First Look Inside Washington Dulles’ New Concourse E, Including a Massive United Club Lounge

Washington’s Dulles airport is getting a new concourse, dedicated solely to United Airlines and featuring a huge United Club lounge. Concourse E is the airport’s first major construction project in 20 years, and it opens on November 10 when the first flights depart what is, in effect, a whole new terminal.

The opening of Concourse E is also the first step in a process that will eventually lead to the closure of concourses C and D and the demise of the mobile lounges — the large, quirky vehicles that move passengers to and from some gates at Dulles.

United Airlines and the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority unveiled the 435,000-square-foot Concourse E on November 9 ahead of the official opening to passengers on Tuesday.

Upgraded Points was at the preview, so let’s take a look at the new terminal and the new United Club — and at what amenities you can expect if you fly from there.

The New Dulles Airport Begins Here

First off, Concourse E was sorely needed. Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) is one of the most recognizable airports in the U.S., a masterpiece of Midcentury Modern architecture by architect Eero Saarinen. But it’s also not changed much since the heyday of that architectural movement, and it has very much outgrown its current capacity.

“I’ve been in this industry 30 years, and I’ve been waiting for a new terminal at Dulles since,” said United’s chief operating officer, Toby Enqvist, speaking at the event.

Enqvist now gets his wish in the form of 14 new gates, which will be used only by United. The airline says this expansion will allow more than 300 daily departures next summer, a 30% growth during peak travel times over today’s capacity at IAD.

It’s a big project, part of a $22 billion expansion at Dulles — big enough that Virginia’s political elite showed up for the inauguration on Monday. Governor Abigail Spanberger, Senator Tim Kaine, and Congressman Suhas Subramanyam, whose district includes the airport, were all on hand to cut the ribbon. Kaine touted the role of Dulles as a hub helping the capital region attract talent from all over the world, and Subramanyam recalled, to applause, that the airport was where his immigrant mother had entered the United States from India in the 1970s.

There are 3 more construction phases planned for Concourse E, with 36 more United gates coming and a new international customs area for connecting passengers.

The airport also plans to update the existing Concourses A and B and to refurbish the Main Terminal — the building that all passengers go through before branching out to their concourse — while keeping Saarinen’s Modernist aesthetic intact. Concourses C and D will close, and an expanded AeroTrain service will take the place of the mobile lounges — although those are slated to remain in service well into the next decade.

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The airport's code.

The key to the expansion project is that, unlike other major air hubs in the U.S., the airport has space to expand. “Dulles is not full,” said United’s chief operating officer Andrew Nocella, adding that ultimately the larger Concourse E “will be the bulk of our operation” at IAD. Dulles is one of the biggest hubs for United, which flies 2 out of 3 departures there.

Fancy Food and a New, Big United Club

The day before opening, food outlets in Concourse E all looked ready to go. United calls them “nationally known brands and local favorites”. The latter include Roman cuisine restaurant Aventino and the New American / Asian Ellie Bird, plus outlets for local chains Good Company Doughnuts & Café and Honor Brewing.

There’s also a Gameway, a video gaming lounge accessible with Priority Pass.

But the star is the new United Club, the only proper lounge in Concourse E. It’s big, at 40,000 square feet, and it’s a beauty. With seating for more than 600 customers, it’s the second-largest club United Club after Houston (IAH) and, according to the airline, it singlehandedly increases United’s lounge space at Dulles by 70%.

As soon visitors pass the front desk and ride up an escalator, they’ll find a giant picture of the Capitol. Inside the lounge, they’ll find a bar, 2 buffets — including a ramen noodle station — 8 private phone rooms, and power access at almost every seat. The Wi-Fi was fast and solid on preview day. You’ll find the United Club across from gates E14 and E16, and it’s open every day from 5:30 a.m. to 10 p.m.

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At the entrance.

Eventually, Concourse E will also have a Polaris lounge. Nocella declined to give a specific date, but United did say that it will be among the largest of its business-class-only lounges.

Enter the Airbus A321XLR, United’s Best Single-Aisle Plane

Concourse E is also where United’s new Airbus A321XLR long-haul jets will debut on international flights. The airline says it will launch its first international A321XLR service from Dulles to Amsterdam and Dublin in December, although the plane has already been flying domestically for a couple of months.

The XLR — for “extra long range” — is the latest version of the Airbus A321 single-aisle workhorse that every major U.S. airline except Southwest flies. United’s XLRs have lie-flat pods in Polaris business class, a true premium economy, and a row of coach with a blocked middle seat, all features that stand out from the carrier’s regular fleet of A321s.

Concourse E will also host the rest of United’s fleet including long-haul Boeing 767s, 777s and 787s. The new gates can all be configured to host 2 single-aisle planes at the same time, or 1 twin-aisle jet.

Final Thoughts

Passengers at Washington Dulles airport are in for a treat when flying on United out of Concourse E, opening on November 10. The first major improvement at the United hub in 2 decades, the new addition is in effect a whole new terminal, featuring 14 gates, a huge United lounge, and several food options that promise to offer a better experience than run-of-the-mill airport restaurants.

During a preview day for media and staff, we saw a beautiful space. Airy and luminous, Concourse E should be, all other factors being equal, a more pleasant terminal to fly out of and into than the existing A, B, C, and D concourses at Dulles.

Fans of the Mid-century modern architectural style that Dulles is known for won’t be disappointed either. Concourse E keeps some of the distinguishing traits of architect Eero Saarinen’s original design for Dulles, including the unmistakable typeface seen everywhere in the airport’s signage.

Another one, perhaps less beloved, unique feature of Dulles is here to stay a bit longer, though. United confirmed that the mobile lounges that ferry passengers to and from gates are on the way out, though not until 2034.

By then, the new Concourse E will have expanded further — and will host, according to United’s chief operating officer Andrew Nocella, most of the carrier’s flights at the Virginia hub. For United passengers, that is good news.