DFW Airport opened for commercial service on January 13, 1974. The original name was Dallas Fort Worth Regional Airport. The name change to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport did not occur until 1985. 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 its four hubs.

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.

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 operated as American Airlines' TrAAin system), which was notoriously slow at a top speed of 17 mph, uni-directional (though it was a state-of-the-art automated system when the airport opened) and whose stations were outside security. Later, the Airtrans at DFW was split into three separate systems, the regular Airport Train, an employee train, and the American Airlines TrAAin - the one that was inside security. All three utilized the same guideway, and the same type of vehicles; the only major difference being the stations used. It served the airport for 31 years from 1974 until 2005 and transported a quarter of a billion passengers between DFW's four terminals and employee facilities, logging a total of 97 million miles on its fleet. It was decommissioned about a month after Skylink opened. The old Airtrans tracks leaving the terminal's north and south ends can still be seen from the Skylink.

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport is located 18 miles from Downtown Dallas and approximately 24 miles from Fort Worth, Texas. More than 20 airlines operate at the airport, and Dallas Fort Worth is a major hub for American Airlines. Each day thousands of travelers pass through the terminals, which are easily accessible via terminal buses. Dallas Fort Worth International is a large airport. There are five terminals: A, B, C, D, and E. Since the crescent shaped terminals are long, an airport train system is available to assist passengers.

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (IATA: DFW, ICAO: KDFW, FAA LID: DFW) is located between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth,[2] and is the busiest airport in the U.S. state of Texas.

With 684,779 aircraft movements in 2007[3], it is the third busiest airport in the world in terms of aircraft movements. In terms of passenger traffic, it is the seventh busiest airport in the world transporting 59,784,876 passengers[1] in 2007. In terms of land area, at 18,076 acres (7,315 ha),[4] it is the largest airport in Texas, the second largest in the United States, behind Denver International Airport, and fourth largest in the world. It is the tenth busiest international gateway in the United States, behind Honolulu International Airport.[5] In 2006 the airport was named as "The Best Cargo Airport in the World" according to the second edition of a survey.[6][7]

The airport, within the incorporated cities of Euless, Grapevine, and Irving, serves 135 domestic destinations and 39 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, ZIP Code, and Public Services. The United States Postal Service gave the airport its own city designation, DFW Airport, TX.[8] The members of the airport's Board of Directors are appointed by the "owner cities" of Dallas and Fort Worth. The airport is inside the city limits of three 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 1964 that 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 BAC/Sud (now BAE Systems and Aerospatiale) 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. The original name was Dallas Fort Worth Regional Airport. The name change to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport did not occur until 1985.[9] 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 its four hubs.

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.

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.[10][11][12] 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 operated as American Airlines' TrAAin system), which was notoriously slow at a top speed of 17 mph, uni-directional (though it was a state-of-the-art automated system when the airport opened) and whose stations were outside security. Later, the Airtrans at DFW was split into three separate systems, the regular Airport Train, an employee train, and the American Airlines TrAAin - the one that was inside security.

All three utilized the same guideway, and the same type of vehicles; the only major difference being the stations used. It served the airport for 31 years from 1974 until 2005 and transported a quarter of a billion passengers between DFW's four terminals and employee facilities, logging a total of 97 million miles on its fleet. It was decommissioned about a month after Skylink opened.[13][14] The old Airtrans tracks leaving the terminal's north and south ends can still be seen from the Skylink.

Terminals, airlines and destinations

diagram of DFWDallas/Fort Worth International Airport has five terminals. The airport is designed with expansion in mind, and can theoretically accommodate up to thirteen terminals totaling 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, Spur 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.

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, previously called "Terminal 2E" when the airport was first opened, is fully occupied by American Airlines for domestic flights. Prior to the opening of Terminal D, Terminal A operated most of AA's international flights at the airport. During the late 1990s, a significant number of American Eagle flights moved to Terminal B. Also in the late 1990s, American Eagle built a Satellite Terminal (Named Satellite Terminal A2) due to the lack of aircraft gates. It was located near Terminal A and was only accessible via shuttle buses. Satellite Terminal A2 (Gates A2A-A2N) was abandoned in 2005 when American Eagle moved all operations to Terminals B and D. However there are plans underway to redevelop the aging Terminal into a world class hub larger and more exclusive than international terminal D into becoming American Airlines exclusive Central Terminal.

Terminal E, originally called Terminal 4E, was occupied primarily by Delta Air Lines until Delta closed its hub in 2005 and retained only flights to its other hubs. Terminal E is distinctive in that it has a satellite terminal connected by an underground walkway. The satellite, previously used by Delta and later used by Delta Connection carriers, is currently unused. Terminal E is also only connected to other terminals only by the Skylink and is lacking the walkways that link other terminals.

Terminal E has 36 gates: E2-E38. Terminal E had customs facilities that were used when Delta operated flights to Frankfurt in the early 1990s, and when Air France and AeroMexico used to serve D/FW before the International Terminal D was constructed. In the 2000s, Skyteam partner airlines Continental and Northwest moved to gates adjacent to Delta. Currently, airlines serving Terminal E include:

While D/FW currently serves 40+ international markets, attracting and retaining new air service to newer ones has always been dicey for D/FW. Record fuel prices, economic downturns, and the competitive threat of American's massive hub operations at D/FW has always made it difficult for new airline tenants to prioritize the airport for expansion opportunities. Still, the airport has been working aggressively to increase the number of international flights, and in 2006 launched the Air Service Initiative Program. It costs $7 million per year and is targeted towards securing flights to markets such as Hong Kong, Dublin, Madrid, Rio de Janeiro, Bogotá, etc. Since then, D/FW has successfuly commenced operations to Providenciales, Panama City, and San Salvador on American and to Amsterdam via KLM. Thanks to the Open Skies agreements, D/FW was able to shift its daily service on British Airways and twice daily service on American to London Heathrow. These shifts, along with the new KLM route, open up more than double the amount of connections to Europe, Africa, the Middle East, India, and Asia from North Texas. Previously, Lufthansa was the only major airline that provided such global service.

Airport officials have traveled extensively throughout Latin America and Asia over the past few months to market the airport. Plausible contenders to commence operations to D/FW include foreign-flag Latin American carriers, such as LAN Airlines beginning service to Peru, Chile, or Ecuador. There have also been talks with China Eastern Airlines and Cathay Pacific Airlines to begin direct service from D/FW to Shanghai, Hong Kong, Beijing, or even a lesser known Chinese city. Despite being the 3rd busiest airport in the world, D/FW only offers three daily flights to Asia, and considers itself "severely behind" other gateways on the East and West Coast in terms of connections and its potentiality to attract tourism and business with such meager frequencies. Ideally, American would provide excellent connections for a Chinese route, but the carrier previously had major problems in negotiating with its pilots union in the 2006 bid to gain China rights to Beijing. Political and Economic conditions also make it difficult for foreign flag carriers to fly to D/FW; first they have to receive clearance from the Chinese government, and secondly, rising oil prices have led them to be extra cautious against pursuing markets that could be money losers. Logistically speaking as well, some of them will not even have the aircraft capable of such routes until 2009 or later.

Other new route discussions that have been tossed around include service to Munich, either on Lufthansa or Air India (the latter intends to open a hub operation at MUC and has stated an interest in launching flights to D/FW from there), Aer Lingus to Dublin (pending delivery of newer aircraft), American or Iberia to Madrid, Qantas to Sydney/Melbourne and Emirates Airline to Dubai (which will become more likely once the carrier receives its orders of Airbus A350 aircraft).