Any plans to rebuild the UA concourse (C and D gates & UX terminal) at IAD / Dulles?
Jul 15, 2013, 2:26 pm
#31
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Lt. Mike Taylor
Loudoun County Fire Marshall - Code Enforcement
[email protected]
I bet he could give United a kick in the pants.
Jul 15, 2013, 2:48 pm
#32
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I'm actually surprised that MWAA has a big "future C/D terminal" mural at the base of the C gates aerotrain station. IMO they don't need to be advertising projects they can't afford, much less one that no one seems to want to invest in. 
Jul 15, 2013, 3:24 pm
#33
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I suppose they could advertise it as the Dulles contribution to helping America exercise more, but I doubt that would be a winning move.
Jul 15, 2013, 3:33 pm
#34
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I don't think that the completion of Metro is going to get Smisek to make any improvements. However, if you think it is getting too crowded at IAD, here is a useful contact:
Lt. Mike Taylor
Loudoun County Fire Marshall - Code Enforcement
[email protected]
I bet he could give United a kick in the pants.
Lt. Mike Taylor
Loudoun County Fire Marshall - Code Enforcement
[email protected]
I bet he could give United a kick in the pants.
Jul 15, 2013, 3:53 pm
#35
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Virginia, USA
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Old UA couldn't justify it either 
The terminals were meant to be temporary when they were build in 1982.
The question has always been about money. Building a new set of terminals is likely to cost billions, which means all IAD-based fliers will be paying higher fares to pay it off for many, many years once it happens.
Daily mainline departures from UA are about the same as pre-merger. It is true a couple of hub-hub routes no longer have widebodies, but on the other hand IAD now has HNL, DUB, and MAN plus upgauges on several other routes from regional to mainline.
If that's a "shadow of its former self" I'd hate to see what you'd call it if they made real cuts
The terminals were meant to be temporary when they were build in 1982.
The question has always been about money. Building a new set of terminals is likely to cost billions, which means all IAD-based fliers will be paying higher fares to pay it off for many, many years once it happens.
Daily mainline departures from UA are about the same as pre-merger. It is true a couple of hub-hub routes no longer have widebodies, but on the other hand IAD now has HNL, DUB, and MAN plus upgauges on several other routes from regional to mainline.
If that's a "shadow of its former self" I'd hate to see what you'd call it if they made real cuts
Jul 15, 2013, 4:52 pm
#36
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The question has always been about money. Building a new set of terminals is likely to cost billions, which means all IAD-based fliers will be paying higher fares to pay it off for many, many years once it happens.
I agree with almost everyone that the facility is a dump. The big 'however' is, whether people book away from the facility itself or the location or airline. You'd have to be blindly loyal or a fool to book a flight out of IAD if you're based in the district itself and you can fly to where you have to go out of DCA. I'd rather connect in CLE/ORD/DEN to DCA than fly to IAD. Perhaps that would change with the metro line, at least you wouldn't have to deal with the awful traffic.
That is why IAD is left with some long haul and hub-hub NB's, the expanding express operation and the international traffic that can't use DCA.
At some point the new building will become a necessity rather than an option given the actual physical structure integrity, but I highly doubt the investment will pay off in any meaningful, non-utilitarian sense.
Jul 15, 2013, 5:01 pm
#37
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Jul 15, 2013, 6:24 pm
#38
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An earlier poster discussed how the state and some local officials are talking about building another County Connector road between Prince William and Loudon. Story found online at: Washington Post: Connector Road to IAD Story
I honestly wish folks in NOVA would take their energy and focus on getting MWAA and United to find money to improve the C/D concourse. The story suggests that the road is being pushed in order to increase passenger flow out of IAD. If you improved the experience for domestic and international PAX that would help to draw people back to IAD.
In my opinion a road will do little to attract more fliers. A more modern and seamless travel experience at IAD will help a ton - people will want to fly to IAD and avoid EWR or other hubs. I'm not saying a new concourse is a complete panacea but I feel that will do more than a road.
I honestly wish folks in NOVA would take their energy and focus on getting MWAA and United to find money to improve the C/D concourse. The story suggests that the road is being pushed in order to increase passenger flow out of IAD. If you improved the experience for domestic and international PAX that would help to draw people back to IAD.
In my opinion a road will do little to attract more fliers. A more modern and seamless travel experience at IAD will help a ton - people will want to fly to IAD and avoid EWR or other hubs. I'm not saying a new concourse is a complete panacea but I feel that will do more than a road.
Jul 15, 2013, 6:43 pm
#39
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Jul 15, 2013, 7:22 pm
#40
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An earlier poster discussed how the state and some local officials are talking about building another County Connector road between Prince William and Loudon. Story found online at: Washington Post: Connector Road to IAD Story
I honestly wish folks in NOVA would take their energy and focus on getting MWAA and United to find money to improve the C/D concourse. The story suggests that the road is being pushed in order to increase passenger flow out of IAD. If you improved the experience for domestic and international PAX that would help to draw people back to IAD.
In my opinion a road will do little to attract more fliers. A more modern and seamless travel experience at IAD will help a ton - people will want to fly to IAD and avoid EWR or other hubs. I'm not saying a new concourse is a complete panacea but I feel that will do more than a road.
I honestly wish folks in NOVA would take their energy and focus on getting MWAA and United to find money to improve the C/D concourse. The story suggests that the road is being pushed in order to increase passenger flow out of IAD. If you improved the experience for domestic and international PAX that would help to draw people back to IAD.
In my opinion a road will do little to attract more fliers. A more modern and seamless travel experience at IAD will help a ton - people will want to fly to IAD and avoid EWR or other hubs. I'm not saying a new concourse is a complete panacea but I feel that will do more than a road.
No, they won't. Fares are based on what the airline thinks they can get away with.
I agree with almost everyone that the facility is a dump. The big 'however' is, whether people book away from the facility itself or the location or airline. You'd have to be blindly loyal or a fool to book a flight out of IAD if you're based in the district itself and you can fly to where you have to go out of DCA. I'd rather connect in CLE/ORD/DEN to DCA than fly to IAD. Perhaps that would change with the metro line, at least you wouldn't have to deal with the awful traffic.
That is why IAD is left with some long haul and hub-hub NB's, the expanding express operation and the international traffic that can't use DCA.
At some point the new building will become a necessity rather than an option given the actual physical structure integrity, but I highly doubt the investment will pay off in any meaningful, non-utilitarian sense.
I agree with almost everyone that the facility is a dump. The big 'however' is, whether people book away from the facility itself or the location or airline. You'd have to be blindly loyal or a fool to book a flight out of IAD if you're based in the district itself and you can fly to where you have to go out of DCA. I'd rather connect in CLE/ORD/DEN to DCA than fly to IAD. Perhaps that would change with the metro line, at least you wouldn't have to deal with the awful traffic.
That is why IAD is left with some long haul and hub-hub NB's, the expanding express operation and the international traffic that can't use DCA.
At some point the new building will become a necessity rather than an option given the actual physical structure integrity, but I highly doubt the investment will pay off in any meaningful, non-utilitarian sense.
Last edited by iluv2fly; Jul 15, 2013 at 8:10 pm Reason: merge
Jul 15, 2013, 7:39 pm
#41
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\
I honestly wish folks in NOVA would take their energy and focus on getting MWAA and United to find money to improve the C/D concourse. The story suggests that the road is being pushed in order to increase passenger flow out of IAD. If you improved the experience for domestic and international PAX that would help to draw people back to IAD.
In my opinion a road will do little to attract more fliers. A more modern and seamless travel experience at IAD will help a ton - people will want to fly to IAD and avoid EWR or other hubs. I'm not saying a new concourse is a complete panacea but I feel that will do more than a road.
I honestly wish folks in NOVA would take their energy and focus on getting MWAA and United to find money to improve the C/D concourse. The story suggests that the road is being pushed in order to increase passenger flow out of IAD. If you improved the experience for domestic and international PAX that would help to draw people back to IAD.
In my opinion a road will do little to attract more fliers. A more modern and seamless travel experience at IAD will help a ton - people will want to fly to IAD and avoid EWR or other hubs. I'm not saying a new concourse is a complete panacea but I feel that will do more than a road.
This isn't a road to benefit IAD, it's a road designed to open up rural parts of Prince William and Loudoun Counties for the developers who are pushing for it behind the scenes.
Jul 15, 2013, 7:52 pm
#42
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Can someone tell AA that they need to also have a direct IAD->SFO flight? (Is Virgin America an option?) That would give United a kick in the pants.
Jul 15, 2013, 8:25 pm
#44
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Pax levels at IAD have declined while those at DCA have increased. SFO, LAX and SEA have all been downgauged. Some IAH flights are now RJs. EZE is gone. HNL is a tourist route as is DUB. I doubt that MAN will last long (who goes there?). What are the upgauges on "several" routes you refer to?
Jul 15, 2013, 8:52 pm
#45
Join Date: May 2001
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Pax levels at IAD have declined while those at DCA have increased. SFO, LAX and SEA have all been downgauged. Some IAH flights are now RJs. EZE is gone. HNL is a tourist route as is DUB. I doubt that MAN will last long (who goes there?). What are the upgauges on "several" routes you refer to?
I'd compare traffic changes at IAD after FlyI shut down to traffic changes across the nation as a whole and at other similar airports (CLT, ATL, PHL, BWI, EWR). For a while (probably around 2008) when UA was still UA and not COdbaUA IAD was the hub that saw the most growth/least shrinkage.
Right now the industry as a whole is not growing and it probably won't be for some time.
An earlier poster discussed how the state and some local officials are talking about building another County Connector road between Prince William and Loudon. Story found online at: Washington Post: Connector Road to IAD Story
I honestly wish folks in NOVA would take their energy and focus on getting MWAA and United to find money to improve the C/D concourse. The story suggests that the road is being pushed in order to increase passenger flow out of IAD. If you improved the experience for domestic and international PAX that would help to draw people back to IAD.
In my opinion a road will do little to attract more fliers. A more modern and seamless travel experience at IAD will help a ton - people will want to fly to IAD and avoid EWR or other hubs. I'm not saying a new concourse is a complete panacea but I feel that will do more than a road.
I honestly wish folks in NOVA would take their energy and focus on getting MWAA and United to find money to improve the C/D concourse. The story suggests that the road is being pushed in order to increase passenger flow out of IAD. If you improved the experience for domestic and international PAX that would help to draw people back to IAD.
In my opinion a road will do little to attract more fliers. A more modern and seamless travel experience at IAD will help a ton - people will want to fly to IAD and avoid EWR or other hubs. I'm not saying a new concourse is a complete panacea but I feel that will do more than a road.
Especially when the road will require those who approach the airport from the south to circle around the airport to the west, connect with the toll road to the north, and circle back to the main terminal.
This isn't a road to benefit IAD, it's a road designed to open up rural parts of Prince William and Loudoun Counties for the developers who are pushing for it behind the scenes.
This isn't a road to benefit IAD, it's a road designed to open up rural parts of Prince William and Loudoun Counties for the developers who are pushing for it behind the scenes.
I still think the hub will be ok longterm. Its an incredibly important market to the Star Alliance. If LH/OS/SK/SN/SA/NH/TK start pulling out, then its time to start worrying about the viability of the hub. They rely on connecting traffic as much as UA does (maybe not LH & NH, but the rest certainly need the hub feed). The real threat is EK and EY showing up (and QR sticking around) to suck traffic away from UA/LH/NH.
Last edited by whlinder; Jul 16, 2013 at 5:12 am Reason: airline code mix up