Washington Dulles Passenger Fees Could Soar Under $20 Billion Rebuild Plan

Currently, passengers at Washington Dulles International Airport (IAD) are charged $12.77 in fees for airport costs per traveler. However, a proposed $15.5 billion rebuild project could see these fees jump as high as $90, a 600% increase.

The Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority will vote on the project, which would be 99% financed through debt. This would force the airport to leave fees over decades to recoup the cost of infrastructure improvements. Airlines operating from the airfield would not absorb the raised cost from their profit margin but instead transfer the burden to consumers.

The project's timeline may not bring these raised costs until 2035, but they will inevitably be passed down to travelers through higher airfare prices. Analysts warn that forcing airlines to pay $90 per passenger just to use the airport will undercut low-cost competition.

A comparison of the proposed budget and the plan proposed by President Donald Trump on July 29 is as follows:

| Budget | Plan Proposed by Trump | Plan Proposed by MWAA | | --- | --- | --- | | $22.5 billion | $15.5 billion |

The expected timeline for the project is as follows:

| Timeline | MWAA Plan | Plan Proposed by Trump | | --- | --- | --- | | 2035 | 2035 | Not specified |

## Revitalizing Washington Dulles International Airport

The project will include a five million square foot expansion to the terminal areas, including the largest United Polaris Lounge in the world. Other improvements include one of the largest parking garages in the world with a capacity for 32,000 spaces.

The carriers operating from the airfield will not absorb the raised cost from their profit margin but instead transfer the burden to consumers. Notably, cost per placement is what the airport charges airlines each time a passenger boards. It is not the Passenger Facility Charge, which is capped at $4.50 by law.

## United's Next Fortress Hub On Capitol Hill

United Airlines CEO Scott Kirby has been a primary advocate for the plan. The airline transports roughly two-thirds of the passenger traffic in and out of IAD. United strongly opposed a prior proposal that would have put private equity firm BlackRock in charge of Dulles.

For low-cost carriers, the astronomical increase in fees for every single flyer will essentially make it impossible to sustain operations. Under these conditions, the only airlines that would have deep enough pockets are legacy carriers like United. High fees effectively act as a financial barrier to entry, locking down United's monopoly on the airfield.

## The 'Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again' executive order

The primary gripe referenced by Trump in regard to conditions at Dulles is the inefficient and unpleasant experience of riding the mobile lounges that transport travelers across the apron, known as the' People Movers'. However, the scope of the proposed improvements goes far above and beyond simply replacing the outdated infrastructure.

The request for information issued by the Department of Transportation last year under Secretary Sean Duffy officially referenced Trump's architectural preferences. The' Making Federal Architecture Beautiful Again' executive order issued by the president mandates neoclassical and Greco-Roman styles. It is also prompted by objections to the existing main terminal, which was designed by Eero Saarinen and is considered a masterpiece of mid-century modernism, according to The Architect's Newspaper.