United Said that it Sees Growth opportunities Washington Dulles Hub
After years of cuts at Uniteds' Washington Dulles hub, the American major is said to add many new destinations to its network from the American capital city. During an earnings call yesterday, the chief commercial officer expressed keen interest in expanding services from Washingtons Dulles airport. United will continue to expand its services from the airport this year, however there will not be as many flights as during the hubs peak in 2010.
Capacity is set to increase by 12.2% compared to 2015 when the carrier cut the most flights. Although the increase in capacity is great news, the hub still does not have as much capacity as it did in 2010, when there was 6.3% more seats available then there is now. Uniteds relationship with Dulles Airport has had its ups and downs ever since United merged with Continental Airlines. The management has however noticed that the high per passenger costs at its airport in Dulles have dissuaded United from growing at the airport. This has meant that the operator and Commonwealth of Virginia to lower operating costs to attract United, among other airlines. Virginia has already invested 50 million dollars of funding to help reduce passenger expenses. Work has payed off, and United agreed to extend the lease expiry date on its gate slots for another 7 years. The company that owns the airport, Metropolitan Washington Airport Authority said to FlightGlobal, "We’re proud to work with United and other airline partners to improve air service diversity while driving a lower cost per enplanement".
United Airlines currently has no plans to shut down any of its hubs, and executives say that the airline aims to grow at least 6% year on year through 2020.
THE UNITED HUBS (Excluding Los Angeles and international hubs):
Chicago O'hare International Airport is Uniteds largest hub for Central/west America. The airline transports more than 99,000 passengers through the major hub every single day.
The American Majors' second largest hub is located Houston George Bush Intercontinental Airport. Surprisingly, the airline has over 78% of the market share at George Bush Intercontinental Airport which makes United the airports' largest user.
Serving as a gateway to Europe, Latin America and Asia, Newark Liberty International Airport is Uniteds' third largest hub in terms of destinations and flights. Carrying more than 65,000 people a day, United controls over 81% of all slots at Newark and is the sole user of Terminal C which is primarily used for United Express flights, in addition to part of Terminal A.
As talked about in our 'EXCLUSIVE INTERVIEW' article about Denver International Airport (https://aviationcult.wixsite.com/aviation/blank-2/2018/04/16/EXCLUSIVE-INTERVIEW-Denver-International-Airport), Denver is a very important hub for the airline. The airport is the airlines' fourth largest hub in terms of destinations and flights, however it transports more than 67,000 passengers a day, approximately more than the carriers' Newark hub. Controlling all 70 gates at Concourse B at Denver, United owns 42% of the market share at Denver, making it the airports' largest user. The carrier hit a few headlines when it resumed its London Heathrow routes from Denver back in March, after it suspended services in 2013 since the route did not turn enough profit. Please note: It is a seasonal service. Although the carrier operates an extensive route network from Denver, it also codeshares on flights which are operated by star alliance partners, including Copa Airlines, which flies to Panama City in Panama and Lufthansa, which flies to both Frankfurt and Munich in Germany.
San Fransisco is United Airlines' fifth biggest hub in terms of number of flights and is a primary base for flights to Asia and Australia. The carrier owns over 41% of the market share, making it the largest user of the airport.
Then comes Washington Dulles, the sixth biggest hub for the airline in terms of number of flights and is a gateway for flights to Europe and the east coast of America. It is actually the fifth biggest hub in terms of number of destinations. United owns by far the largest piece of the market, with 65.2%!
United Airlines is continuing to grow, and with the new opportunity that it sees at Washington Dulles airport, the airline may just be adding flights to where you live, in just a few years! Europe is a key growth market from Washington Dulles, especially thanks to its proximity to the continent.