People movers will continue darting across Dulles International Airport for years to come, despite recent incidents that have revived safety questions for passengers who use them.
At the Nov. 19 meeting of the Metropolitan Washington Airports Authority (MWAA) board of directors, MWAA President and CEO Jack Potter acknowledged the “long-term limitations of relying on mobile lounges,” which are colloquially known as people movers.
However, the vehicles will remain integral to airport operations for some time, Potter said at the first MWAA board meeting following a Nov. 10 accident where a mobile lounge struck a portion of Concourse D at an angle while preparing to unload passengers.
A total of 18 of those on the mobile lounge suffered injuries serious enough to require a trip to the hospital. None of the injuries was described as life-threatening.
Potter said the mobile lounges, a staple at the airport since its opening in 1962, had a good safety record. But he added that “even one accident is too many.”
Potter said the incident remains under investigation, and the authority will take any actions deemed necessary by investigators to avoid a repeat occurrence.
Several hours after the MWAA meeting, there was another crash involving a mobile lounge at Dulles on Nov. 19. A United Airlines employee received injuries described as minor when a baggage cart collided with one of the mobile lounges around 5:15 p.m.
No one traveling on the lounge was injured. Investigations of the Nov. 10 and 19 crashes are both still underway, an MWAA spokesperson confirmed today.
People mover-related safety incidents aren’t new for Dulles Airport. In October 2016, two people were hospitalized when a mobile lounge crashed into a construction ditch — the latest in at least 16 accidents that had occurred over the preceding decade, NBC4 reported in February 2017.
A crash in January 2012 killed a Southwest Airlines ramp agent, leading his family to sue MWAA over what they argued were “serious safety flaws” and management issues, according to the Washington Post. The authority ultimately agreed to pay $2 million to settle the wrongful death lawsuit.
An original mobile lounge during construction of Dulles Airport (via MWAA)
Dulles has a network of underground passages and trains connecting the main terminal with various concourses. Despite that, the mobile lounges continue to be an important intra-airport transportation tool, a top airport official said at an MWAA board meeting in September.
The vehicles “will remain essential for the next 15 to 20 years,” Thomas Beatty, MWAA chief operations officer, said at the Sept. 17 meeting.
They will become less necessary over time, as various phases of airport redevelopment move forward and more passengers can connect via AeroTrain service. But for now, mobile lounges continue to make 800 daily trips across the airport. This year, about 11 million passengers are expected to use them.
In 2023, the MWAA board approved a contract worth up to $160 million with a Pennsylvania firm for complete overhauls of existing mobile lounges.
A prototype is expected to be returned to Dulles for evaluation late next year. From there, a renovation schedule will be determined, Beatty told MWAA board members in September.
Two distinct types are currently operated at Dulles, according to MWAA officials.
The original mobile lounges, which date to the airport’s opening in 1962, were constructed by Chrysler Corp. in association with Budd Co. They can carry more than 100 passengers, both seated and standing.
Nineteen remain in service, Beatty said in September.
Plane Mates, which date back to 1971, can load passengers directly onto aircraft as well as provide intra-terminal transport. Currently, 30 are in service, according to Beatty.
Both types are approximately 54 feet long, 15 feet tall and weigh just under 80,000 pounds — heavier than some of the fully loaded regional jets using the airport.
This story was originally published by FFXnow and distributed through a partnership with The Associated Press.
Topics Aviation
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