA is easier to get in and out. I cannot think of any other reasons not to fly out of DCA.

At least at IAD you won't feel a gun pressed to your back. ;)

Very silly you! IAD is one of the classiest aspects of DC!

More seriously though, IAD is very hit and miss re crowds. One day the security lines are seemingly endless and the next it might appear that there are more TSA's on duty than pax to harrass.

I do not think the facility was designed to handle 27mm passengers.
counts from 2000 to 2005 is 20,18,17,17,22,27MM!

the 2006 running total(aug-aug06) shows a drop to 24mm. due to Independence air demise.

the UA zoo is probably due to a 10-20% increase in passengers thru IAD over last year.

I have the misfortune of hitting the middle of the european arrivals in the afternoons. frequently one is left standing at mid terminal as there is no room to put people in the immigration waiting area, which does not make any difference, since baggage is still an hour away.

My wife, who is a 3P, flew through IAD this morning. When she went to the "Premium" line, a UA CSR told her that she had to pay $5 to access the line. What bunk! :td:

:eek: Sounds like someone trying to enhance their income.

MSTraveler, the chaos at IAD is so inexcusable and breathtaking -- absurdly long checkin lines, surly Immigration that will actually shout at arriving passengers to herd them, unlabled lines to nowhere where newcomers have to ask "what are you in line for" and hope for the best -- that I have only one way to cope with it.

Pretend it's not really happening.

Always allow 2.5+ hours for checkin, never think of arriving without a printed boarding pass, be generally helpful to the poor pax who might be experiencing this mess for the first time, and just zone yourself out into some kind of meditation state while you're waiting for it all to unfold.

I'm embarrassed that this mess of an experience is even associated with our national capital.