DFW Airport General Questions [master thread]
 

We'll use this thread for general questions about the DFW airport.

Please check out the links in the Wikipost above for existing threads.

According to the DFW International airport press release, the runway 17C/35C was supposed to reopen on March 10 at 7:00 AM. No updates on the airport when searching the Google for news about it. Nothing from the DFW Media Newsroom online. Anyone have information as to whether the runway has been reopened after the paving project? I hope the DFW has less delays after the reopening, as I fly through there frequently. I'll connect there in a few days on Saturday and Tuesday.

Press Release - DFW Media Room

Excerpt from aforementioned link:
" (DFW AIRPORT, Texas – Feb. 25, 2019) – The busiest runway at one of the busiest airports in the world is set to reopen to air traffic after an innovative $133 million enhancement project at Dallas Fort Worth International (DFW) Airport. Originally opened in 1983, Runway 17C/35C has been under construction since May 2018 to resurface more than 13,000 feet of pavement with high-tech, weather-resistant asphalt. The runway is expected to receive its first arrival flight on March 10 at 7:00 a.m. CST, when the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) opens it for traffic. "

If I'm arriving at Terminal B on TEXRail, and need to get to Terminal E, would it be faster to go through security at B, and then take the SkyLink over to E? Or would it be faster to take the landside transfer shuttles?

I'll have 40 minutes between arriving on the train (assuming that it is on time) and boarding. Is this risky? If so, I can leave an hour earlier and get the train that's an hour earlier, but if 40 minutes is doable, I'd rather do that. I have PreCheck.

This is for today (Saturday, Memorial Day Weekend) if that makes a difference.

Skylink is probably faster and certainly more dependable. It runs every 2 minutes, whereas you may wait for a bus for 10 minutes or more. From clearing security at B to your gate at E should be 15 minutes or less, maybe 20 if you're in the E satellite. So especially with pre-check, you should be fine time-wise.

I made it! Precheck in B was Precheck Light, but the Skylink was quick and I even had time to grab food.

I’m flying into DFW, have a late meeting at DFW that day, and then I’m flying out at 6:00 am the next morning.

According to the TSA site, the latest security checkpoint at DFW closes at 11:30 pm and then the earliest one opens at 3:00 am.

My meeting likely will run past 11:30 pm, which would make this moot (and which also makes a hotel room an unwise expense), but if I get done by 11:30 pm and try to go through security in order to kill a few hours at The Club (24 hrs) and/or sleep an hour or two at one of the Minute Suites (also 24 hrs), what are my chances of being allowed in by TSA around 11:30 pm with a 6:00 am next-day boarding pass?

In all my travels, I don’t recall ever trying this. I know the rule is generally same-day, but I imagine there’s a certain amount of leeway, and the 11:30 pm closing time seems to be past the latest scheduled DFW flights of the night anyway. Thanks.

Hello. I work at DFW. The chances are not great. The TSA rule is usually 24 hours but it's up to the discretion of the supervisors and officers on duty (as with all security matters) - meaning a lot of the time, they will tell people they can't enter until the "day of travel," regardless of how their flights are timed. I see this happen often with lone passengers dropped off by family at 2100 or 2200 hours because their ride doesn't want to get up at 0300 to bring them in for a 0500 departure. They end up denied by security and left to sit around out by the ticket counters until 0330, thumbing their boarding pass anxiously and spending too much money at the vending machines.

Thanks for your reply. I didn’t get done until around 1:00 am, so my query ended up being moot. On the plus side, TSA opened at 3:00 am and PRE LITE was offered since the PRE lanes don’t open until 4:00 or 5:00 am. (And you’re right; those vending machines are a gold mine. Haha.)

That's some great airport-specific information to have, Dave.

I've run into that problem abroad.

Does anyone here use The Parking Spot at DFW? Any major differences among the 3 locations? I'll be driving in from Austin for the QR flight. The South location is slightly closer, but not enough if there's a better reason to use the North (same price) or 'Premium' (a little more $$) location. Do any have electric car charging? (I have a plug-in hybrid, and one at AUS does)

Cannot help you with the question about charging, sorry. But I can tell you about some of the differences between the Parking Spot North and the Premium locations -- they are pretty close to each other -- only a couple of hundred feet apart, IIRC. The Premium location used to be called Parking Spot 2. The biggest difference I have noticed is that the parking bays are wider at Premium. It is just a big shed with lost more space between pillars (and fewer pillars). So parking is easier there, if the price is the same. I find the spots at North often a bit tight -- I end up folding my mirrors in just in case to protect them.

Have not parked at South in years, so cannot tell you about that location at all. The locations on Hwy 114 are closer for me.

Thanks for the reply!

The Premium is about $5/day more than the others.

I reserved the South location. It is a little closer for me, and especially on the way back (the QR flight arrives around 3pm), I figure every bit will help get me out of DFW traffic. It is slightly closer for me, but with a ~3 hour drive, a few minutes isn't a huge deal.

Last year when I flew to Australia I parked at one of the locations on the north side. I don't think it was called Premium. I got my car washed while it was there too (just the exterior, I had to park in a specific spot so they'd know to wash it.

South was probably your best option, although DFW traffic can't compare with Austin. Whatever traffic you hit in the Metroplex will probably be between downtown and the Dallas County line. Should ease up considerably once you pass I-20. Then you should have an easy drive until you get close to Austin. BTW, there was construction on I-35 around Waco, I think, when I drove it a few weeks ago.You probably can get updated info from TXDOT, but I'd allow extra time just in case. .

Enjoy your trip. I'm out on QR myself in a couple of weeks.

And thanks for all you do on FT to help others. (I'm one of your fans)

Just to follow-up, I used the South location. For some reason, my car's navigation had me go up the I-35W to get to it. That was during the day, so traffic wasn't too bad (but there was a little right around Ft Worth). I don't remember all of the roads, but it took right around 3 hours from home.
Everyone on the shuttle to the terminal was intrigued when I told the driver I was flying Qatar (and on the ride back). I'd guess the shuttle ride was about 10 minutes.
The drive home was not too good. I have no idea where my navigation had me go, on some toll roads (according to my toll tag history the GW Bush Turnpike), and eventually onto the I-20. Traffic was quite heavy well onto the I-35E South, and then it started raining, and poured quite a bit. The only nice thing was that there was hardly any traffic when I hit the construction in Waco (it was horrible on the drive up).
Lesson learned--the flight up is so much easier! Doing the drive every year or so makes you appreciate the ~30 min flight :)

Glad you are home safely. And yes, that drive can be a real bear if there is a lot of traffic or heavy rain.