Flight change ??s -- will this work?

Assuming your flight into IAD is on time, in "normal" times you would have had enough time, but it is more risky given covid, etc. Pre covid, I always sweated connections under 2 hours and avoided them even if I had to accept 4 or 5 hours connection time for my outbound or inbound international flights.

Could you possibly catch a flight from PHX earlier in the day and have a larger buffer between flights? I guess not since you had a better connection that has apparently been changed by the airline...and since this is for August, more changes to your itinerary are likely out of your control.

I realize this is not very helpful, but if it were me, I would be looking for a better connection.

its enough time. (assuming PHX-IAD is on time or at the most 30 min late - check its on time historical data on flightaware or someplace). there is not a lot of extra covid stuff - airlines are making ppl queue up, checking their passport/covid documents and then making them queue up again for boarding.

United needs us to upload all documents (covid et al) online or thru app before even letting you check in. if you don't do it online, you will have to do it at PHX. after that, the rest of the process is a breeze. worst case, you rush to the gate at IAD, they will do a check on your passport, vaccine card/covid test in 30 seconds and you will be the last one to board.

note: if this happens at a European airport, its not okay. as there a security check (slow), covid check and terminal changes. the large european airports, as a friend called it, are a zoo. but in US, we are chilled out about it. you don't have security to get through at IAD.

United uses the C/D concourse at IAD - check the terminal map on the IAD website. Since gates won't be announced until prior to departure date, if worse came to be, going from one end of the concourse to another is no more than 10-15 minutes at a fairly brisk walk. Assuming Covid protocols remain in place into summer you'll have many of the checks done at the starting point, with cursory checks once at Dulles. As a side note, boarding for United international flights at Dulles is typically always at a very slow pace.

I'd advise checking Flight Aware to make sure your flight is actually flying, and then research the on-time record. When we flew in Sept, 2021, we found that the flights we were sold hadn't even flown in over 18 months, thus we had several changes in the six weeks before our flights.
Good luck and safe travels!

If you look up IAD and check today’s departures it looks like that United flight is leaving tonight 6:10, so that should be good news as far as it being an active flight.

Can you change to the PHX- LHR flight?

I’m pretty sure United doesn’t fly from PHX to London.

IAD is a major united hub and likely has 3-4 flights a day to LHR. I wouldn’t bother with checking flightaware. As others have said, if there still are major Covid checks, they will be done in PHX with probably a cursory check at IAD. I definitely wouldn’t change your flights as the connecting time is ample. Also, this far out there will likely be schedule changes, so use that to your advantage when it happens.

I would not panic about this connection. I think you will be fine.

Thanks everyone. The worrier in me will stop worrying (for now).
Arnold, you’re right, United doesn’t have a direct flight but had the best refundable open jaw rate.