You may not be surprised that Dallas Fort Worth (DFW) is one of the busiest airports in the United States. In fact it's a main hub for American Airlines and host to one of the world’s longest flights. Unsurprisingly, airlines from all over the world fly to DFW, including Air France which just started flying there after an 18-year break. It’s big, but it may be getting bigger with a new terminal planned to be added.
A new design
Reports have come to light recently that talks are being planned between airport officials and American Airlines to discuss a possible new terminal - the sixth at DFW. If sources are to be believed, this new terminal will look quite different from the five existing terminals. This is because existing terminals are built using a semicircular design which accommodates a car park in the middle. The design allows for quick and easy access to the terminal after getting out of your car.
The proposed new terminal - Terminal F - may not have the same design according to airport officials speaking with the Fort Worth Star-Telegram. The new terminal may not have any parking spaces at all, hinting that this new terminal is designed more for out-of-town passengers transferring.
Sean Donohue, DFW’s chief executive officer reinforces the idea with this comment:
“Sixty per cent of our customers at this airport are here to connect, and the half-moon is not a terrific design for connecting customers,”
Sadly, we still don’t know what shape the new terminal will have. However, a pier-like structure would actually be more efficient, accommodating more aircraft in less space as opposed to the existing design. Examples of this design are plentiful but let’s just point out Vancouver International or Chicago O’Hare for instance.
Officials familiar with the developments report that this new terminal could include international as well as domestic flights. This feature would be extremely convenient for arriving international passengers connecting on to a destination in the U.S..
A good time for improvements
This proposed addition to DFW is part of a $3-4 billion capital improvement project. As well as this, the project may also include improvements to Terminal C; the airport’s busiest terminal.
For future passengers, a capital improvement project couldn’t come at a better time. We've seen a lot of poor customer feedback posted on the internet regarding the facilities at DFW. Just looking at Skytrax’s Customer Reviews for the airport, it has an average rating of 3/10 which is clearly very low. Some of the issues reported by disgruntled passengers include unnecessarily long wait times for security, poor signage, and a lack of cleanliness. Here’s just one example of poor feedback we found:
Literally worst airport ever. Planes are always breaking down, and the delays are extremely long. Don’t recommend going to this garbage airport if you want to reach your destination on time like most people.
In conclusion, we will have to be patient and keep an eye out for an official announcement on whether this new terminal will go ahead. Have you ever flown to, from or through Dallas Fort Worth airport? What was your experience like and would you welcome a different design for this possible new terminal?