United, Ted set third LV-Dulles flight

Derrill Holly

Friday, Feb. 6, 2004 | 11:32 a.m.

CHANTILLY, Va. -- Some airline passengers in and around the nation's capital could soon be looking for Ted.

Ted is United Airlines' new low cost carrier, and company officials announced plans Thursday to begin service at Washington Dulles International Airport. They are hoping economical service with a few fun frills will enable Ted to become a success.

"Low fare carriers are growing dramatically, and customers are driving that growth," said Sean Donohue, vice president of United's Ted division.

Ted was created last November, and the company projects that by late summer its flights could account for as much as 12 percent of United's domestic service. Ted begins flying Feb. 12 with Las Vegas-Denver service. Dulles service will begin April 7.

United Airlines currently offers two round trips a day between Las Vegas and the suburban Washington airport. Jason Schechter, a United spokesman, said the Ted flights would replace the mainline service and by April 23, the company would add a third daily round trip between Las Vegas and Dulles.

Schecter said if demand is high, United would consider adding weekend mainline service.

Currently, the route is served by United and America West Airlines, which has three round trips a week between Dulles and Las Vegas. America West also has the only nonstop flights -- one a day -- between Las Vegas and Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport close the government center. America West has applied for an additional route for that airport through the U.S. Department of Transportation.

"The market will determine whether we grow and how fast we grow," said Donohue. Plans call for service to be phased in over the next four months. Donohue said the carrier will serve about a dozen markets in its startup phase. Service from Dulles will include about 15 daily roundtrips to Las Vegas and three Florida cities: Orlando, Tampa and Fort Lauderdale.

"Vegas is going to be a big city for Ted," said Donohue.

Donohue was referring to the 26 daily round trips Ted will have to McCarran International Airport by April 23. In addition to the three flights to and from Dulles, Ted will operate nine round trips to Denver and seven each to Los Angeles and San Francisco.

Schechter said there are no other Ted routes to Las Vegas planned at present.

"This adds another low fare choice to Dulles, which apparently America has an insatiable appetite for," said Mark Treadway, vice president of Air Service Planning and Development for the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority which operates Dulles. Discounters JetBlue, Song and AirTran already fly from Dulles, while Southwest operates from Baltimore-Washington International Airport.

Last year, Atlantic Coast Airlines announced plans to launch discounter Independence Air, using Dulles as its hub. It will begin operating later this year and eventually offer more than 300 daily flights to 50 cities.

United plans to use its existing personnel to run Ted. The company is also in the midst of a $22 million upgrade of its Dulles facilities.

"We're seeing a capacity increase and more seats coming into the market," said Treadway. Ted will initially use Airbus A320 aircraft that are currently in United's fleet. The reconfigured planes will carry 156 passengers, including 66 economy plus seats featuring four inches of extra legroom. Plans call for the carrier to operate a fleet of 45 aircraft by year's end.

According to Donohue, Ted's selling points will include full access to United's frequent flyer benefits and operation by United employees instead of contract personnel or small reflagged regional operators. Flight attendants will also offer snacks and beverages that are rarely found on other low cost carriers, and music and video entertainment available to passengers.