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Dallas Fort Worth International Airport

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DFW redirects here. For the cities, see Dallas/Fort Worth Metroplex.

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Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (IATA: DFW, ICAO: KDFW, FAA LID: DFW) is located between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, and is the busiest airport in the U.S. state of Texas. In terms of aircraft movements, it is the third busiest airport in the world. In terms of passenger traffic, it is the sixth busiest airport in the world transporting 59,064,360 passengers in 2005. In terms of land area, at 18,076 acres, it is the largest airport in Texas, the second largest in the United States, and fourth largest in the world. It is the nation's tenth busiest international gateway, behind Honolulu International Airport. The airport was recently named as "The Best Cargo Airport in the World" according to the second edition of a survey.

The airport serves 129 domestic destinations and 36 international, and is the largest and main hub for American Airlines (800 daily departures), and also the largest hub for American Eagle. Eighty four percent of all flights at Dallas/Fort Worth are operated by American Airlines. Delta Air Lines closed its Dallas/Fort Worth hub in February 2005 in an effort to cut costs. The airline shrank operations from 256 daily nonstop flights to 21.

The airport is often referred to by its IATA airport code, "DFW." It is operated in many ways like a small city. It has its own post office and its own ZIP Code. The members of the airport's Board of Directors are appointed by the "owner cities" of Dallas and Fort Worth. However, the airport is inside the city limits of four other suburban cities, a situation that has led to legal battles over jurisdiction (see below). To help ensure future harmony with its neighbors, the DFW Airport Board includes a non-voting member — a representative chosen from the airport's neighbors (Irving, Euless, Grapevine, and Coppell) on a rotating basis.

DFW is connected by shuttle bus to a commuter rail station just south of the airport. The Trinity Railway Express line serves both downtown Dallas and downtown Fort Worth.

History

As early as 1927, before the area had an airport, Dallas proposed a joint airport with Fort Worth. Fort Worth declined the offer, and thus the two cities opened their own airports, Love Field and Meacham Field. Both airports had scheduled airline service.

In 1940, the Civil Aeronautics Administration earmarked $1.9 million for the construction of a Dallas-Fort Worth regional airport. American Airlines and Braniff Airways struck a deal with the city of Arlington to build an airport there, but the governments of Dallas and Fort Worth disagreed over its construction, and the project was abandoned in 1943. After World War II, Fort Worth annexed the site and developed it into Amon Carter Field with the help of American Airlines. Fort Worth transferred its commercial flights from Meacham Field to the new airport in 1953, which was now just 12 miles from Dallas Love Field. In 1960, Fort Worth purchased Amon Carter Field and renamed it Greater Southwest International Airport (GSW) in an attempt to compete with Dallas' more successful airport. However, GSW's traffic continued to decline relative to Love Field. By the mid-1960s, Fort Worth was getting 1% of Texas air traffic while Dallas was getting 49%, which led to the virtual abandonment of GSW.

The joint airport proposal was revisited in 1961 after the FAA refused to invest any more money in separate Dallas and Fort Worth airports. Although the Fort Worth airport was eventually abandoned, Dallas Love Field became congested and had no more room to expand. Following an order from the federal government in 1964that they would unilaterally choose a site if both cities could not come to an agreement on a site, officials from the two cities finally agreed on a location for a new regional airport that was north of the abandoned GSW and almost perfectly equidistant from the two city centers. The land was purchased by both cities in 1966, and construction began in 1969.

The first landing of a supersonic Concorde in the United States occurred at DFW Airport in 1973 to commemorate the airport's completion. Concorde later served DFW in a cooperative agreement between Braniff Airways, British Airways, and Air France, before the demise of Braniff ended the service.

DFW Airport opened for commercial service on January 13, 1974. At the time, it was the largest and costliest airport in the world. Following the Wright Amendment of 1979, which banned long-distance flights from Love Field, DFW became the only airport in the metropolitan area to offer long-haul commercial air passenger service on aircraft with more than 56 passenger seats. Also in 1979, American Airlines moved its headquarters from New York to Fort Worth (adjacent to DFW on the former site of GSW). American began its first hub at DFW in 1981, started flights to London in 1982, and started flights to Tokyo in 1987. Delta Air Lines built up a domestic hub at DFW during the same period, but announced its closure in 2004 in a restructuring of the airline in an attempt to avoid bankruptcy. Today, Delta only flies from DFW to their three hubs plus Orlando and New York-LaGuardia.

After the closing of Delta's hub in 2005, DFW Airport offered incentives to Southwest Airlines to relocate its hub to DFW from Love Field. Southwest, as in the past, declined the offer, opting to remain at Love Field (DFW, in turn, opposed all efforts to expand Love Field operations until DFW saw that they could not win the fight, so they cut the losses and agreed to Love Field service expansion). Additionally, the airport offered incentives to at least three other airlines to locate at DFW Airport, all of whom declined as well.

In 1989, the airport authority announced plans to rebuild the existing terminals and construct two new runways. After an environmental impact study was released the following year, the cities of Irving, Euless, and Grapevine sued the airport over its expansion plans, a battle that was finally decided (in favor of the airport) by the U.S. Supreme Court in 1994. The seventh runway opened in 1996.

The four primary North-South runways (those closest to the terminals) were all lengthened from 11,388 ft (3471 m) to their current length of 13,400 ft (4084 m). The first of these, 17R/35L, was extended in 1996 (at the same time the new runway was constructed), and the other three (17C/35C, 18L/36R, and 18R/36L) were extended in 2005. DFW is now the only airport in the world with four serviceable paved runways longer than 4000 m.

A new international terminal (Terminal D) opened in July 2005.

A new people mover system, named Skylink, opened in Spring of 2005 and is the world's largest high-speed airport train system. Totally automated, Skylink trains run every few minutes and travel at speeds up to 35-37 mph. Skylink is double tracked, permitting bi-directional operations. The Skylink system was acquired from Bombardier Transportation and has been well-received by passengers. Skylink replaced the original Airtrans system (part of which was later referred to as American Airlines' TrAAin system), which was notoriously slow and uni-directional (though it was a state-of-the-art automated system when the airport opened).

Disasters at DFW

Disasters involving flights with a DFW connection


Notable Incidents

In the summer of 2006, FAA air traffic controllers at DFW weathered scathing criticism following their handling of a potentially catastrophic fuel emergency involving an American Airlines 757. When the pilot of American Airlines Flight 489 reported a critically low fuel supply and declared an emergency, he was given direct vectors to the airport by approach control. However, tower controllers twice stubbornly refused to accommodate the pilot's urgent, and specific, request for a straight-in approach to Runway 17C, instead directing him to circle around and approach Runway 31R, which was the active runway during the time of the incident. The pilot acquiesced to the controller's instructions, and the aircraft was able to land safely, but ABC News aviation expert John Nance would later characterize the controller response as "unforgiveable".

Terminals, airlines and destinations

diagram of DFW

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport has five terminals. The airport is designed with expansion in mind, and can theoretically accommodate up to thirteen terminals totalling 260 gates, although this level of expansion is unlikely to be reached in the foreseeable future.

The terminals at DFW are semicircular (except for the newest terminal, Terminal D, which is a "square U" shape) and built around the airport's central north-south arterial road, Texas Highway 97, also known as "International Parkway." Until the late 1990s, they were designated by a number (2 being northernmost, 4 being southernmost) and a letter suffix ("E" for East, "W" for West). This system was later scrapped, and the terminals are now lettered from A to E. Terminals A, C, and E (from north to south) are on the east side of the airport, while Terminals B and D (from north to south) are on the west side.

DFW's terminals are designed to minimize the distance between a passenger's car and airplane as well as reduce traffic around terminals. A consequence of this layout is that connecting passengers had to walk extremely long distances between gates (in order to walk from one end of the semicircular concourse to the other, one must walk the entire length; there were no shortcuts between the ends). Since DFW is American Airlines' largest hub, this has caused problems. The original people mover train (opened with the airport, but notoriously slow and uni-directional) was replaced by SkyLink in April 2005, which serves all five terminals at a considerably higher speed and is bi-directional. It is also the world's largest high-speed airport train system.

The following destinations are not fully accurate. Please visit the airport website or the airline carrier website for the most accurate details of flights at Dallas/Fort Worth. Seasonal and future non-stop destinations are noted in parentheses.

Terminal A

American Airlines and its regional affiliate American Eagle have a large presence at Dallas/Fort Worth. The world's largest airline, in terms of passengers transported, operates its largest hub at DFW. The two airlines operate at four of the five terminals at the airport. Terminal A is fully occupied by American Airlines and American Eagle for domestic flights. Prior to the opening of Terminal D, Terminal A operated most of AA's international flights at the airport.

  • American Airlines (Albuquerque, Anchorage , Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore/Washington, Baton Rouge (seasonal), Birmingham (AL), Boston, Burbank, Charlotte, Chicago-O'Hare, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Colorado Springs, Columbus, Dayton, Denver, Detroit, El Paso, Fayetteville (AR), Fresno, Fort Lauderdale, Fort Myers, Greensboro, Gunnison , Hartford, Hayden/Steamboat Springs , Honolulu, Houston-Intercontinental, Huntsville, Indianapolis, Jackson Hole , Jacksonville, Kahului, Kansas City, Las Vegas, Los Angeles, Louisville, McAllen, Memphis, Miami, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Mobile, Montrose , Nashville, New Orleans, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Newark, Norfolk, Oakland, Oklahoma City, Omaha, Ontario (CA), Orange County, Orlando, Palm Springs, Pensacola, Philadelphia, Phoenix, Portland (OR), Raleigh/Durham, Reno/Tahoe, Richmond, Sacramento, Salt Lake City, San Antonio, San Diego, San Francisco, San Jose (CA), Santa Ana, Seattle/Tacoma, St. Louis, Tampa, Tucson, Tulsa, Vail, Washington-Dulles, Washington-Reagan, West Palm Beach, Wichita)
    • American Eagle (Abilene, Alexandria, Amarillo, Baton Rouge, Cedar Rapids, Champaign, Charleston (SC), Charlotte, Chattanooga, Cincinnati/Northern Kentucky, Cleveland, College Station, Columbia (SC), Columbus, Corpus Christi, Dayton, Des Moines, Detroit, Evansville, Fayetteville (AR), Fort Smith, Fort Walton Beach, Fort Wayne, Grand Rapids, Greensboro, Greenville (SC), Gulfport/Biloxi, Harrisburg, Houston-Hobby, Houston-Intercontinental, Jackson, Killeen, Knoxville, Lafayette, Laredo, Lawton, Lexington, Little Rock, Longview, Louisville, Lubbock, Madison, Memphis, Midland-Odessa, Milwaukee, Minneapolis/St. Paul, Mission, Moline/Quad Cities, Monroe (LA), Montrose , Oklahoma City, Peoria, Pittsburgh, Rochester (NY), San Angelo, Santa Barbara, Savannah, Shreveport, Springfield (MO), Syracuse, Texarkana, Traverse City, Tulsa, Tyler, Waco, Wichita, Wichita Falls)

Terminal B

American Eagle occupies 16 gates at Terminal B. United Airlines is the only other airline that occupies the terminal as US Airways relocated to Terminal E in July of 2006. Terminal B is the former Braniff Terminal. Prior to the opening of Terminal D, all non-AA international flights operated from this terminal.

Terminal C

American Airlines operates all the gates at Terminal C for only domestic flights.

International Terminal D

International Terminal D opened in July 2005. The new terminal is a two million sq. ft. (186,000 m²) facility capable of handling 32,000 passengers daily or 11.7 million passengers annually, with 28 gates and an integrated 298-room Hyatt Hotel. The terminal features 99 ticketing positions and a federal inspection facility capable of processing 2,800 passengers per hour. The concession areas consist of 100,000 sq. ft. (9,300 m²) emphasizing an upscale shopping and dining experience.

International Terminal D

The new eight-level parking garage has over 8,100 parking spaces and uses a Smart Technology System that lets guests know which floors are full. Air-conditioned skybridges with moving walkways and elevators connect the garage to the terminal, and an arrivals canopy roof shields pedestrians from inclement weather as they enter and exit the terminal.

  • Air Canada (Toronto-Pearson)
  • American Airlines (Some domestic flights, see ), Acapulco , Belize City, Buenos Aires-Ezeiza, Calgary, Cancún, Caracas, Cozumel, Frankfurt, Guadalajara, Guatemala City, Ixtapa/Zihuatanejo , León, Liberia (seasonal), London-Gatwick, Los Cabos, Mexico City, Montego Bay, Monterrey, Montréal, Nassau, Paris-Charles de Gaulle, Puerto Vallarta, San José (CR), San Jose del Cabo, San Juan (PR), Santiago, São Paulo-Guarulhos, Tokyo-Narita, Toronto-Pearson, Vancouver, Zürich) American Airlines also operates flights from Miami and Chicago on Boeing 777's to and from this terminal, and other domestic flights with a high number of passengers connecting from the flights listed above, including those from Chicago and Miami.
    • American Eagle (Aguascalientes, Chihuahua, Guadalajara, León, Monterrey, Nassau, San Luis Potosí, Torreón)
  • British Airways (London-Gatwick)
  • Korean Air (Seoul-Incheon)
  • Lufthansa (Frankfurt)
  • Mexicana (Mexico City)
  • Sun Country Airlines (Anchorage , Cancún, Laughlin/Bullhead City , Minneapolis/St. Paul, Puerto Vallarta )
  • TACA (San Salvador)

Terminal E

Former routes

  • Aeroméxico (Mexico City)
  • Air Canada Jazz (Toronto-Pearson) *service shifted to Air Canada
  • Air France (Paris-Charles de Gaulle)
  • AirTran Airways (Chicago-Midway, Fort Lauderdale, Las Vegas, Los Angeles)
  • America West Airlines
  • American Airlines (Brussels, Chicago-Midway, Lima, Long Beach, Manchester (UK), Osaka-Kansai, Panama City, Paris-Orly, Pittsburgh, Providence, Little Rock, Lubbock)
  • Continental Airlines (Atlanta)
  • Delta Air Lines (Albuquerque, Austin, Baton Rouge, Boston, Detroit, El Paso, Frankfurt, Fort Lauderdale , Honolulu, Houston-Intercontinental, Las Vegas, Little Rock, Los Angeles, Memphis, Miami, New Orleans, Nashville, New York-JFK, New York-LaGuardia, Newark, Orlando, Phoenix, Reno, San Antonio, San Diego, Portland (OR), San Francisco, Seattle/Tacoma, Tampa, Tucson, West Palm Beach)
    • Delta Connection (Abilene, Albuquerque, Alexandria, Amarillo, Austin, Baton Rouge, Beaumont, Birmingham (AL), Charleston (SC), Colorado Springs, Columbus (MS), Columbia (SC), Denver, Fayetteville (AR), Fort Walton Beach, Greensboro, Houston-Intercontinental, Houston-Hobby, Jackson, Jacksonville, Kansas City, Lafayette, Lawton, Little Rock, Lubbock, Memphis, Mobile, Monroe, Montgomery, Nashville, New Orleans, New York-JFK, Oakland, Oklahoma City, Ontario (CA), Orange County, Orlando, Phoenix, Portland (OR), San Antonio, Savannah, Shreveport, Tallahassee, Tucson, Tulsa, Wichita Falls)
  • Japan Airlines (Tokyo-Narita)
  • Mexicana (Cancún, Cozumel, Guadalajara, Los Cabos, Morelia, Puerto Vallarta, Zacatecas)
  • Sabena (Brussels)
  • Sol Air (Roatán)
  • Spirit Airlines (Fort Lauderdale)
  • TACA (Guatemala City)
  • United Airlines (Seattle/Tacoma, Washington-Dulles)
  • US Airways (Pittsburgh, Washington-Reagan)

Cargo

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport handles sixty percent of all air cargo in Texas. Asia and Europe account for over 75% of the cargo at the 25th busiest cargo airport in the world.

In a recent survey by Air Cargo World, Dallas/Fort Worth ranked as "The Best Cargo Airport in the World". Frankfurt International Airport came in second, while Hong Kong International Airport and the world's busiest cargo airport, Memphis International Airport, tied for third.

Trade data

The following cargo carriers are not fully accurate. Please contact the airport or the cargo carrier website for the most accurate details of air cargo at Dallas/Fort Worth.

Cargo carriers

Trivia

  • The airport has installed additional fee-based electrical outlets to charge laptops and other mobile devices on a pay-per-use basis.
  • Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport has the highest number of McDonnell Douglas MD-80 operations in the world. It is the home of American Airlines, which operates 361 MD-80s.
  • DFW was also the first airport in the USA to receive the supersonic Concorde; and is also one of only four USA airports (along with Washington/Dulles, New York/Kennedy, and Miami) to ever feature scheduled Concorde service.

References

Notes

  1. DFW Airport press release, see section "About DFW International Airport", dated 12 February 2007, URL retrieved 25 February 2007
  2. DFW Airport Facts
  3. U.S. Department of Transportation, Bureau of Transportation Statistics, Office of Airline Information, T-100 Segment data, 2001
  4. AirCargoWorld.com - Air Cargo Excellence Survey. Retrieved 18 September 2006.
  5. DFWairport.com - Cargo Connects DFW To the World and DFW news release. Retrieved 18 September 2006.
  6. Bombardier Innovia Technology, Bombardier Transportation Website, 2006-02-03
  7. Lea+Elliot Skylink Project, 2006-02-03
  8. Corgan Associates press release, dated 20 May 2005, retrieved 14 February 2007
  9. http://www.dslreports.com/shownews/81817

External links

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