Why do heavy intl departures still use C at IAH?
Sep 15, 23, 8:50 pm
#1
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Why do heavy intl departures still use C at IAH?
Been doing this for over 10 years out of IAH and I still just dont get it. Is there just not enough room every evening for wide body departures out of E? 2nd time in the last 3 months for me. Tomorrow's FRA flight will be out of C. Forced into the complete garbage OTG places if you want anything near the gate. I just don't get it. What gives?
Sep 15, 23, 9:45 pm
#2
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Been doing this for over 10 years out of IAH and I still just dont get it. Is there just not enough room every evening for wide body departures out of E? 2nd time in the last 3 months for me. Tomorrow's FRA flight will be out of C. Forced into the complete garbage OTG places if you want anything near the gate. I just don't get it. What gives?
Sep 15, 23, 9:46 pm
#3
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Sep 15, 23, 9:49 pm
#4
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Sep 15, 23, 9:54 pm
#5
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Sep 15, 23, 10:59 pm
#7
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They dont have enough widebody gates in E to accommodate all of their flights during peak times. C7, 8 and 14 can handle large aircraft, so they do.
Some international departures come in from domestic destinations. For example, EWR-IAH-GIG. In this case, the aircraft might use Terminal C to preserve gates at E for international arrivals.
Some international departures come in from domestic destinations. For example, EWR-IAH-GIG. In this case, the aircraft might use Terminal C to preserve gates at E for international arrivals.
Sep 15, 23, 11:05 pm
#9
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Sep 15, 23, 11:47 pm
#10
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UA does not have a designated “domestic terminal” at IAH. Yes, one of the reasons that CO gave for building terminal E was to increase IAH’s international capacity, but at no point was it ever intended to be international-only, nor did they ever intend to stop utilizing the widebody-capable C gates for international departures.
Sep 16, 23, 12:08 am
#11
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Most (all?) of the wide-body gates are at the south ends of the E and C concourses, so C can be used for int’l departures.
UA actually uses a lot of 737s internationally to Caribbean, Mexico, Central America, Northern South America. It’s not all domestic 737/757s at E - they do need connection to the immigration hall.
Last edited by IAH-OIL-TRASH; Sep 16, 23 at 1:06 am
Sep 16, 23, 4:08 am
#12
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Sep 16, 23, 6:56 am
#13
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I'm aware of that, although it tends to be the int'l 763s (GIG, LIM, SCL, MUC) that UA frequently sends out of C7/C8. Those only use one jetway, though I'm not sure how many of the E gates can handle 763s otherwise.
Sep 16, 23, 7:50 am
#14
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If UA has several 737s coming in as INTL arrivals at E and 767s from, say, EWR or ORD into C, they aren't going to tow any of those aircraft from E to C and vice versa for their next flights.
Sep 16, 23, 8:32 am
#15
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True enough. Ultimately the question is whether there are enough E gates to handle UA's international widebody banks. If there aren't, someone gets the short end of the stick. If there are, it would be ideal if the gate managers would try a little harder to make the international premium experience as premium as feasible.
