EWR764

Wait... so wouldn't this be previous (Tilton), previous (Creighton), previous (Goodwin) management? 12+ years is an eternity in this business. Hard to peg this one on Jeff & Co.

y2k1jetta

I too will miss the B84 gates and the longest walk from gate agent to plane in the states.

halls120

Yes, but Jeff is in charge now. So blaming Glenn isn't going to shield Jeff's inactivity. Plus Jeff doesn't have the 9/11 downturn to hide behind.

I so wish DL or AA would move into IAD and start offering some real TATL competition to UA. Maybe then Jeff would stop treating IAD like the bas*ard stepchild.

LarkSFO

This is the video I saw on a recent flight...

https://hub.united.com/en-us/videos/...acilities.aspx

$1B being invested in airports - IAH, SFO, LAX, and ORD referenced (no love for IAD...)

($1B = $500M by United / $500M by airport authorities.)

Globally:
900 Gates
10M square feet of real estate

EWR764

United simply cannot afford to build an entirely new C/D concourse at Dulles on its own, nor would it be a wise move to do so independently even if it had the means. It is likely a multibillion-dollar project and would be far in excess of any terminal project an airline has financed on its own.

The fact that MWAA is unwilling to invest is equally damning, if not more so, than the perceived inactivity on the part of present United management.

entropy

While I agree with almost everyone that IAD C/D is a dump, the fact is that it does its job. Unless IAD was going to see a big jump in capacity needed, IAD doesn't *need* a new terminal so much. They are investing in areas that need expansion: SFO where they have serious capacity constraints and IAH where they need more RJ capacity.

IAD is also limited in the PFC's they can charge, a portion of which is being devoted to the Silver line project which will enable much better access to IAD from DC itself. A new terminal will be mostly cosmetic, not functional, so until they run out of more pressing matters, I doubt that will see investment...

halls120

I'm not suggesting UA do it on its own dime, and that wasn't the pre 9/11 plan. It has to be a partnership with the MWAA. No one has suggested that the MWAA lacks access to the capital necessary to build a proper terminal, so until someone points to MWAA's refusal to sign an agreement with UA, the ball's in UA's court.

bennytma

I'm not sure whether it was even a choice but I'd pick a metro line to Dulles from DC over a renovated C/D terminal ANY DAY OF THE WEEK. I'd also take UA ponying up the cash to keep midfield customs open late over a renovated terminal.

I misconnected in Dulles last summer because we were late arriving from London. We had to take the tonka truck shuttle to the main terminal, pick up our bags, clear customs, reclear security, and take the tonka truck back to C/D to connect. Needless to say I missed my connection (last flight of the night) and had to spend the night at an airport hotel.

dilbertsdaddy

Not sure what the new set up will look like, having to board on the tarmac does not seem like a good idea. However, the old B is the closest thing to third world we have in the US, so anything would be an improvement. I remember exiting the jetway into the terminal and almost puking from he smell. Really disgusting.

CO4EVR

The tarmac boarding must be a space issue. They're at the point now where they could never have enough jetways for all the regional flights. This is very common in Europe, even for 737s and A320s at major airports (I know I've done it at FRA and CDG, probably others). Doesnt mean I like it though...

saxman66

FWIW, they will have those nifty loading ramps up to the aircraft, and they are usually covered. At least that was in the picture I saw.

I did read an article a couple months ago about renovating IAD. Wash Airports Authority wants a grand state of the art facility to welcome foreign visitors to our capitol. (Who can blame them) But United doesn't really want to pay for that. United knows C/D is inadequate as well, but perhaps they will reach an agreement in the middle. Wish I could remember where I saw that, else I'd post it.

LarkSFO

Come on!!

It was just 'renovated' in 2006! See my bolding below for a complete list of all the work done.

For a terminal built in 1985, what more could you want?

http://www.metwashairports.com/dulles/783.htm

A new, updated look for a temporary facility
Concourse C/D was built in 1985, two years before the Airports Authority was created. The original structure was the first midfield concourse at Dulles to service aircraft via jetbridge gates. It was conceived as a temporary facility. Since then, airport growth led to construction of permanent midfield Concourses A and B while C/D began to show its age. The purpose of the rehabilitation project was to extend the useful life of the C and D Concourses until a permanent replacement could be built nearby.

The primary improvements completed in 2006 include light fixture upgrades, new paint finishes, new ceiling grids and tiles, heating and air conditioning replacement, and complete restroom renovations.

Statistics about Concourse C/D Rehabilitation:

Date Completed: January 2006
Construction Details:
Contractors: Dominion Consulting Engineers, PC - Design. Smoot Construction Co. - Construction.
Estimated Program Cost: $23.6 million

New Concourse C planned for the future
A new, permanent midfield concourse will eventually replace the existing Concourse C/D, which is a temporary structure. At its central point, Its location will be aligned with the base of the new Airport Traffic Control Tower. Plans call for a three-level structure with 44 airline gates and similar amenities to Concourse B. The concourse plan includes a dedicated mezzanine corridor with moving sidewalks to serve international passengers. Design and construcion of the new concourse have not yet been scheduled.

From the PDF that is on the page I linked above:

Customer Benefits:
Concourse C/D was built in 1985 as an interim airline gate facility and will continue to serve in that capacity for several
more years until the construction of a permanent replacement midfield concourse is complete. This project will provide
the rehabilitation necessary to extend the useful life of the facility an additional 8 to 10 years.
The majority of the rehabilitation work is related to the facility’s mechanical, electrical and security systems. The primary
work items are:

Replace significant portions of the heating and air conditioning system;
Upgrade light fixtures with energy efficient fixtures;
Renovate men's and women's restrooms;
Remove moving walkways;
Refinish approximately 50 interior columns;
Replace ceiling tiles in holdrooms and ceiling tiles and grid in the main corridor; and
Install a natural gas line on the roof of the building.

edcho

Looks like the useful life of the facility is coming to an end (2014 to 2016) yet it still looks like it's going to be several more years before something permanent replaces C/D.

LarkSFO

Hey, don't worry, they can:

And it will be good to go through 2025!

saxman66

So basically C/D was a trailer park to begin with. To be fair, we'll just call it the double wide.