Pros: Well designed to handle crowds
Cons: Too large if you aren't where you need to be
The Bottom Line:
Very large terminals
Make connecting a pain but
Help space the crowds out
A Pleasant, Well Thought Out Airport Most of the Time
I had some family move to Dallas six and a half years ago. (Has it really been that long?) As a result, I've gotten to know the DFW
airport very well. My main travel experiences
have been at Thanksgiving, but I have made a couple of other trips as
well. Compared to my own major airport
(LAX) and several other airports I have visited, I find it to be a pleasant
place to end a journey.
Location (Location, Location)
DFW is located in Irvine , Texas , part way between Dallas
and Fort Worth . While there are two airports in the area,
this is the biggest, and odds are you will fly into it if you have to fly into
the area.
In all my visits, I have never had to drive to or from the
airport. (Heck, I can't find my way
around Dallas
despite my frequent visits). But my
family doesn't seem to mind the drive.
Yes, it is a ways out of town, but it usually takes us 45 minutes to get
there without traffic. Considering how
far away airports are for us on the other end of the journey, that's actually
close. (It's all a matter of
perspective, I guess.) If there is bad
traffic, it will take longer to get there.
And traffic does like to get bad on the 635, one of the main arteries to
the airport, so plan accordingly.
Parking
As with most airports, you can park right at the terminal or
in a long term parking lot. There are
shuttles that are supposed to take you from the long term parking lots to the
various terminals. They are supposed to
run frequently. I have heard stories of
people who have missed flights they were on time for because the shuttle to
their terminal took close to an hour to pick them up. I don't have any personal experience with
that, so I can't speak to it.
The parking garages close to the terminals are very
convenient. They are right across a road
from baggage claim. They take a little
getting used to because some of the levels are actually below ground, but
that's true at other airports I've been to as well.
It's not surprising that you have to pay for the privilege
to park on the property. What is
surprising is that the booths aren't right at the garage. Because there is a road that goes through
airport property, you have to get your ticket and pay a ways from the
terminals. It you're just there to pick
someone up, it isn't that bad, costing $1 for the first 30 minutes and $2 up to
two hours.
Terminals
There are five terminals, A-E, with the potential to add
more if they get busier. These terminals
are long semi-circles and contain roughly 40 gates each. There are three entrances to most of
them. You'll find ticket and check in
counters on the same level as baggage pick up, but separated enough it doesn't
lead to mass confusion.
Each terminal has multiple security check points. I love this since it makes the lines to get
through very short, especially when they are all operating. I think the longest I've had to wait is 10
minutes from getting in line to leaving with my shoes retied.
Once in the terminal, you'll find that there are shops on
one side of a walk way and gates on the other.
If a flight has just come in or is about to leave, it can get a little
crowded. However, most of the time, you
can walk quite easily to your gate.
The downside of the semi-circular design is the distance
between gates. If you are at gate C4 and
need to get to C32, you've got quite a long walk a head of you. The upside is that you can get good exercise
in if you are very early for your flight.
Each terminal has the usual assortment of gift shops, fast
food and sit down restaurants, and a bookstore or newsstand. And there are signs every few gates updating
you on flight departures for all airlines in all terminals. There are usually three or four sets of
restrooms in a terminal. While they are
never crowded, they are rather far apart.
One more set per terminal would really help with that. I do find them, and the rest of the airport,
to be generally clean.
Getting Between Terminals
If you need to get from one terminal to another, there are
actually three methods you can use. If
you haven't gone through security yet, there is a tram that travels the streets
and makes several stops at each terminal.
Once you are through security, you can take Skylink, a high
speed train (how does it differ from a monorail?) that travels between all five
terminals. It makes two stops in every
terminals, and there are trains that travel both ways. It takes between 15 and 20 minutes to make a
complete loop (why no, I haven't timed it or anything), but since trains go
both ways, odds are you can make it to your stop within about 5 minutes. They have enough trains that it's only about
two minutes between trains, so if you just miss one, you won't have to wait
long for the next one.
And you can walk.
Frankly, I find this rather fun since you get to take bridges over the
roads with lots of windows so you can look down on the cars you are crossing
over. The only terminal you can't access
by walking is terminal E. If you are
walking, pay attention to the ample signs.
Some terminals connect at the low end of their gates, and some at the
high end. But the signs always point the
way (as well as to the nearest Skylink terminal). Heck, if you are really early, you can set
foot in all four terminals connected by walkways and walk to your flight and
still be on time. (Again, I'm just
guessing. Do you think I've gotten there
that early?)
Connecting Flights
Most of the airlines that fly through DFW only have a few
gates in one terminal, so if you have a connection, you don't have to go
far. The exception is American. This is their hub, and they fly out of four
of the five terminals. So if you are
flying American, you might wind up here for a layover.
By all means, allow yourself plenty of time to make a
connecting flight on American. Odds are
you will have to change terminals. While
it isn't too big a pain, you will need time to get from one terminal to
another, and then find your gate. I'd
allow an hour minimum and pray your flight isn't delayed getting into DFW.
Conclusion
The size of DFW can be a draw back, especially if you wind
up with a tight connection. If it is a
starting or ending point, it is a nice airport.
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