DFW Airport

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport turns 50

Aviation history, ,

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) turns 50 on January 13 and is kicking off a year-long party to celebrate.

Events begin Saturday morning with 50th-anniversary giveaways including a special limited edition Coca-Cola bottle, selfie stations, and surprise performances in select terminals during the day.

Passengers arriving on AA Flight 3589 from Little Rock, Ark., will receive a special water arch celebration and greeting at the gate in honor of the first flight to arrive at DFW from the city in 1974.

Then, on Saturday night, buildings in both Dallas and Fort Worth will be lit with DFW Airport’s primary brand color – orange – to commemorate the airport’s golden anniversary. This includes the Omni Dallas Downtown, Bank of America Plaza, One Arts Plaza, KPMG Plaza, AT&T Headquarters and Discovery District, Hunt Building, 1900 Pearl Street, 1900 N. Akard Street and Reunion Tower in Dallas, and City Hall and the 7th Street Bridge in Fort Worth.

While we wait for more details about what other anniversary surprises will roll out the rest of the year, here are some photos and history about the airport, courtesy of DFW and the Frontiers of Flight Museum.

Here’s a shot of Braniff Jets lined up at DFW in the late 1970s.

THEN AND NOW

1974 2023 
 World’s largest airport by land area  Third largest airport by land area 
 Four terminals  Five terminals (sixth to break ground in 2024) 
 Three runways  Seven runways 
 66 gates  171 gates 
 Nine airlines  28 airlines 
 6.8 million passengers  80 million passengers (estimated)
 75,000 tons of cargo  791,192 tons of cargo (FY)

More tidbits about DFW Airport

DFW was the first US Airport to be visited by the supersonic Concorde

Courtesy Frontiers of Flight Museum

On September 20, 1973, the first day of a four-day dedication ceremony that took place before DFW officially started commercial operations in January 1974, the airport welcomed a supersonic British Airways/Air France Concorde. Two days later, on September 22, 1973, tens of thousands of people attended a dedication ceremony that included an air show and exhibits.

The DFW dig

(Courtesy Frontiers of Flight Museum)

During the DFW excavation, workers uncovered an almost complete fossil of a 70-million-year-old plesiosaur, a 25-foot-long reptile that lived in the ocean during the time of dinosaurs. For a while, the fossil was displayed in Braniff’s Terminal 2W (now Terminal B), but today, DFW’s plesiosaur is locked away in storage at an area university.

For more great photos and stories about Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, see Bruce Bleakley’s book published on DFW’s 40th anniversary. It’s chock full of photos, appropriately titled Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, and is part of Arcadia Publishing’s Images of Aviation series.

Travel News from Airports Near You

Events, ,

Airports around the country are staying busy this week with everything from the introduction of a new digital concierge at DFW to celebrity sightings, Hispanic Heritage Month and Fossil Day celebrations, and shopping tips.

DFW has a Fast Pass & pre-made gates. Plus: Pendleton Round-Up returns.

Security, , , ,

Cut the TSA line AND get free food at DFW

A new amenity that may soon become an airport staple is a program that allows travelers to reserve a time to pass through the TSA checkpoint.

Seattle-Tacoma International Airport (SEA) offers this service – called SEA Spot Saver – from 4 am to noon – at several checkpoints.

Now Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is piloting a similar program.

Launched this week, the DFW Fast Pass program allows travelers who don’t have TSA Precheck or Clear to make a reservation to go to the front of the checkpoint line at the Terminal D checkpoint D18. There is no cost to use the service and reservations can be made up to 7 days in advance.

And, as a nice bonus, DFW is giving passengers who use the service a complementary food or retail offering (while supplies last).

DFW plug-in gates

As part of DFW’s Terminal C renovation, the airport shared a timelapse video of its “High C” gates being moved onto piers at the terminal. Take a look – this may be the way all airport terminals get built in the future.

Where We’d Go: The Pendleton Round-Up

Incorporating many community traditions and the dedication of hundreds of volunteers, the 111-year-old Pendleton Round-Up – one of the country’s oldest rodeos – is back this year and ready to roll in a tiny town in eastern Oregon that is so very Old West.

The festivities include Main Street Cowboy shows, an outdoor cowboy breakfast, and the Westward Ho! Parade, which may be the largest non-motorized parade in the U.S. The real action though is in the historic Pendleton Round-Up Arena, where the classic greeting isn’t ‘hello’ or even ‘howdy,’ but ‘Let’er Buck!” Events include Bareback Bronc Riding, Saddle Bronc Riding, Bull Riding, and Steer Roping, among others.

This rodeo even has its own whiskey. The multi-million-dollar annual licensing fee helps boost the rodeo’s operating budget and contributes to the economic well-being of Pendleton. The town has a year-round population of about 16,000 but welcomes more than 50,000 visitors during the Round-Up.

DFW Airport pops open a new Coca-Cola themed lounge

Exhibits, ,

Coca-Cola’s new ‘Around the World Experience’ lounge at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is now open to travelers in Terminal D.

The 2, 106-foot-square lounge has seating and power charging stations and lots of Coca-Cola themed exhibits and attractions.

In addition to Coca-Cola vending machines, the lounge space has two display cases filled with vintage artifacts and memorabilia from the Coca-Cola Archives. The mini-museum has an 1896 syrup urn and pieces from ad campaigns featuring Run DMC, Max Headroom, and the Coca-Cola Polar Bear.

The Coca-Cola Around the World Experience also features an interactive photo booth, folk art Coca-Cola bottles, a digital coke store, and a digital display with interactive timelines, stories, trivia, and digitized images from around the world.

Oh, did we mention that Coca-Cola is the official beverage sponsor of DFW Airport? We didn’t know airports had official beverages either.

But, evidently, they do.

DFW: 5 Things We Love About Dallas Fort Worth Int’l Airport

Airport guides, , ,

The “5 Things We Love About…” series on StuckatTheAirport.com celebrates features and amenities at airports around the world.

This installment of “5 Things We Love About…” lands at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), which sprawls out over almost 27 acres, with 7 runways and 164 gates.

1. The DFW Skylink

Skylink is the elevated train that connects all 5 terminals at DFW airport. Tracks run above and outside of the terminals, with a train pulling into terminal stations every 2-to-3 minutes. An 18-minute round-trip offers great views of the airfield throughout the airport.

Here are some more details about the Skylink system, shared when the system celebrated its 10th anniversary in 2015.

2. Founders’ Plaza

Dedicated in 1995, DFW’s Founders’ Plaza is an Observation Area and park near the airport offering great views of aircraft taking off and landing.

The park plaza has parking, picnic tables, telescopes, historic information, a commemorative monument and a radio broadcasting air traffic control communications from the FAA tower. Hours: 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. daily.

3. Gameway

Yes, DFW has a yoga studio. And a team of therapy dogs (DFW’s K9 Crew). But many people find relaxation in playing video games.

Luckily, DFW is home to 2 Gameway centers (at Gates E16 & B32) with a total of 36 gaming stations. Each station has a Playstation 4 Pro pre-loaded with games, a leather chair, 43″ 4K TV, noise-cancelling headphones, charging ports for your electronic devices and space to store your luggage. 

Pricing includes an option for unlimited play, which for some will be a perfect match for long layovers and delays.

4. Shopping at DFW

Big airports have lots of shopping options and DFW is no exception.

In December 2017, DFW Airport opened the largest duty-free store in the Americas. Over the years, we’ve scored plenty of charming and quirky Texas-themed souvenirs in shops throughout DFW as well.

5. Art at DFW Airport

DFW’s has a great art collection with more than 30 pieces of commissioned work including sculpture, paintings, mosaics and more. Many of the pieces are in International Terminal D and in the Skylink stations.

Did we miss a favorite amenity that you love at DFW airport? Add a note about in the comment section.

Have an airport you’d like to see featured in “5 Things We Love About…”? Leave a note below.

Want to sponsor the series or one of the installments? Drop a line.

Airports in the “5 Things We Love About …” series. So Far.

San Francisco International Airport (SFO)

Phoenix Sky Harbor International Airport (PHX)

Wichita Dwight D. Eisenhower National Airport (ICT)

Orlando International Airport (MCO)

Greenville-Spartanburg International Airport (GSP)Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW)