Wednesday, 11 November 2026

Cruise & Travel Report

For The Explorer In All of Us

Cruise & Travel Report

For The Explorer In All of Us

Cruise & Travel Report — Daily Airline Brief

Liam Cusack

Tuesday, November 10, 2026

Dulles Opens a Vast New Concourse, Qatar Airways Expands Premium Dining and the FAA Investigates an LAX Close Call

Companies in this edition: Air France; American Airlines; Porter Airlines; Qatar Airways; United Airlines; Washington Dulles International Airport

By Liam P. Cusack | Cruise & Travel Report

Washington Dulles opened its first new concourse in nearly two decades this morning, replacing some of the airport’s old inconveniences with direct train access, modern gates and a United Club of almost improbable scale. Qatar Airways is meanwhile extending advance meal selection to shorter premium-cabin flights and placing its code on Porter’s Canadian network. Less reassuringly, federal investigators are examining how an Air France jet turned into the departure path of an American Airlines flight over Los Angeles.

Dulles Finally Builds for the Traffic It Wants

Washington Dulles International Airport opened Concourse E to passengers on Nov. 10, adding 14 gates, direct AeroTrain access and a nearly 40,000-square-foot United Airlines lounge.

The 435,000-square-foot concourse is the airport’s first new concourse in almost 20 years. Its gate areas have natural light, in-seat electrical outlets, wireless charging and flexible configurations capable of handling one wide-body aircraft or two narrow-body jets. For travelers accustomed to Dulles’ mobile lounges — the lumbering elevated vehicles used to carry passengers between terminals — the direct AeroTrain connection may be the most welcome amenity of all.

The United Club, opposite gates E14 and E16, has seating for more than 600 guests, two buffets, a bar, eight private telephone rooms, high-speed Wi-Fi and power at nearly every seat. It is open daily from 5:30 a.m. until 10 p.m. The addition increases United’s total club and lounge space at Dulles by about 70 percent. Nov 9, 2026

Concourse E is confirmed open, but the larger transformation remains a plan. It is the first of four construction phases that could eventually add 36 more United gates, a new customs facility for connecting international passengers and a large Polaris lounge. The airport’s wider modernization program, valued at more than $20 billion, also calls for expanded AeroTrain service, renovated concourses and an eventual retirement of the mobile-lounge system.

The commercial stakes are considerable. United says the new capacity will support more than 300 daily departures next summer and increase the number of peak connecting opportunities by nearly 30 percent. Dulles is also scheduled to become United’s first international base for its new long-range single-aisle aircraft, with Amsterdam and Dublin flights planned for December. Nov 9, 2026

Qatar Airways Brings Meal Preordering to Shorter Premium Flights

Qatar Airways expanded its advance meal-selection service on Nov. 10 to eligible First and Business Class flights lasting two hours or more.

Passengers with confirmed reservations can select a main course from the flight’s à la carte menu between 14 days and 24 hours before departure through the airline’s website or application. Selected routes will also offer dishes from Qatar Airways’ “Flavours to Fly For” collection. Qatar Airways Newsroom

The change is less theatrical than a new suite or lounge, but it solves a recurring premium-cabin annoyance: discovering after boarding that a preferred entrée is no longer available. It also gives the airline better information about demand, potentially reducing unnecessary catering while preserving choice.

The important limitation is eligibility. Qatar Airways says the service applies on flights of at least two hours, but travelers should still confirm that preordering appears in “Manage Booking” for their specific flight. The announcement does not state that every aircraft, departure or catering station is immediately included.

Qatar and Porter Build a Canadian Feeder Network

Qatar Airways also announced on Nov. 9 that it will place its flight code on selected services operated by Porter Airlines, creating single-ticket connections beyond Qatar’s Toronto and Montreal gateways.

The first codeshare itineraries are bookable for travel beginning Nov. 16. Planned Canadian connections include Edmonton, Halifax, Ottawa, St. John’s and Thunder Bay. In the other direction, Porter passengers will be able to connect through Toronto or Montreal to Qatar Airways flights via Doha, with onward possibilities including Delhi, Manila, Dubai and Addis Ababa. Qatar Airways Newsroom

A codeshare allows one airline to sell seats on another carrier’s flights under its own code. Its practical value lies in protected connections and a unified itinerary, rather than in a new aircraft or route. Travelers should nevertheless verify baggage allowances, seat-selection rules and loyalty-credit eligibility, since those details can differ between the marketing carrier and the airline actually operating the flight.

The agreement gives Qatar Airways domestic reach without deploying its own aircraft beyond Toronto and Montreal. For Porter, it adds another long-haul partner and another source of connecting passengers for its expanding network. Qatar Airways already has a separate Canadian codeshare with WestJet; the Porter agreement therefore broadens its feed particularly in Eastern Canada rather than replacing the earlier partnership.

An Unauthorized Turn at LAX Prompts a Federal Investigation

The Federal Aviation Administration is investigating a close call involving an Air France A350 and an American Airlines A321 shortly after both aircraft departed Los Angeles International Airport early on Nov. 7.

According to the FAA, Air France Flight 28, bound for Papeete, made an unauthorized turn after takeoff and entered the path of another aircraft departing from a parallel runway. Air-traffic controllers immediately issued corrective instructions to the Air France crew and directed the American flight, bound for Dallas-Fort Worth, to alter its climb.

Both flights continued safely to their destinations, and no injuries were reported. Air France confirmed that its crew adjusted course when instructed, but its statement did not explain why the aircraft initially departed from the assigned flight path. KESQ

Flight-tracking estimates of the aircraft’s closest separation differ, so no precise distance should be treated as an official finding. What is confirmed is that the Air France aircraft entered the other jet’s path, controllers intervened and the FAA investigation remains open.

The event matters because parallel departures depend on crews following assigned headings and published departure procedures with precision. The investigation will examine whether the turn resulted from a misunderstood clearance, an incorrectly entered navigation instruction, cockpit workload or another cause. Until the FAA completes that work, assigning blame beyond the agency’s preliminary description would be premature.

Official press photography

Air France; American Airlines; Porter Airlines; Qatar Airways; United Airlines; Washington Dulles International Airport

Liam Cusack

Liam P. Cusack is the Managing Editor of Cruise & Travel Report (www.cruiseandtravelreport.com), a publication dedicated to providing travelers the same news that industry insiders receive. A self-described “travel nerd”, Liam is an Ocean Liner and Cruise Industry historian who has traveled to more than 60 countries, every US state and sailed on more than 60 cruises. After nearly two decades as an award-winning political journalist and investigative reporter at a major NYC daily newspaper, he decided to dedicate his career to helping avid travelers, like himself, be more well-informed. With Cruise & Travel Report, Liam strives to provide news and tips to make every vacation a dream vacation.