Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is one of the busiest airports in the world. With connections to Asia, the South Pacific, Europe, and Latin America, there is no shortage of nonstop opportunities. Mainly driven by the massive American Airlines hub, two oneworld airlines announced plans to come to Dallas. American's partners in Finnair and Iberia have announced plans to connect their hubs to Dallas next year, giving more passengers new ways to travel across the world.
Finnair and Iberia are coming to Dallas
The flag carrier of Finland, Finnair, has announced plans to launch flights to DFW from its hub at Helsinki-Vantaa Airport (HEL) starting on February 7th. Flights will run four times per week using an Airbus A350-900.
Iberia, the flag carrier of Spain, has also announced plans to start flying to DFW. Iberia will connect the north Texas city to Adolfo Suárez Madrid-Barajas Airport (MAD). This flight will run four times per week, but Iberia has not scheduled an aircraft or official start date. The airline expects to start services in April, ahead of the busy summer season.
John Ackerman, Executive Vice President of Global Strategy and Development at DFW, stated the following:
“We are thrilled about this new service. It strengthens DFW Airport’s European route options for our customers and further solidifies our commitment to continued growth on the international stage."
A large connecting network
Both Iberia and Finnair's flights will offer connections to and from the American Airlines network. Dallas is American's largest hub, and, in the past, the airline hit over 900 daily departures from the hub, and it is expected to cross that milestone again next summer. This means a lot more possible itineraries and connecting opportunities.
American Airlines is planning a daily flight to Madrid, resuming this December. Iberia will bring the oneworld alliance to offering eleven weekly flights between DFW and MAD, with connecting opportunities on both ends. From Madrid, passengers can connect to destinations across Spain and much of Western Europe.
Helsinki is a different story. American Airlines does not have any flights to the Finnish capital city. Finnair is the primary airline connecting HEL to the rest of the world for the oneworld alliance. Finnair offers a variety of different connecting opportunities from Helsinki, including to Scandanavian destinations and Western Europe – a part of the world where American Airlines does not have any nonstop service.
The Atlantic Joint Business partnership
Driving this expanded growth is the Atlantic Joint Business Agreement between American Airlines, British Airways, Iberia, and Aer Lingus. The partnership allows for more seamless travel opportunities across all of these airlines. The partnership is more than just a codeshare, with enhanced revenue-sharing opportunities and coordination on schedules and fares that have resulted in growth on both sides of the Atlantic.
American Airlines has an extensive domestic network that connects many smaller destinations in the United States to a broader, global network. It also has a strong brand presence in Latin America and the Caribbean, providing even greater access to customers in an area where oneworld does not have an airline partner. By adding flights to Dallas, the oneworld airlines will target more of those travelers who are connecting and enable new kinds of itineraries.