seenitall

This vacillation is idiotic. First, they build the Aerotrain station about 1500 feet south of C/D -- supposedly right underneath where the replacement terminal would be built. And now they are putting money into renovations at C/D. One of these two expenditures is a complete waste. Meanwhile, pax get the displeasure of both walking a quarter of a mile from the station and back up into the crappy trailer park that is C/D. A lose/lose situation. Crazy.

UA_Flyer

Often1

Don't worry, they've promised to build a high speed rail link to IAD and have it ready by 1970.

exerda

Despite what I said about RJs above, I find that a lot of my ex-IAD flights are mainline, more so than my connecting flights out of most other hubs. I'm sure that's a factor of to where I'm traveling...

I have just loved going IAD-EWR-South Florida! Glad to see the station manager realizes that (although for FL, honestly, nonstops will remain ex-EWR for good reason--it's the rest of the South that seems oddly-positioned ex-EWR).

Would those have been 20 or 30 year bonds?


One wonders how much that would cost as opposed to a new midfield concourse. Higher ceilings and bigger windows would require a ton of work at C/D and a ton of investment. I get that a new terminal would be an order of magnitude more, but it would also be a 40+ year investment.

Artpen100

I would probably complain less about C/D if there was a Polaris lounge.

username

Government stuff in the DC area just seem to move slower than the rest of the country...

I guess this also means there won't be a Southeast Hub to plug the hole in the network? Kirby, being from US/HP, must see the value of something in the southeast and maybe this is the best they can do?

I usually try to transit at IAD when the little buses are running - they are fun to ride and you can see all the big planes. That + the TK/LH lounges make IAD tolerable.

blockski

Sounds like UA and MWAA are looking at a modest expansion of Concourse C at IAD to make room for a new Polaris lounge, as well as an expansion of space in the midfield FIS facility:

https://www.flightglobal.com/news/ar...roveme-451375/

paytonc

The 2003 bonds were mostly paid off... via a re-funding issuance in 2010, as MWAA very enthusiastically accessed the cheap post-recession credit markets. They're steadily paying down those bonds, but they won't fully mature until the 2030s or even 2040s.
Debt Management | Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority

Artpen100

Also, I don't mind the UA regional jets out of the lower A gates so much now that PP grants access to the Virgin Atlantic and Air France lounges at that end of A. (I am usually flying out first thing in the morning, before those get crowded and start turning people away.)

Thorgils

This quip evokes memories that many FTers (including the quipper) may be too young to appreciate. In May/June 1972, the Nixon Administration held a big, splashy international trade fair at Dulles, called "Transpo '72" (it was actually quite good, I remember). Only 15 months earlier, in February 1971, then US Transportation Secretary Volpe announced to a meeting of Washington business leaders that USDoT would build a 13½ mile high-speed, linear-induction motor powered, "tracked air-cushion vehicle," running from the beltway at Dolley Madison Boulevard along the Dulles Access Road median to IAD, to open in time for Transpo '72. The Nixon folks were very keen on high tech as the solution to urban and interurban transportation ("If we can get men to the moon, why can't we get them across town?"), and "TACV" (the precursor to maglev technology) was one of the biggest gleams in their eyes.

Needless to say, . . .

paytonc

https://www.bizjournals.com/washington/news/2018/10/25/mwaa-planning-60m-in-upgrades-to-dulles-terminal.html

Contracts for construction to renew systems, guaranteeing another TEN+ years of the current C/D.

catocony

Keep in mind that Dulles is not a standalone operation. MWAA also has National, and National has been completely rebuilt over the last 20 years. Dulles has been more piecemeal, but except for United, all other airlines have benefited from the slow, fragmented rebuild at Dulles over the last 20 years. MWAA did a much better job at National, but that airport is obviously quite a bit different than Dulles. No widebodies, Air Canada as the only international airline, that kind of thing.

Dulles has good capacity now and room to build more terminals and another runway. If United wants to move some flights down from Newark, it would be a good idea. Dulles doesn't have 30 planes ready to take off and idling on the tarmac all day long like Newark frequently does.

milepig

Some disagree, but I also think UA got the short end of the stick at DCA when they moved from a modern spacious area to sort of a left-over arm that time forgot. It's hot, narrow, cramped, and just not a pleasant place to hang out.

windhund

milepig: I agree! It feels like UA's terminals at IAD and DCA are the lower-end of what both airports offer. UA's terminal at DCA IS better than being in terminal A (IMO), which is really crowded, though even terminal A has gotten investments in improving the space and retail.

Artpen100

At least since C/D is not going away, maybe United really will build a Polaris lounge in C. Though I will believe it when I see construction begin. At least the Bracket Room across from the UA gates at DCA now takes Priority Pass (so I can eat if I have an hour to kill - the UA club there is a nice design for a domestic lounge, but same limited food and beverage).