5 ms·

I was at Dulles/DC and the air-side transportation was interesting: the jetbridge was also a bus. It's a "mobile lounge" and I guess a few airports have them. T

I was at Dulles/DC and the air-side transportation was interesting: the jetbridge was also a bus. It's a "mobile lounge" and I guess a few airports have them. There's definitely something interesting when transit isn't seen as transit...but just mobile public spaces? https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_lounge https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mobile_lounge

0xcde4c3db 3y ago
Tom Scott video (because of course he did one): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3OqAN4ISOw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3OqAN4ISOw
alistairSH 3y ago
Yep, Dulles opened just as jet bridges became common. They were originally used for embarkation/disembarkation as well. These days, they're mostly used to transport international arrivals from the gates (which have jet bridges) to the terminal that contains immigration control. Non-international have an option to use the lounges or a subway (usually depending on which gate you're at and where you need to go - sometime the lounge is faster than the train). A bit of an anachronism today. But, having grown up in the DC area, they're definitely have a nostalgia factor.
showerst 3y ago
These things have a high 'what might have been' future factor, but man they are annoying in practice. Because you have to wait for everyone to cram inside, it feels much slower than a train or moving walkway. They're very frustrating after a long flight when you just want to get to customs and get home.
- aidenn0 3y ago
  I grew up near Dulles. Everybody seems to hate on the mobile lounges, but I've never not beaten my luggage to the baggage claim, and I haven't found it any quicker to get from my gate to the exit at other similarly large airports. In any event they are being retired in favor of below-ground trains.
  - jfengel 3y ago
    Partly, that's because the luggage processing is very slow on international flights at Dulles. You have to go through immigration, which can be time consuming (though the automated ones are better of late). There's no reason you should get to baggage claim ahead of the baggage. Aside from that, though... I think it's just that it feels like an additional step. You want to get going -- especially if you're the sort of person who moves quickly through airports -- and now you're just waiting as the lounge fills up. After a long international flight, you don't want to be sitting and waiting. I won't be sorry to see the mobile lounges go. They were a clever idea at the time, but they're hardly "lounges" these days. They're just buses, at a time when you really, really don't want to be taking a bus.
    - aidenn0 3y ago
      > Partly, that's because the luggage processing is very slow on international flights at Dulles. You have to go through immigration, which can be time consuming (though the automated ones are better of late). There's no reason you should get to baggage claim ahead of the baggage. Somewhat OT, but I just realized I've never flown internationally from Dulles. I've flown internationally a fair amount, and I've flown from Dulles a lot, but never the two together. Less OT, everything I wrote was for domestic flights.
      - kiwijamo 3y ago
        IAD is the only airport I've been to where I've spent an hour at immigration and then walked through to the luggage claims hall to find that my airline's ground handler still hadn't loaded bags from my flight on the carousel (note this was a full hour at least after arrival) so I had to wait even longer there! Every other port I've had long immigration processing, the good thing was my bags were usually already on the carousel. Interestingly, LAX on the other hand was a breeze, my bags was already on the carousel just as I walked in the hall. A brisk walk to intercept my bag as it rolled around and I was outside within minuites. YMMV but IAD is not an airport I'm keen to use anytime soon! :)
        3y ago
- alamortsubite 3y ago
  Care for an extra dollop of motion sickness after your long flight? Welcome aboard the IAD people movers!

0xcde4c3db 3y ago

Tom Scott video (because of course he did one): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3OqAN4ISOw https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j3OqAN4ISOw

alistairSH 3y ago

Yep, Dulles opened just as jet bridges became common. They were originally used for embarkation/disembarkation as well. These days, they're mostly used to transport international arrivals from the gates (which have jet bridges) to the terminal that contains immigration control. Non-international have an option to use the lounges or a subway (usually depending on which gate you're at and where you need to go - sometime the lounge is faster than the train). A bit of an anachronism today. But, having grown up in the DC area, they're definitely have a nostalgia factor.

showerst 3y ago

These things have a high 'what might have been' future factor, but man they are annoying in practice. Because you have to wait for everyone to cram inside, it feels much slower than a train or moving walkway. They're very frustrating after a long flight when you just want to get to customs and get home.

aidenn0 3y ago
I grew up near Dulles. Everybody seems to hate on the mobile lounges, but I've never not beaten my luggage to the baggage claim, and I haven't found it any quicker to get from my gate to the exit at other similarly large airports. In any event they are being retired in favor of below-ground trains.
- jfengel 3y ago
  Partly, that's because the luggage processing is very slow on international flights at Dulles. You have to go through immigration, which can be time consuming (though the automated ones are better of late). There's no reason you should get to baggage claim ahead of the baggage. Aside from that, though... I think it's just that it feels like an additional step. You want to get going -- especially if you're the sort of person who moves quickly through airports -- and now you're just waiting as the lounge fills up. After a long international flight, you don't want to be sitting and waiting. I won't be sorry to see the mobile lounges go. They were a clever idea at the time, but they're hardly "lounges" these days. They're just buses, at a time when you really, really don't want to be taking a bus.
  - aidenn0 3y ago
    > Partly, that's because the luggage processing is very slow on international flights at Dulles. You have to go through immigration, which can be time consuming (though the automated ones are better of late). There's no reason you should get to baggage claim ahead of the baggage. Somewhat OT, but I just realized I've never flown internationally from Dulles. I've flown internationally a fair amount, and I've flown from Dulles a lot, but never the two together. Less OT, everything I wrote was for domestic flights.
    - kiwijamo 3y ago
      IAD is the only airport I've been to where I've spent an hour at immigration and then walked through to the luggage claims hall to find that my airline's ground handler still hadn't loaded bags from my flight on the carousel (note this was a full hour at least after arrival) so I had to wait even longer there! Every other port I've had long immigration processing, the good thing was my bags were usually already on the carousel. Interestingly, LAX on the other hand was a breeze, my bags was already on the carousel just as I walked in the hall. A brisk walk to intercept my bag as it rolled around and I was outside within minuites. YMMV but IAD is not an airport I'm keen to use anytime soon! :)
      - 3y ago
alamortsubite 3y ago
Care for an extra dollop of motion sickness after your long flight? Welcome aboard the IAD people movers!