United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby spoke for less than a minute during the White House announcement of a $22.5 billion overhaul of Washington Dulles International Airport, but one line captured how long United has been waiting for this moment.
United CEO Scott Kirby: “I’ve Spent My Whole Career Waiting” For Dulles Rebuild
President Donald Trump and Transportation Secretary Sean Duffy dominated the announcement of a sweeping plan to rebuild Washington Dulles International Airport, but United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby offered perhaps the clearest explanation of why the project matters so much to the airport’s largest carrier.
“I’ve spent my whole career at United Airlines waiting for this day,” Kirby said.
That is quite a statement from an airline executive who has worked in the industry for decades.
Kirby explained that United’s current midfield terminal facilities were built approximately 45 years ago and were intended to be temporary.
Temporary, of course, proved to be a very elastic term.
Concourses C and D have now served United passengers for decades, despite narrow corridors, crowded gate areas, low ceilings, and an overall appearance that has never matched the importance of Dulles as the primary international gateway to the nation’s capital. How bad is it? Here’s a video I took just a few days ago:
"Temporary" C Gates at Washington Dulles - YouTube
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"Temporary" C Gates at Washington Dulles Live And Let's Fly
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United Has Waited Decades For Permanent Dulles Concourses
Kirby said United employees have waited even longer than he has for Dulles to receive facilities capable of making it one of the world’s best airports.
His remarks were brief, but (49 seconds in total), but certainly personal. Kirby used his few moments to frame the proposed redevelopment as the culmination of a decades-long effort by United to replace facilities that should never have survived this long.
United currently operates the dominant hub at Dulles and handles the majority of the airport’s passenger traffic. Yet the airline’s principal concourses remain among the least impressive parts of the airport.
That contrast has always been striking to United flyers like me.
Dulles has one of the most beautiful and recognizable main terminals in the world, designed by Eero Saarinen. But after passing through that architectural landmark, many United passengers are transported to concourses that feel more like aging temporary structures because that is precisely what they were.
Kirby Says The Proposed Design Works For United And Passengers
Kirby also offered an important endorsement of the proposed airport layout. He said the design would work well operationally for United while also creating a beautiful interior experience for passengers…which of course is essential.
An airport can look impressive in a rendering while creating long walks, congested taxiways, inefficient gate utilization, or difficult connections (hello Newark). Kirby’s comments suggest United believes the proposed arrangement addresses both sides of the equation.
The broader Dulles plan includes permanent midfield concourses, expanded AeroTrain service, pedestrian tunnels with moving walkways, modernized baggage and security infrastructure, additional United Club space, and a larger Polaris Lounge.
It would also finally allow United to retire Concourses C and D.
> Read More: Inside Trump’s $22.5 Billion Washington Dulles Overhaul: RIP To The Iconic “Moon Buggies”
Concourse E Is Only The Beginning
United and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority are already constructing a new 14-gate Concourse E, which is expected to open later this year.
The 435,000-square-foot facility will include direct AeroTrain access, modern gate areas, new concessions, a dedicated corridor for international arrivals, and a roughly 40,000-square-foot United Club.
But Kirby’s remarks make clear that Concourse E is simply the first tangible step toward a permanent midfield complex. The larger redevelopment would extend that infrastructure, add additional gates and AeroTrain connections, and eventually permit United to abandon C and D.
> Read More: United Airlines Confirms Big Plans For Washington Dulles
A Gateway Worthy Of The Capital
Kirby concluded by describing the redevelopment as something not only United employees, but all Americans, could be proud of. That may sound like the customary praise offered at a White House announcement, but the underlying point is fair.
For many international visitors, Dulles is their first impression of the United States and its capital. The Saarinen terminal provides an impressive welcome. The present United concourses (and yes, even my beloved mobile lounges) do not.
United has invested heavily in expanding Dulles as an international hub, adding destinations and positioning the airport as a key connecting point between the United States, Europe, Africa, Asia, and the Middle East.
The infrastructure now needs to catch up with the network.
CONCLUSION
Scott Kirby spoke for less than a minute, but his remarks revealed just how consequential the proposed Dulles redevelopment is for United Airlines.
“I’ve spent my whole career at United Airlines waiting for this day.”
After 45 years of making do with supposedly temporary concourses, United may finally receive a Washington hub worthy of its global route network.
Concourse E will provide the first 14 new gates, but it is only the beginning. For Kirby and generations of United employees, the ultimate goal is finally replacing C and D with permanent facilities built for the future rather than another decade(s) of temporary fixes.
It seems President Trump has decided to overlook United’s Palm Beach Airport controversy! 😉
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About Author
Matthew Klint
Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.
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18 Comments
1990 Reply
Is Kirby actually ‘cool’ with the increase in cost per enplanement to $90.64 by 2035. Recall, back in 2013, United found $26.47 impossible to manage. I donno, bud…
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Matthew Klint Reply
Is that the estimate??!!
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That’s what Gary had posted at VFTW earlier. If true, that’s a shocking increase. Feels like a lot of hype.
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ed lewis Reply
Like you, i felt quite surprised they would pay anything over $27. Jeffie almost closed the hub over $26.
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For real. I mean, I’m not an airline CEO, nor do I have to be to know that doesn’t seem financially viable.
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Gene Reply
The new Epstein-Trump terminal will be beautiful.
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Looking forward to touring the “McConnell Memorial Public Restroom” (coming soon!)
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Maybe Larry Craig instead?
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Christian Reply
Touche!
Maybe someone will dedicate a new zombie movie to ol’ Weekend At Bernie’s Mitch McConnell.
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Zing! It’s a shame that they’ve since remodeled the actual restrooms at MSP (concourse G?)
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You forgot Miss Ladybug, Lindsey Graham. I’ve heard the DC tranny hookers are in serious mourning regarding his passing.
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I think an honesty correction is in order. He’s been waiting for a sucker to fork out the money so United doesn’t have to. Then again, truth and Kirby have had a rather tenuous relationship since he became CEO of United.
Dom Reply
This $22.5B project will be ground zero for waste, fraud and abuse.
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And there’s already a history of that at IAD…
Billy Bob Reply
Hopefully they dont hire the contractor that botched the reflecting pool. If so, all Olympic athletes need to steer clear of IAD
Güntürk Üstün Reply
And the wait seems to be coming to an end…
It appears that whether at state dinners in the White House or at business leaders’ forums, Scott Kirby, a highly competent CEO with a diplomatic approach, excels at cultivating privileged relationships with political power. This regular access allows him to present significant and innovative corporate strategies, such as high-profile merger and consolidation proposals in the airline industry, directly to President Trump.
Joey Jancis Reply
Does this mean the little whippersnapper suck up can retire and give UA to someone whose nose is not tinted darker than his skin?
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