United could grow flights by half at Washington Dulles

United is considering a significant expansion of its Washington Dulles hub, says president Scott Kirby. The carrier is evaluating adding two additional flight banks – a period of time when a number of arriving and departing flights are bunched together – for a total of six at Dulles, he said. "Today we have a four-bank structure at Dulles," said Kirby. "The team is actually evaluating a six-bank structure that would create opportunity to add more frequencies in markets." The move, which could amount to a nearly 50% increase in flights by United at Dulles, would come on the back of continuing growth at the airport. Passenger traffic was up 4.5% to nine million during the first five months of 2018, data from operator the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority showed. Seats on United increased 3% year-over-year during the same period. "We've grown Dulles pretty aggressively this year, and it's done really well," said Kirby.<br/>