trvlr70

I would have to disagree here. Dubai is about business, not government. Chicago is much more of a business hub and would likely have much more O&D than Washington.

But, I agree, ORD is maxed out.

However, if UA doesn't offer the flight, I suspect Emirates will in the future.

dcmike

While Dubai is about business, basing the flight in IAD means you would also get all the government business heading elsewhere in the Gulf, East Africa, and most of South-East Asia.

Wireless

Don't forget cargo... that's the money maker for KWI, so I'd imagine they'd have some notable revenue in the belly going back and forth from DXB.

Either way, I'm on the first flight out there if and when they launch.

flyinryan

Mr. Tilton would expect nothing less!

ziqch

I sure hopes this pans out and price wise they are in same range as EK, my problem with EK is no status miles with any other airlines in US, so this would work, and i can connect through DXB using EK. Delta is starting similar service out of atlanta but prices much higher than EK.

mymiles2go

I disagree. Both DXB and KWI will be very imporatant routes in the near and long term future. Assuming for a moment that the US starts to pull back troops from Iraq - there is still a TON of traffic for business development that will be going into the country for the next decade plus. Also, don't forget how little of the overall govt traffic is going to Iraq versus other locations in the region that are using KWI as a jumping off point.

Don't get me wrong - DXB will be huge, and US alludes to that - but KWi will be here for a long time to come. I'd be willing to bet the route will go daily within 12 months from now - IAD-KWI-DXB-KWI-IAD.

Itlan

A DXB- US anywhere will be a welcome relief for frequent Middle East travelers. When I fly home to LAX from either KWI or DXB via LHR, AMS, or FRA, the flights are always packed and there are plenty of American's transfering on home. There's no need to go through KWI since there are plenty of pax to support both routes. Now we just need Emirates to join SA and the system will be great for Middle East travelers! The earlier post is correct, it's not tourism from the US that supports these routes but business, military, general contractors, and development travelers that keep the flights packed.

sadiqhassan

I think the reasont that IAD-KWI via DXB would work better (even though it is quite a bit of extra flying for KWI pax) is for 2 reasons

i) competition.

KWI has few competitors flying nonstop from the US (only KU(?) who fly 6 x weekly from New York)

ii) connections.

One one the reasons Dubai has become such a succesful hub IMHO is because it offers connections from Europe/North America to all the major cities in Australia/Indian Subcontinent/Far East Asia/ Africa (I know people that fly ACC-DXB-JFK and EK actually offers a competitive fare!) KWI isn't nearly as developed as a hub.

For passengers going on to Asia, a 2 stop journey via DXB and KWI will not be as appealing as a 1 stop via Europe.

However, if UA is aiming solely at O/D pax and pax connecting at IAD, then IAD-KWI-DXB-KWI-IAD will probably work better.

Cheers

flyinryan

That would be very cool if it happened, but I think Emirates (EK) would be hesitant to join any alliance, since it would be almost forced into giving up premium cabin seats for *A awards/upgrades. I know, I know, it's tough to get an award on SQ, and it would be just as tough to get one on EK if it joined *A, but look at it this way: if EK charges thousands of $$ for the premium products, and the cabins are full, why give it away for free?
The real question there is: does EK think it can continue to be a "standalone" carrier and attract pax solely on the route and product offerings, or will it see a need to integrate more with other carriers?

Benny8444

Will UA put out a press release on this?

kevinsac

Of course there will be a press release. They will play it up the same as the announcements of the KWI routing.

flyinryan

Obviously the details are still being hammered out...

djerikd

Very true. I know that the Navy sends a lot of cargo to DXB for the US Navy battlegroups that are supported at Mina Jabal Ali. I wouldn't be surprised if it was sufficent to support a non-stop from CONUS in addition to the non-stop that goes to KWI.

roadkit

You may not have noticed, but there's this little thing going on in the country next to Kuwait. Lots of Americans there, mostly government.

I don't think they'll have any problem filling these up.

mecabq

Count me in as among those who'd be excited about this. I agree with the posters who question the ability of UA IAD-DXB to compete with other premium products, especially if it's IAD-KWI-DXB, hindering the value of the route for connections onward from DXB.

Also, Qatar Airways, possibly the best airline in the world (along with SQ) (and superior to Emirates in my limited experience, which does not include long-haul), announced that it is beginning service from DOH to NYC and IAD (unclear whether it would be separate flights or a continuation). Either way, that's another option against which UA would have difficulty competing, for all travelers except those of us who are loyal to UA and want the miles/status/SWUs/etc.

And there is a fair bit of government business that might come out of this. DXB is also the major entry point from the West to Afghanistan, for what it's worth, as well as the greater Middle East/South Asia/East Africa market.