United Airlines Adds Two New Washington Dulles Routes

United Airlines is continuing its expansion at Washington Dulles with two new routes next summer, further growing its mid-Atlantic hub.

In 2020, United will add service to Bangor, Maine (BGR) and Madison, Wisconsin (MSN). Service to Madison is effective May 8th while service to Bangor is effective June 4th. The Bangor route, 601 miles, will utilize a Embraer ERJ-145 while the Madison route, 684 miles, will utilize a mix of Embraer ERJ-145 and Canadair CRJ-700 jets. Both new routes will operate twice daily.

The flights will operate according to the following schedule:

Madison ⇄ Washington Dulles
- IAD-MSN
  - departs at 12:30PM // arrives at 1:50PM
  - departs at 5:30PM // arrives at 6:50PM
- MSN-IAD
  - departs at 8:15AM // arrives at 11:30AM
  - departs at 12:48PM // arrives at 4:03PM
Bangor ⇄ Washington Dulles
- IAD-BGR
  - departs at 12:45PM // arrives at 2:49PM
  - departs at 5:20PM // arrives at 7:24PM
- BGR-IAD
  - departs at 9:30AM // arrives at 11:27AM
  - departs at 2:00PM //arrives at 3:57PM

Tickets for the new routes go on sale today.

United Continues To Grow At Washington Dulles

Ankit Gupta, Vice President of Domestic Network Planning at United, said:

“This exciting new service will give United fliers convenient access between Madison and Bangor and the nation’s capital, a top tourist destination, along with greater connectivity to destinations across the globe. Dulles remains the largest global gateway for local travelers, and we will look forward to continuing to expand United’s superior network from the Washington region.”

Even with the coming cuts to Chattanooga, Tennessee (CHA) and Elmira, New York (ELM), United has grown at Dulles by over 5% this year.

With congestion problems in New York City airspace, United has funneled directing traffic through Washington Dulles over Newark. And incoming CEO Scott Kirby has hinted at further Dulles growth, stating:

“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.”

Flight banks are clusters of flights that depart around the same time to minimize connection time for customers. Although flight banks increase delay potential, they also increase airline revenue by offering passengers shorter connections and flight durations that often command a higher fare.

United is also investing in a new Polaris Lounge at Washington Dulles, which would be United’s sixth premium business class lounge. Others include:

CONCLUSION

United’s growth at Washington Dulles does not appear to be slowing. The new routes will continue to build up Dulles while relieving pressure from Newark. Expect more new routes announcements in 2020.