halls120

They improved LAX because they have competition at LAX. They have no real competition at IAD, which is why we get the dump that is the C/D concourse.

Hipplewm

FWIW - I am 99% sure the underground stuff is done. When they built the train to term C/D, the reason you have to walk so far is it is halfway between what will be the next terminal, so one train stop for both terminals.

THIS IS LIKE 4TH HAND CRAPOLA, so take with a tiny grain of salt, but it does make sense based on how much you have to walk and the direction you walk to get from C/D to the train station

goodeats21

Yes, I am sure that was the plan with the train station. My point, probably not too clear, is that the Polaris lounge is a minuscule investment compared to the train project.
There is no way they should be waiting for the completion of a theoretical new terminal to update the lounges at IAD.

Artpen100

No secret about the train station being put under the (possible) future site of a new C/D. MWAA has had various information about that on its website for, I guess, ever. At least up to a year or so ago, somewhere in the stations I recall seeing large posters of what new C/D would look like (generally, just like A/B).

UA has little domestic competition at IAD, where in the mornings all the cars in the drop off lanes are down at the UA doors at the end. But it does at DCA. And it does have a lot of international competition at IAD. I know people who fly business class on the non-US airlines out of A/B, and will even fly out of DCA to connect elsewhere (like JFK, DTW or ATL) rather than fly UA business class out of IAD. (Unlike me, where buying discount business and upgrading into R space when possible, which combined with their routing, tends to have me on UA, they tend to pay higher last minute business class fares. Flying UA out of IAD does not appeal to them; quite the reverse.)

Hipplewm

When we returned from HNL this year and landed at IAD - we had a 4hr layover

I took the whole clan to the Turkish lounge

My wife never understood why I called IAD (C/D gates) a cesspit until she saw the A/B terminal.....now she fully understands

oopl

Maybe some new information.

SFO EWR & IAH Q2 2018
LAX Q3
IAD Q4
LHR Q4 2019

sanfran8080

And to think Americans were able to put a man on the moon faster than set up these Polaris lounges

Artpen100

UAL250

Wondering this too. All of the UA clubs are operating normally as far as I can tell. No signs of construction starting soon.

N104UA

If I had to guess I will be the club at C7, and the GFL becoming the UC, although if UA were smart they would make both Polaris Lounges.

I don't think construction should take long, the issue has been too much demand requiring them to expand, UA should be able to solve this with most airports now that they know what percent of pax to expect based on ORD

schley

Or build the Empire State Building.

villox

NASA had a lot more space to work with.

TA

Interesting side point. Empire State Building took 13 months to build, amazing. But then, it was the Depression and people were fearing for their jobs / lives and highly motivated. Plus workplace safety and environmental reviews weren't a thing. Not so much right now.

EWR764

I was told February for the IAH-E Polaris lounge back in the fall (by a well-placed representative), so obviously things have slipped a bit into Q2.

No excuse, but I wonder if it would have been built as quickly if, shortly before beginning construction, the developers realized it was at least 1/3 too small and redesigned the entire thing?

schley

Is that what happened? I know it was like an erector set and were building a floor a day during the peak production schedule! I don't remember anything about the redesign, fill us in.