Yes, but the MWAA also operates Reagan Washington National Airport.

Fly out of IAD at 8 am last Thursday and had absolutely no problems. Used the Premium line and there was no wait at all. I like the new rearrangement of security lines, especially when you return. When getting off the moon buggies, you no longer cross paths with those just clearing TSA and no longer have to then go down the escalators and then manually opening those two doors to get into baggage claim while 2 TSA agents just sit there. Never understood why, if they had two TSA agents sitting there watching the doors, they couldn't just leave the doors open. Anyhow, now, when you return and leave the moon buggies, you exit straight ahead into the main terminal and there are escalators straight ahead that take you doen to baggage claim. A much more efficient process.

Since this thread deals more with the airport than UA, I am moving this to the Washington D.C. forum.

Thanks for your understanding.

iluv2fly
Moderator, UA

This is the route to baggage claim if you're coming off the C shuttle. For all of the other gates the normal route exits into the baggage claim level (between baggage claims 8 and 10). The doors are still closed with TSA agents watching.

Today was back to cool. I arrived at 7.30 and there were only 2-3 ppl before me in the Premium line (getting to TSA). Compared with last Monday at the same time when I had to wait 25 minutes to come to TSA, then this is back to cool again!

Yeeeeaaaa! :D

Ual @ Iad
 

Have a UAL flight scheduled to leave IAD at 0900 on a Friday. After reading the posts . . . do I have to arrive the night before, or, how much time is recommended for one eligible for the premier line.

Coming in from Japan not so bad
 

Recently went in and out on a United-ANA combo from Boston-IAD-NRT.

Both ways worked out well as it all happens in the AM.

When I returned on ANA from Tokyo, the flight into IAD gets in around 10 am and cleared immigration in less than 5 minutes.

Also works that way going from Japan into JFK on the ANA flight as it arrives before noon and the European flights don't start coming in until after lunch.

There's an article in tomorrow's Washington Post about the security wait times:

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...103001208.html

It's interesting to me that (from the article):
I was at security at around 3, and having used OLCI and the Premium TSA line I had a wait of under 1 minute -- this is typical of my Sunday departures. (Now they will worsen just because I wrote that!!).

I have to say as someone who is in and out of IAD just about every week that I don't find it to be quite as horrific as many of the posters in this thread. I don't like the long waits for checked baggage, and I'd prefer if my UX flights to DFW went out of terminal C and not A, but the quick buggy ride from the C17 RCC to A isn't too bad, and when I want a good beer there's the Sam Adams cafe in terminal B. Checkin is sometimes a bit slow (I'm usually using the UGS/1st line at UA, but only when I'm flying internationally), but in general I find IAD to be 'not bad'.

The Washington Flyer taxi system has its issues to be sure (why do I have to wait in line when the drivers are all waiting for hours -- no shortage of taxis, just an inefficient dispatch system IMO), and any afternoon arrival means a 1-hour+ ride home to Maryland.

DCA is great, in that it's close, convenient, and usually the security line is short, but since I stopped using AA to go to DFW, UX and IAD is my only choice for UA nonstops.

I do appreciate great airports -- ZRH, MUC, and the FCT at FRA -- and have been to many others. But in my book IAD is a solid 6-7 on a scale of 1-10, with 10 being the FCT at FRA (though I'd give FRA itself about a 3) and 1 being a tiny grass hut near Roatan in Honduras.

-C

Good thing I read further in the post because I was about to say the same thing. Locals here don't even consider IAD to be a DC airport. IAD aka Dulles International..meaning Dulles VIRGINIA...its quite a ways from DC, ESPECIALLY with NOVA traffic.

I don't know about that. I'm a "local", from Maryland, and while I'm generally not a Virginia fan (sorry but if you're from MD, or VA, you know what I mean), IAD is WAY more of a DC airport than BWI. Which should be called BI, since it's the Baltimore airport.

JMHO,
-C

I definitely confirms this! I'm in and out of IAD Monday-Thursday/Friday every week. It has been very good since they opened the Premium Line. However, starting 3 weeks ago with the new TSA gates, it has been a bit messy. Last Monday I had to wait 30 minutes. This Monday it was back to 2-3 minutes.

IAD is actually one of the best UA hubs :)

The people-movers never really bothered me, but the new underground train system will still be a nice improvement.

The security lines have always been a big problem, although since they opened the first new section of security gates (all the way to the right) the new 'premium' line looks like it should be a solid improvement for us elite members. (Correct me if I'm wrong, but I'm pretty sure this is new just within the past few weeks/month.) Once they finish the rest of the new security gates this should finally be solved pretty nicely for everyone (essentially security gates the entire way across the back of the main terminal).

The ultimate problem I always have and do not see even being addressed by any of the new construction are the luggage waits. It almost always takes me over an hour from the time of landing to get my luggage and get to my car in the economy lots, and the vast majority of this time is waiting for luggage. Combined with the 30 minutes at best commute to Silver Spring, and I always have to figure at least 90 minutes if not 2+ hours (with any traffic) from landing until get home--just ridiculous.

I only wonder if perhaps the new underground train system will also include trains or some other mechanism for moving luggage between the terminals faster. Does anyone know where to find information like this or any other particularly useful details about construction status?

(I fly ~20 times a year, most of them through Dulles b/c for some reason its usually cheaper for where I need to go than BWI, which is the same distance in the opposite direction and which I would strongly prefer.)

Hands down, IAD is the WORST UA hub of all, and I have been in and out of ALL of them. Nothing wrong at all in my book with DEN, SFO, or ORD. LAX is bad but not as bad as IAD.

what are you all using for ranking here? I don't think ANY of them are a winner, they all have their problems and they can be nasty problems.

DEN has a nice, open facility but its a pain to transit from one end to the other (or between concourse when they had TED separate), esp for short connections.

SFO and ORD has some of the worst CSRs out there, not that IAD has great ones but I can usually navigate the system better there since I know it.

I've been lied to outright by DEN and SFO RCC agents - was able to report one of those, couldn't identify the other when the truth would've required some level of effort by them to accomodate my issue/request.

LAX is just a nasty place to be.

I don't travel to DEN very much, just through it. ORD and SFO have quick access to the concourses because of the design, as does LAX but you usually go in via a different terminal to avoid lines at the regular security. IAD and DEN both require a trip on the train/people mover. I don't have as much of an issue with that bus as others do at IAD, not since they put in the clocks.

SFO is out for me - nice as the RCC is and the new food court, the pricing behind security is ludicrous. I believe it was 2.25 or 3.00 for a half liter of spring water. DEN is a pain to find spring water but there is a store in the middle that offers it, there are decent food choices but you usually need to have enough buffer because most are slow service. IAD has fewer options but as I leave from here, it meets my needs in most cases, esp now that I can get my Dunkin Donuts coffee in the morning when I want it and a sandwich at subway or potbelly in the afternoon. LAX - is there anything decent there for food? Maybe one or two places. ORD has some food options that are good, could be a walk between them though.

Every one of these airports has their pros and cons but they are (with the exception of DEN), older buildings with older interiors (add SFO in there too) and need a face lift, especially in the UA gate areas.