Passengers at DFW International Airport started using its newly renovated Terminal A for the first time, a terminal only for American Airlines customers.
Airport officials are excited to introduce the sweeping changes to North Texas travelers. “DFW and American Airlines have together re-imagined the whole passenger experience that you see, from the parking garage all the way to check-ins, through the checkpoint and into concessions, and all the way to your gate,” said airport spokesman David Magana. “It’s really going to be a unique and new passenger experience for everybody.”
The changes begin the parking garage, where elevators have been added for the first time in the airport’s history. There are now colored lights above parking spaces — green indicates an open spot, red signals a spot which has been taken, and blue shows where handicap parking is located. And the airport’s mobile app can also help travelers quickly locate available parking.
There are also no slopes in the parking garage. Everything is flat, a move intended to make it easier for passengers with rolling luggage. Airport CEO Jeff Fagan explained, “No more carrying your bags up and down stairs with your kids in strollers. It’s all flat-planed and it’s very convenient, well lit, safe and, I think, something that the customers were looking for.”
Once inside of the terminal, travelers will not see the traditional ticketing counters. Instead, a series of kiosks have been set up to hopefully make it easier for passengers to check in for their flights. The kiosk uses a credit card
These widespread changes are a part of a $2.3 billion project known as TRIP (Terminal Renewal Improvement Plan). The plan is to eventually bring these changes to the rest of Terminal A and then to the entire airport.
