haddon90

DCA is insanely convenient. but i would argue PHX and SAN are more convenient from a downtown perspective. SAN is literally right there.

Miesque

I think that is a very appropriate description of the United Dulles concourses. It is truly absurd, everytime I take United out of Dulles I am immediately in a sour mood as soon as I get to their terminal space. Bad enough I am flying into it in a few weeks.

cesco.g

UA and IAD Airport Authority sharing booth at this weeks ITB Trade show in Berlin:

https://hallplan.itb-berlin.de/en/sh...=417321&navi=1

Looks like the cooperation with IAD is on solid ground!

Antonio8069

I flew out of IAD this am. Those of you who are cheering for DCA are dreaming in technicolor. The extension of the Metro guarantees it. (For those still cheering - read the title of the thread........2024!)

Found a very nice TK lounge in Terminal B.

smxflyer

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/articles/united-and-washington-dulles-discuss-terminal-improv-437593/

Looks like real movement on a replacement Dulles concourse

Mods: not letting me create a link on mobile

wanderingkev

Good news,certainly needs it ,it is a national embarrassment, hopefully will also lead to more connections through IAD for us southern dwellers who are now forced more and more through the hell hole that is EWR

mh3265a

Thanks for posting. This is really good news. Would be great to see something get started once DCA expansion and Silver Line are completed or near complete. It would be well worth the wait or if they phase in the construction. Either way good for UA to invest in Dulles. Giving up on Dulles would have been extremely shortsighted.

seenitall

While potentially good news, this statement is a killer:
"MWAA is unlikely to begin any work at Dulles until the Silver Line Metro extension to the airport is complete in 2020"

Talking today about work that wouldn't start for 3 years and then likely take another 2-3 years to complete puts it beyond my radar. I guess I'll just have to deal with the crowding, the moon buggy's and the train to nowhere for the foreseeable future. Rats.

drewguy

+1. I don't see what the two have to do with each other, unless there's some construction constraint. If somehow the silver line extension actually will have a material effect on the attractiveness of IAD as an airport, there's little reason that C/D construction couldn't start sooner (or at least talks) to coincide with the completion of the silver line.

CruiserCLE

+1 from a fellow southerner. While I don't mind EWR terminal C, the reliability issues and ATC delays make me avoid it for connections whenever possible.

I would love to see an additional bank or two added to IAD to offer more connections, or at least have the Florida cities connected to the 8am bank. I realize it makes an early departure out of FL but as of now, unless your destination is ORD/IAD/EWR, you really can't get anywhere in the northeast/midwest from the south before lunchtime. Case in point - in the next two weeks I am flying to CLE and PHL, both via IAD and getting in around 2p ET... totally kills the day, but it's the earliest I can get in on UA without flying in the night before.

Duke787

HAHA - yeah this is the MWAA we are talking about. If they are saying it'll take 2-3 years after completion of the Silver Line, I would say everyone should assume 2030 and then be pleasantly surprised if it gets done any sooner.

Miles Ahead

No rats. Just mice.

emcampbe

I'll believe it when its open. I do enjoy connecting in IAD when I have enough time to visit the TK lounge. Otherwise, I try to connect in ORD.

And not just the terminal itself...will be happier when the inter-terminal train stops somewhere near the actual terminal.

blockski

It may seem like a long time, but these are complex projects that require a lot of time to ramp up. Just look at DCA's renovations. MWAA signed a new lease with the airlines there in December 2014; that lease outlined the capital projects for the airport including the new concourse. Construction is just starting now, 2.5 years later. That time was spent completing the design, permitting, etc.

For IAD, they would need to negotiate an amendment to the lease with UA and come to financial terms first, and then do the actual design and engineering to get the project to a point where they can build.

I suspect the 2020 timeframe is only somewhat related to Metro's arrival at IAD. MWAA is managing the construction of the project, so it's taking up significant staff resources. Once they free those up, they'll be able to focus more on the terminal. IIRC, some new funding streams might be open to MWAA by 2020 as well, which may help make the financial terms more palatable to UA.

The article also mentions that MWAA and UA are exploring different options: "Sources indicate that MWAA and United are looking at different alternatives from just a new linear concourse for the project."

I'd be very curious to see what those options might be, but I would imagine they'd be looking at ways to reduce the initial cost, phase the improvements, find a way to minimize disruption to current operations, etc.

Ber2dca

A replacement for Terminal C has been on MWAA's 'to-do-list' for several years, so it's not like they *couldn't* already be deep into the planning stage.