Courtesy of DFW Airport
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After a year of diminished demand for air travel due to COVID-19, things are finally looking up for the airline industry with the CDC easing travel restrictions. This comes just in time as American Airlines prepares to celebrate its 40th anniversary operating out of the Dallas-Fort Worth International (DFW) Airport later this year.
Since relocating its corporate headquarters from New York to Texas in 1979 and establishing its first hub at DFW in 1981, DFW remains the primary and largest hub across the world’s largest air carrier’s global network.
“As DFW’s hometown airline, we are incredibly proud of our talented team members, the airline’s rich history in the region, our impact in the local community, and the robust schedule we operate out of DFW Airport,” American’s vice president of DFW operations Jim Moses says.
As one of only eight airlines operating at the time commercial services started at DFW, American Airlines has played an integral role in the airport’s growth from the beginning. Before there was DFW, there were two independent airports — Love Field in Dallas and Meacham Field in Fort Worth. American Airlines was part of the initial talk to build an airport midway between the two cities, but the conversation was quickly abandoned in the early 1940s after much disagreement.
DFW Airport
The groundbreaking of DFW Airport in 1968
Eventually, Dallas and Fort Worth were able to come together to construct what would later be named Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. Before becoming an international hub, DFW was dedicated in September 1973 as Dallas-Fort Worth Regional Airport. On opening day in mid-January 1974, DFW reigned as the largest airport globally. Today, at more than 26.9 square miles (larger than the city of Manhattan), DFW ranks as the world’s fourth largest airport in terms of operations.
Pre-pandemic, DFW hosted almost 75 million customers annually on 1,800 flights daily to more than 250 destinations across 50 countries through services by 23 passenger airlines. Like a city, DFW has its own zip code, police force and fire, emergency, and medical departments.
Together, American Airlines and DFW are major economic engines for the region. In addition to serving as the largest employer in the area, a recent report provided by American estimates the airline’s total economic output to be approximately $35 billion annually. In part with American, DFW contributes over $37 billion to the local economy each year.
But this has not been a promising year for the airline industry. In February, American Airlines announced it would furlough nearly 2,700 employees in Dallas-Fort Worth, but the decision was overturned in March after another COVID-19 relief package was passed.
With vaccinations on the rise, the industry is seeing demand start to climb. This summer, American Airlines is anticipating flying more than 90% of its domestic seat capacity and 80% of its international seat capacity compared to summer 2019. Of the 150 new routes recently released, DFW will see two new routes to Bangor, Mainem and Burlington, Vermont. On peak days this summer, American will offer more than 860 daily departures out of DFW.
“We look forward to continued growth and success at DFW with the support of our valued partners and stakeholders at the airport and in the community,” Moses says. “We are committed to providing the highest level of care to our loyal customers who choose to fly with us from, to, and through DFW Airport for many years to come.”
