United Airlines is considering up to a 50% increase in its number of flights at Washington Dulles.
Speaking at the Boyd Group International Aviation Forecast Summit in Denver, United President Scott Kirby hinted at the expansion:
Today we have a four-bank structure at Dulles. The team is actually evaluating a six-bank structure that would create opportunity to add more frequencies in markets.
In this context, banking is grouping flights departures around similar times to maximize the ease and minimize the time required for connections. The current banking structure at Dulles leaves the United concourses in C/D a virtual ghost town between banks. By adding two more banks, United could more effectively utilize its Mid-Atlantic hub. Dulles is also less prone to weather delays than Newark.
But is it viable? Can the market bear it? Kirby seems to think so.
We’ve grown Dulles pretty aggressively this year, and it’s done really well.
By concentrating connecting traffic in Dulles, United does not necessarily have to grow its overall seat capacity, just its use of IAD.
The Backstory for Growth at Washington Dulles
Let’s not forget that Kirby is the penultimate bean counter (second only to his mentor Bob Crandall).
Kirby acknowledged, “One of the important things about making growth at a hub like Dulles successful is cost base. Having the cost base go up would be really damaging to the growth process.”
Costs at Dulles have fallen each year since 2014 ,when the average cost of boarding one passenger was $26.55. The current cost is a much more reasonable $16.89 and is predicted to continue to decline as capital projects like the people mover and fourth runway are fully paid off.
Will there be an improvements to the aging Washington Dulles hub? Kirby says no, at least not now.
There’s nothing in the hopper to change that.
But with new carpeting and concessions, I’d say the midfield concourse is still better than Houston and Newark…
Already, United has announced new service from Dulles to Tel Aviv and a focus on re-directing connecting traffic from Newark to Washington.
CONCLUSION
It’s a great time to be a Washington Dulles flyer. United is not the only airline growing its presence at Dulles. While United traffic is up 3% this year, overall airport traffic is up 4.5%.
While I don’t expect a 50% growth in flights at IAD, I do expect a robust increase to accommodate six banks. Hopefully United will throw in some additional international expansion as well.
> Read More: Why I Love International Connections at Washington Dulles
> Read More: Which Priority Pass Lounge In Washington Dulles Is Best?
image: J. David Buerk Photography / Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority
“There’s nothing in the hopper to change that.” Appreciate the honest but disappointing answer. A walk down the B concourse in IAD shows just how far United’s concourses A, C, and D have fallen. I understand it’s not completely in their control nor financial interest to make concourse improvements but if they’re thinking about adding more banks of flights, hence more passenger volume, maybe it’s time to not brush it off so casually.
Agree that the difference between beautiful concourse B and C/D is like night and day.
The Dulles concourse is better than Newark? Gee, anything except a crack house’s bathroom is better than Newark. I get Newark’s appeal for O&D traffic because of its location, but for connections? Yuck. I applaud any move by UA to get traffic away from Newark.
I think he was referring to the B-concourse which of course United DOESN”T use.
I’ve been waiting for years for United to add a IAD-CPT or IAD-JNB nonstop (or both) from this hub. South African has a stop in Lagos on its current routine, so a nonstop to JNB (the most likely destination) would give United the competitive edge…and help draw some traffic from Delta’s ATL-JNB.
Crossing my fingers….
Amazon HQ2 is going to be awarded to DC. There will be multiple IAD-SEA daily, along with whatever ancillary routes Amazon needs. United is just being smart to telegraph this to Bezos as a reassuring wink-wink …
Incoming regional flights from Ithaca are part of the increased traffic plan, and I for one am OK with giving up Newark and its frequent weather-related problems. The relative handful of people who were flying Ithaca to NYC and then stopping, rather than getting on connecting flights, are the ones who are unhappy about the change.
Looks like I’ll have about an hour and a half layover at Dulles in mid October to explore. Sounds like I should try to spend my time in Concourse B?
Since IAD is my home airport, I’d love to see expansion…but not by United. We don’t need more RJ flying out of the pitiful A concourse. In fact, we don’t want more miserable United employees moaning about how they hate their jobs.
Dulles has 4 long runways and minimal delays. IAD would be a great launching point for more international flying. Unfortunately, the Washington Metropolitan Airport Authority (WMAA) is useless and incompetent – that’s how they spent $1.5 billion on a train to nowhere that doesn’t go to the D terminal and another $1.5 billion on a hole in the ground they call the security pavilion. No improvements to C/D on the horizon because they can’t control their spending. Costs are too high for discount carriers to operate a lot of flights. JetBlue bailed on IAD because of the high costs. They are down to a few flights a day to JFK and Boston. American won’t fly to Chicago from IAD! Yet, the WMAA thinks they need to pay a part time airport director $750,000 a year because of the great job he’s doing. IAD is the result of a governmental organization that holds tax and spending authority but no accountability.
I love that Dulles does not have delays and used to fly United regularly from there. For a minute it looked like Munoz was making a difference However, I am still not happy about all the incidents including Dr. Dao. Scott Kirby and basic economy also do not make me happy. I must admit though everything at Dulles ran on time and I did not have any cancelled flights, Southwest has been a lot more shaky.
At some point soon, the DC metro will make getting to and from Dulles a lot easier. The increase in passengers will put a strain on the already groaning infrastructure and might be enough to force the construction of the Midfield Terminal. Barring that, some basic improvements to the C/D Terminal (moving walkways, higher ceilings, tile instead of carpet, and the scrapping the original terminal building) would go a very long way to improving the experience.
“But with new carpeting and concessions, I’d say the midfield concourse is still better than Houston and Newark…”
Getting TO the midfield concourse certainly is not!
It’s true. I take the underground walkway to B to use the PP lounges, then take a moon buggy to D. I cannot stand that train!
You guys make way too much out of that train. It’s a 5-minute walk. Frankly not too dissimilar to getting to the A concourse in DEN.
Agree.
Houston terminal E isn’t great but man it sure beats Dulles. I hope new routes come to IAH too. I’ve been dying for a nonstop IAH-HKG. However, with Cathay Pacific about to start up their IAD-HKG nonstop I could see UA maybe trying to contend with an actual Polaris product on board and lounge (whenever they want to open up at IAD) since it’s such a Star Alliance strong hold. EVA Air TPE-IAD would be a cool route too.
@BobbyJ – Metro to Dulles is a boondoggle that sucked needed resources away from both the airport authority and Metro itself. What should have been an express train that connected to the Orange line is now supposed to service an entirely auto-dependent of area of Fairfax County. The Silver Line that opened 4 years ago aren’t even getting up to half of their projected capacity… Arlington Cemetery gets more daily passengers.
Then you have the bigger problem that Metro doesn’t even open until 5 am on weekdays (6/7 am on weekends) and shuts down at midnight. That just doesn’t cut it for a 24/7 international airport, especially if United is planning to expand two additional time banks (at least one of which would presumably be in the overnight/early morning hours).
United needs to build the new midfield terminal above the train stop as planned. That walk back to the old C terminal is a time waster.
EWR was and is a total S-hole. As bad connecting as originating. OTG infestation is terrible. Non Polaria lounges a disgrace.
IAH is like a word class Asian airport by way of comparison
IAD is underrated. aside from tougher to get to from landside, it’s basically like one of the Atlanta domestic concourses, which is perfectly fine. And more roomy than the AA concourses in Charlotte.
There are a number of things to like about Dulles- it is convenient to those living in Northern Virginia, the UA premier check in lanes are very fast, terminals A/B are not only very nice (except A1-5 which UA use, which are kind of tacked-on) but can be walked to and have great lounges (including AF and VA with PP for those flying out of A1-5). The main things I don’t are all about terminal C/D – crowded, ratty, worn out, little light, only United lounges that are also crowded and offer little, and you have to take the train (with a long walk since they put the station under a projected terminal that may or may not ever be built) or the mobile lounges to get there. If they actually put in a Polaris lounge by some time later next year, I will complain less, but it is definitely an embarrassment to the Polaris brand to have paid business class international travelers passing through C/D and its lounges.
Those paid international business class travelers will have a full Polaris lounge.
I think the United Clubs are just fine for non paid international business class. Lots of seats, warm decor.
Not for a long time. In late 2019, last I heard. I’ll believe it when I see it.
Matt, thanks for not using your article to MWAA bash.
My pleasure, though I do agee with Gary on calling out the cronyism.
More MWAA bashing please. Corruption and incompetence need to be called out