Travel Review: Dallas-Fort Worth (DFW) Airport

Stars: 4 out of 5
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.