DFW International Airport Unveils New 'SantaTracker' Website

Dec. 23, 2008

Santa Claus gets 'top flight' treatment at DFW; Holiday travel tips and parking deals keep passengers moving

DFW INTERNATIONAL AIRPORT, Texas , Dec. 22 /PRNewswire/ -- DFW International Airport's "SantaTracker" (www.dfwairport.com/santatracker) web site debuts today as the Airport welcomes an expected 2.99 million passengers between Dec. 18 and Jan. 6, 2009 . SantaTracker, the Airport's interactive web site is upgraded and will once again track the movements of Santa and his reindeer and offer interactive games and holiday web links for families to enjoy.

Utilizing one-of-a-kind navigational technology, DFW will track Santa and his sleigh as he makes his swift trip around the world and visits the good children of North Texas . DFW has it on good authority that Santa will be landing at DFW between 11 p.m. and midnight Christmas Eve . SantaTracker will also continue to provide families an opportunity to follow Santa's trip around the world with telephone updates at 972-586-NOEL (6635). The phone line updates will be available beginning at 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 23 .

"SantaTracker is an interactive way for children of all ages to enjoy the festivities while traveling or just waiting anxiously for Santa to reach Texas," said Ken Capps , vice president of public affairs for DFW. "This is our eighth year to offer SantaTracker and it's become a fun tradition that we really enjoy offering our passengers, local citizens and Claus fans from around the world.

Passengers traveling through DFW this holiday season will also find new, free amenities to power up laptops and track the Jolly Old Elf. DFW's expanded its Free Power/Free Wired Internet kiosks to 17 locations. The kiosks offer free power and wired Internet and are located at Terminal A, Gates 12, 20, 28; Terminal B, Gates 10, 29, 35; Terminal C, Gates 6, 20, 27, 35; Terminal D, Gates 21, 23, 30, 40; and Terminal E, Gates 10, 14 and 36.

SantaTracker invites visitors to play interactive games that include Snowball Challenge, Santa's Chimney Drop game and Wishlist Word Find. In addition to games, web surfers can view a virtual reality of Santa's landing at DFW, send holiday e-cards and get travel tips and information on parking discounts at DFW.

DFW's SantaTracker site was designed entirely by the Airport's talented Marketing team and features unique music and animation to keep visitors coming back day after day. The site was designed using Adobe Photoshop and Illustrator. It was further developed using Adobe Flash CS3 and Action Script 3 as well as Bryce 3D software. The countdown feature utilized the DFW server clock to accurately track Santa's minute-by-minute trek around the world and to North Texas .

DFW - What You Need To Know

-- This year's Christmas - New Year's holiday, passenger loads are down approximately seven percent from last year, reflecting airline capacity cuts and current economic conditions. -- Guests arriving at DFW between Dec. 22 - 26 and Dec. 29 - Jan. 2, 2009 at either remote or express parking lots when they are full will receive a coupon for $10 terminal or $11 valet parking. Guests arriving at DFW on Dec. 27 and 28 at either remote or express parking lots will be offered a $10 terminal parking coupon. All coupons will be distributed between 6 a.m. and 9 p.m. -- Today's web site debut kicks off a busy week of holiday travel. DFW's nationally recognized Holiday Helpers will also be out in force on Tuesday, Dec. 23 to spread holiday cheer on one of the busiest travel days of the season. The employee volunteers will be deployed throughout the Airport's five terminals helping passengers make their way through security quickly and easily. -- DFW has brought the SantaTracker web site and the Christmas Eve phone updates to North Texas children since December 2001. The site can be accessed through the Airport's main page (www.dfwairport.com) by clicking on the Santa image. -- The Airport will offer regular updates on the movements of Santa's sleigh by phone beginning at 3:30 p.m. on Dec. 23 and continue through midnight on Dec. 24, when all good children should be fast asleep for Santa's arrival. -- "Santa is scheduled to arrive on the west airfield on runway 18 left / 36 right, guided by the FAA, he will have easy access to the Airport's General Aviation facility for his quick refueling stop," says Capps. "Last year he only stopped long enough for a 'wink of his eye and a twist of his head.'"

About DFW International Airport

Located halfway between the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth, Texas , DFW International Airport is the world's third busiest, offering nearly 1,900 flights per day and serving 57 million passengers a year. DFW has been named "Best Airport for Customer Service in North America" by an Airports Council International survey of passengers in 2006 and 2007. DFW International Airport provides non-stop service to 128 domestic and 38 international destinations worldwide. For the latest news, real-time flight information, parking availability or further details regarding the many services provided at DFW International Airport, log on to www.dfwairport.com.

SOURCE DFW International Airport