Moderators: richierich, ua900, PanAm_DC10, hOMSaR
estorilm wrote:Anyone know why there's an AN-124 on the remote ramp next to 1L/19R at IAD? Even from the road a mile away that thing looks HUGE.
It's been there for about a week now?!
asuflyer05 wrote:estorilm wrote:Anyone know why there's an AN-124 on the remote ramp next to 1L/19R at IAD? Even from the road a mile away that thing looks HUGE.
It's been there for about a week now?!
One flew in on Wednesday from either El Paso or New Mexico, I can't remember off the top of my head. I have an alert setup on my Flightradar account to email me when one is enroute. You'd be surprised how frequently one visits.
estorilm wrote:asuflyer05 wrote:estorilm wrote:Anyone know why there's an AN-124 on the remote ramp next to 1L/19R at IAD? Even from the road a mile away that thing looks HUGE.
It's been there for about a week now?!
One flew in on Wednesday from either El Paso or New Mexico, I can't remember off the top of my head. I have an alert setup on my Flightradar account to email me when one is enroute. You'd be surprised how frequently one visits.
Wow weird, I wonder if it was a second aircraft? Or maybe same flight and I didn't notice it departed for a day or two. I do remember it last week and it was there on the way home yesterday.
What do they normally fly in/out? Maintenance / engine stuff?
LoudounHound wrote:estorilm wrote:asuflyer05 wrote:
One flew in on Wednesday from either El Paso or New Mexico, I can't remember off the top of my head. I have an alert setup on my Flightradar account to email me when one is enroute. You'd be surprised how frequently one visits.
Wow weird, I wonder if it was a second aircraft? Or maybe same flight and I didn't notice it departed for a day or two. I do remember it last week and it was there on the way home yesterday.
What do they normally fly in/out? Maintenance / engine stuff?
Guessing it's probably for picking up rocket/satellite components from Orbital, just up Rt. 28 from IAD.
DSFTEBMNZ wrote:A question for the knowledgable here:
DCA is slot and perimeter constrained. Is it also constrained by regulation in terms of aircraft size and destination?
I have been looking every week at the construction in the new "Commuter World" (which is what DCA Ground Control and pilots seem to call it) in terms of the time required (4 years from planning to first operation) and the money spent on it, and am wondering what would happen to the facility if all the smaller RJs were replaced in the next 3-5 years by E-170/190s or CR9s, all of which park at mainline gates.
Could every commercial flight coming into DCA be a 757-300 or an A321 if the market warrants it, or is there some regulation somewhere which caps the number of big planes coming in?
Could American become all mainline at DCA by cutting out any destination that does not warrant at least A319 service? We saw the growth effects of the WN slot swap with 737-only service. Are there regulations which prevent American from doing something similar, not serving the smaller destinations?
I've read reams of FAA and MWAA documents, but can't get a satisfactory answer. Any clues from Netters would be great.
LOWS wrote:Many of the concrete panels for the Metro extension were poorly manufactured. There are 2000 issues now requiring repair.
Would it not make more sense, despite any additional delays, to just demand the subcontractor replace them? This speaks incredibly poorly to WMATA and MWAA's oversight.
https://www.nbcwashington.com/traffic/transit/Major-Concrete-Issues-Found-in-Silver-Line-Metro-Extension-480829661.html?amp=y&__twitter_impression=true
CapitalAvGeek wrote:BA is adding a 3rd daily flight to/from LHR on Mon, Thurs and Sat from October 29 on the 787. The flight will arrive at 9:30PM to IAD and depart at 11:30PM.
I wonder if BA is adding this flight because of competition with Primera Air starting STN-IAD flights in August? I suppose BA could also be adding capacity back that was lost when the A380 was swapped out for the 744.
https://www.businesstraveller.com/busin ... ington-dc/
List of all BA LHR-IAD flights: https://www.google.com/flights/#flt=LHR ... A;sd:1;t:f
List of all BA IAD-LHR flights: https://www.google.com/flights/#flt=IAD ... A;sd:1;t:f
CapitalAvGeek wrote:United today said that they see an opportunity to grow at Dulles. I see room to grow in new Mid-Atlantic markets such as BYH, PHF, AVL, AVP, and ABE. In most of these cities, AA and DL have multiple flights a day to their hubs with only a couple having service to EWR or ORD.
https://www.flightglobal.com/news/artic ... es-447820/
I have recently seen UA upgage a few flights out of IAD and see more in the summer schedule. Currently, one flight on IAD-JAX upgauged to a 737, one flight on IAD-CVG upgaged to an A320 and one flight on IAD-PIT upgaged to an A320. During the summer 2 daily flights on IAD-PWM upgauged to mainline and 1 flight on IAD-PHL.
N292UX wrote:I could also see them adding markets like MHT, LIT, BGR, CHA, BHM, MKE, and PNS, with markets like MSN and SBN being a stretch, but possible.
jplatts wrote:N292UX wrote:I could also see them adding markets like MHT, LIT, BGR, CHA, BHM, MKE, and PNS, with markets like MSN and SBN being a stretch, but possible.
I agree that the lack of IAD-MKE nonstop service is a huge hole since MKE is one of the largest markets that doesn't have any nonstop service to IAD. UA also has nonstop service to most of the other major Midwestern destinations from IAD, including ORD, CVG, CLE, CMH, DTW, IND, MCI, MSP, and STL. WN is also currently the only airline to serve Washington, DC nonstop from MKE, and WN serves DCA and BWI nonstop from MKE.
blockski wrote:DSFTEBMNZ wrote:A question for the knowledgable here:
DCA is slot and perimeter constrained. Is it also constrained by regulation in terms of aircraft size and destination?
The perimeter rule is a de facto regulation of destinations. Slots also vary; some are specific for commuter aircraft.I have been looking every week at the construction in the new "Commuter World" (which is what DCA Ground Control and pilots seem to call it) in terms of the time required (4 years from planning to first operation) and the money spent on it, and am wondering what would happen to the facility if all the smaller RJs were replaced in the next 3-5 years by E-170/190s or CR9s, all of which park at mainline gates.
The design for the new concourse is based on E-170/175 as the maximum aircraft size.Could every commercial flight coming into DCA be a 757-300 or an A321 if the market warrants it, or is there some regulation somewhere which caps the number of big planes coming in?
Could American become all mainline at DCA by cutting out any destination that does not warrant at least A319 service? We saw the growth effects of the WN slot swap with 737-only service. Are there regulations which prevent American from doing something similar, not serving the smaller destinations?
I've read reams of FAA and MWAA documents, but can't get a satisfactory answer. Any clues from Netters would be great.
No, based on current law, you couldn't have an all-mainline operation at DCA. And the new commuter concourse wouldn't be able to support that, either.
atcsundevil wrote:While only about 180 panels apparently need replacement, the remaining 1500 can be treated every ten years. While that's far less than ideal, particularly considering one would expect to get their money's worth on a new project, at least it would keep the project completion on target.
blockski wrote:blockski wrote:DSFTEBMNZ wrote:A question for the knowledgable here:
DCA is slot and perimeter constrained. Is it also constrained by regulation in terms of aircraft size and destination?
The perimeter rule is a de facto regulation of destinations. Slots also vary; some are specific for commuter aircraft.I have been looking every week at the construction in the new "Commuter World" (which is what DCA Ground Control and pilots seem to call it) in terms of the time required (4 years from planning to first operation) and the money spent on it, and am wondering what would happen to the facility if all the smaller RJs were replaced in the next 3-5 years by E-170/190s or CR9s, all of which park at mainline gates.
The design for the new concourse is based on E-170/175 as the maximum aircraft size.Could every commercial flight coming into DCA be a 757-300 or an A321 if the market warrants it, or is there some regulation somewhere which caps the number of big planes coming in?
Could American become all mainline at DCA by cutting out any destination that does not warrant at least A319 service? We saw the growth effects of the WN slot swap with 737-only service. Are there regulations which prevent American from doing something similar, not serving the smaller destinations?
I've read reams of FAA and MWAA documents, but can't get a satisfactory answer. Any clues from Netters would be great.
No, based on current law, you couldn't have an all-mainline operation at DCA. And the new commuter concourse wouldn't be able to support that, either.
Here’s a summary of DCA's slot allocation.
https://www.gao.gov/assets/650/648219.pdf#page24
“Air Carrier” slots can be used by any sized aircraft, but the “commuter” slots are limited to 76 seats or less.
LOWS wrote:Given WMATA's record on maintenance, do you want to bet these panels get treated every ten years?
atcsundevil wrote:LOWS wrote:Given WMATA's record on maintenance, do you want to bet these panels get treated every ten years?
They might, but if/when they do, you can bet that they'll be single-tracking for about a year to complete it.
Jshank83 wrote:blockski wrote:blockski wrote:
The perimeter rule is a de facto regulation of destinations. Slots also vary; some are specific for commuter aircraft.
The design for the new concourse is based on E-170/175 as the maximum aircraft size.
No, based on current law, you couldn't have an all-mainline operation at DCA. And the new commuter concourse wouldn't be able to support that, either.
Here’s a summary of DCA's slot allocation.
https://www.gao.gov/assets/650/648219.pdf#page24
“Air Carrier” slots can be used by any sized aircraft, but the “commuter” slots are limited to 76 seats or less.
I didn't realize EWR had slots. Good info.
blockski wrote:Jshank83 wrote:blockski wrote:
Here’s a summary of DCA's slot allocation.
https://www.gao.gov/assets/650/648219.pdf#page24
“Air Carrier” slots can be used by any sized aircraft, but the “commuter” slots are limited to 76 seats or less.
I didn't realize EWR had slots. Good info.
I think EWR is no longer under slot control. That document is from 2012, before the last round of DCA slot changes.
I also believe they've adjusted the definition of a 'commuter' slot at DCA. It used to be only 50 seat jets or up to 76 seat turboprops, but now it's just anything under 76 seats.
atcsundevil wrote:LOWS wrote:Given WMATA's record on maintenance, do you want to bet these panels get treated every ten years?
They might, but if/when they do, you can bet that they'll be single-tracking for about a year to complete it.
SRT75 wrote:atcsundevil wrote:LOWS wrote:Given WMATA's record on maintenance, do you want to bet these panels get treated every ten years?
They might, but if/when they do, you can bet that they'll be single-tracking for about a year to complete it.
#MetroSucks
I suspect this has been discussed a million times, but I'm still mystified why they didn't build extra tracks on the above-ground portion (which has plenty of right-of-way space) for an airport express train. The cost of the every-decade sealant probably would have covered this!
And the Silver line currently doesn't have enough ridership to break even. I don't think a, what?, 12?, more? stop trip from Foggy Bottom to the airport will be all that attractive for tourists or business travelers.
SRT75 wrote:atcsundevil wrote:LOWS wrote:Given WMATA's record on maintenance, do you want to bet these panels get treated every ten years?
They might, but if/when they do, you can bet that they'll be single-tracking for about a year to complete it.
#MetroSucks
I suspect this has been discussed a million times, but I'm still mystified why they didn't build extra tracks on the above-ground portion (which has plenty of right-of-way space) for an airport express train. The cost of the every-decade sealant probably would have covered this!
And the Silver line currently doesn't have enough ridership to break even. I don't think a, what?, 12?, more? stop trip from Foggy Bottom to the airport will be all that attractive for tourists or business travelers.
SRT75 wrote:I'm wondering if anyone has any info on how UA 122/123 does? These are the daytime IAD-LHR flights on a 752.
izbtmnhd wrote:[For whatever reason when METRO was conceived bypass trains were not envisioned. I'm guessing no one in the 1960s saw the lines going out much past places like Vienna or Greenbelt. You'd think there would have been discussion of this for the Red Line out to Shady Grove but I guess not. No change out to Ashburn either. I'm thinking it has to do with the tunnels.
This why I don't see METRO as a real game changer for Dulles or Loudoun County. Times are sporadic and service is constantly slowed by single-tracking (especially during non-peak periods) there's no sense in taking it vs. Uber/Lyft or your own car. The honeymoon will be short, I guarantee it.
Almost wish the old W&OD rail track wasn't turned into a long bike path. That would have been a great commuter rail line going right through the high growth areas of Fairfax and Loudoun stopping at the door step of Leesburg, Ashburn, Reston, Vienna and Falls Church. Oh well.
blockski wrote:Lots of discussion about this in other threads, but I thought this would be worth discussing here:
https://liveandletsfly.boardingarea.com ... k-changes/
UA shifting some connecting traffic from EWR to IAD. I think this is great news for IAD; and a strong signal of UA's intent to grow at Dulles and do so with additional domestic connecting traffic.
MWAA has their board meetings this week and I'll be curious to hear what they have to say about this.
United787 wrote:blockski wrote:Lots of discussion about this in other threads, but I thought this would be worth discussing here:
https://liveandletsfly.boardingarea.com ... k-changes/
UA shifting some connecting traffic from EWR to IAD. I think this is great news for IAD; and a strong signal of UA's intent to grow at Dulles and do so with additional domestic connecting traffic.
MWAA has their board meetings this week and I'll be curious to hear what they have to say about this.
Smart move IMHO. But from that article, it seems like a lot more increased service at EWR than new service at IAD... only three routes switching over. I hope it continues and then if proven successful, UA will look at the C/D replacement.
LoudounHound wrote:And speaking of MWAA board meetings, blockski, to you know why it takes so long for them to post minutes from previous meetings? The most recent one on their website is from the February meeting.
ElroyJetson wrote:ORF is getting new service from F9 starting in August with two flights a week to DEN and MCO.
UA is also starting non-stop daily A319 service from OFF to DEN so it will be interesting to see how Frontier does.
LOWS wrote:Was there any damage tonight at IAD?
I know Loudon and Fairfax were under tornado warnings tonight, were there any actual sightings?
vatveng wrote:ElroyJetson wrote:ORF is getting new service from F9 starting in August with two flights a week to DEN and MCO.
UA is also starting non-stop daily A319 service from OFF to DEN so it will be interesting to see how Frontier does.
The UA service will give us more single-connect options to the Midwest and West Coast, places that have DEN nonstops but not IAD, ATL, PHL, ORD or DFW service.
Since their conversion to a ULCC, does Frontier still sell connections in Denver? If not, then both the DEN and MCO flights will have to hit it out of the park profit-wise because they're probably routing a Denver-based plane DEN-ORF-MCO-ORF-DEN, and as soon as they figure out they can make more money with that plane somewhere else they'll skip town again.
Blimpie wrote:atcsundevil wrote:LOWS wrote:Given WMATA's record on maintenance, do you want to bet these panels get treated every ten years?
They might, but if/when they do, you can bet that they'll be single-tracking for about a year to complete it.
Given WMATA's record, I don't even expect those 180 bad panels to get swapped out.
washingtonflyer wrote:So, I was thinking about the lack of service between SAN and DCA and how it requires "an act of congress" to free up new slots and exemptions.
I wonder if any thought has been given to allowing additional slots/exemptions on Saturdays. IIRC, they do this at LGA on Saturdays. I know from experience that several airlines run a reduced schedule at DCA on Saturdays. Why not open up the perimeter for 6 or 12 or 18 additional slots on Saturdays? DCA-SAN, DCA-SJU (setting aside the existing SJU flight on B6), DCA-AUA?
washingtonflyer wrote:So, I was thinking about the lack of service between SAN and DCA and how it requires "an act of congress" to free up new slots and exemptions.
I wonder if any thought has been given to allowing additional slots/exemptions on Saturdays. IIRC, they do this at LGA on Saturdays. I know from experience that several airlines run a reduced schedule at DCA on Saturdays. Why not open up the perimeter for 6 or 12 or 18 additional slots on Saturdays? DCA-SAN, DCA-SJU (setting aside the existing SJU flight on B6), DCA-AUA?
SRT75 wrote:atcsundevil wrote:LOWS wrote:Given WMATA's record on maintenance, do you want to bet these panels get treated every ten years?
They might, but if/when they do, you can bet that they'll be single-tracking for about a year to complete it.
#MetroSucks
I suspect this has been discussed a million times, but I'm still mystified why they didn't build extra tracks on the above-ground portion (which has plenty of right-of-way space) for an airport express train. The cost of the every-decade sealant probably would have covered this!
And the Silver line currently doesn't have enough ridership to break even. I don't think a, what?, 12?, more? stop trip from Foggy Bottom to the airport will be all that attractive for tourists or business travelers.
blockski wrote:Here's an article discussing the proposal to build a pedestrian bridge between Crystal City and DCA, connecting the airport to the Mount Vernon trail as well as a soon-to-be re-built VRE station.
...
I think this is a fantastic concept, and one that MWAA should embrace fully. It's a huge opportunity to better link the airport to the surrounding neighborhood and business district, not to mention the improved transportation connections.