Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport
Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport ((more commonly known by its ICAO airport code DFW), which has become shorthand for the metro area itself) is an airport located roughly midway between the Texas cities of Dallas and Fort Worth (and jointly owned by them). At its opening in 1973 it was the world's largest airport (larger than Manhattan Island) and still remains among the largest and busiest in the world.
It is the flagship hub for American Airlines, who's headquarters is south of the airport in Fort Worth.
Its layout consists of five horseshoe-shaped terminals (four traditional and one more of a square horseshoe), labeled A through E, bi-sected by a highway (A, C, and E on the east side and B and D on the west side); the highway allows for entry from both the north and south (making DFW one of the few airports with more than one public road entry). (A sixth terminal, Terminal F (located south of D and across the highway from E), is in the planning stages.)
The layout makes for easy access from parking to check-in through security to gates (and from gates through security to baggage claim and ultimately to parking); however, it also makes connecting between gates difficult (especially going between terminals). A prior people-mover system allowed for access, but it was outside the secured area (which, even before TSA checkpoints, was a hassle) and only operated in a uni-directional (counter-clockwise) direction; a newer system (bi-directional and inside the secured area) made for much faster connection times. Terminals A and C are exclusively used by American Airlines, while Terminal B is used by both American and its commuter subsidiary American Eagle Airlines. Terminal D is the international terminal, used by foreign airlines serving DFW (except for Air Canada) as well as some American Airlines domestic flights. Terminal E is used by American, all other domestic carriers serving DFW, and Air Canada.
