Terminal D Now North Texas' Front Door To The World
With the smooth touchdown of a
Mexicana Airlines flight, DFW International Airport last week
opened the doors of its long-anticipated International Terminal
D.
Mexicana Flight #178, an Airbus A319, arrived from Zacatecas,
Mexico at 6:46 a.m. greeted by a DFW Department of Public Safety
"shower of affection" on the taxiway and a DPS color guard on the
tarmac. The flight's 120 passengers enjoyed an inaugural reception
inside the International Arrivals Hall, featuring Mariachi music
and a Chinese Lion Dance performed for good luck. The new terminal
will be the home of all of DFW's international flights to a record
38 global destinations, and selected domestic flights.
"The opening of International Terminal D places DFW on the short
list of the world's top airports, in terms of its security,
technology, architecture, engineering, design, construction and
art," said Jeff Fegan, Chief Executive Officer of DFW International
Airport. "We've come a long way to get to this momentous day. Now
International Terminal D begins serving our Airport and passengers
with new elegance and efficiency and gives us a new front door to
the world."
The opening day festivities featured a distinct international
flavor, befitting Terminal D's status as the world's newest
international gateway. Passengers from the inaugural Mexicana
flight were treated to a welcome from local dignitaries and
community groups, and serenaded by the Mariachi Rosas Divinas, an
all-female Mariachi band from Dallas.
Terminal D's first official day of operation was celebrated with
a Chinese Lion Dance, a tradition that dates back over one thousand
years. Legend holds that the Lion Dance dispenses good blessings,
and represents the hopes and aspirations for all the good things
life holds.
"The terminal is wonderful," said Alberto Aguilar of Lewisville,
Texas, the first passenger to make it through Customs on Terminal
D's inaugural arrival. "I'm excited to be the first passenger. It
was so easy to get through."
"I learned to fly here at DFW 33 years ago and coming into this
terminal is like a homecoming," said Mexicana pilot Juan Jose
Ambrosio. "I liked everything about it. Like Texas, it's beautiful
and huge."
The welcome celebrations were repeated for Terminal D's next two
arriving flights, a Korean Air 747 from Seoul which arrived at
10:30 a.m. with 383 passengers on board, and an ATA L-1011 charter
jet which arrived at 11:42 a.m. carrying 250+ members of the U.S.
military home from Kuwait for two weeks of Rest &
Relaxation.
The first three international arrivals were greeted by
dignitaries including Fegan and Chief Operating Officer Kevin Cox,
along with Congressman Michael Burgess (R-Flower Mound) and local
business leaders. The welcoming committee formed a receiving line
and led the distribution of gifts for arriving passengers,
including a commemorative travel bag filled with mementos and
chocolates.
The premiere flights were also greeted by a Parade of Nations,
made of local residents representing a variety of international
cultures dressed in the clothes of their native lands, including
Mexico, Brazil, Argentina, Bolivia, Turkey, Indonesia, Africa,
India, Vietnam, The Phillippines, Sumatra, Hawaii, Tahiti and
China. Finally, a traditional Korean drum celebration welcomed
passengers from the Korean Air flight. And hundreds of local
volunteers greeted the military troops with a rousing welcome, as
has become the daily custom since the R&R program resumed at
DFW in 2004.
International Terminal D will welcome all of DFW's international
visitors with soaring ceilings, wide-open spaces, and a $6 million
art program comprised of a stunning collection of paintings,
sculptures and floor medallions. At two million square feet, the
international terminal is the world's largest terminal built since
9/11, and features a Grand Hyatt Hotel and an 8,100-space garage
with "Smart Parking" technology.
At a final cost of $1.2 billion, International Terminal D
represents the crowning achievement of DFW's $2.7 billion Capital
Development Program. The five-year effort has produced not only the
terminal complex but also Skylink, the world's largest airport
train, along with runway and infrastructure improvements at the
Airport.
"Literally thousands of people worked millions of man-hours to
make this building a reality, and we've all worked through some
very tough times to design and build this terminal," said Clay
Paslay, DFW's executive vice president for airport development. "To
all of those who played a part, we owe a sincere debt of gratitude
because this extraordinary building was completed on time and under
its projected budget."
The two-million square foot terminal will feature over 60
choices for dining and shopping, located mainly in two large
concessions villages. The terminal also boasts two grand ticketing
halls and the most advanced security systems in the world. Other
passenger amenities include wireless internet available throughout
the terminal, along with two children's playgrounds and two
performance stages.
"Our new International Terminal D
will be a truly memorable place for travelers who have time to shop
or eat," said Jeff Wentworth, Chairman of the DFW International
Airport Board. "Terminal D will allow DFW to become the premier
international gateway for the U.S. and continue to grow the economy
of North Texas for the benefit of all. And our concessionaires
offer a Texas flair that will make a lasting impression of our
region for millions of international visitors."
The first departing flight from Terminal D was an Air Canada Jazz
regional jet flight to Toronto which departed from International
Terminal D at 6:30 this morning.
For its first few weeks of operation, International Terminal D
will host flights from DFW's foreign flag carriers and charter
carriers. American Airlines and American Eagle will operate from 19
of the 28 gates in Terminal D, and will have approximately 75
flights per day to 30 international destinations. However, because
of the complexity of moving its large segment of international
flights, American will require a few more weeks to phase in service
to International Terminal D.
The new terminal opens at a time when DFW needs it most. The
Airport's international traffic has grown significantly in the last
few years, and projections for 2005 show the Airport will host a
record 5.6 million international passengers in the calendar year.
That is a robust 10-percent improvement over the previous record of
5.1 million international passengers set just last year.
Those millions of visitors to Terminal D will be treated to a
myriad of world-class amenities. Built into the center of
International Terminal D is a Grand Hyatt Hotel, a 12-story hotel
with luxury accommodations. The hotel features 298 guest rooms,
banquet and ballrooms, restaurant, lounge, coffee bar, rooftop
heated swimming pool and fully-equipped fitness center with spa
treatment rooms. All guest rooms offer a full range of amenities,
such as Hyatt's signature Grand Bed, state-of-the-art 32-inch flat
screen televisions and over-sized bathrooms.
Outside the terminal is an 8,100-space parking garage equipped
with "Smart Parking" technology that will help drivers find the
nearest available parking space.
The new terminal is designed to handle up to 12 million
passengers per year. The security inside the terminals consists of
three large screening checkpoints staffed by the Transportation
Security Administration (TSA), a Customs arrival hall capable of
processing 2800 arriving passengers an hour, and an integrated
baggage screening system which will examine all checked baggage for
explosives.
International Terminal D is the first new terminal built at DFW
International Airport since it opened 31 years ago. The new
terminal houses 28 gates, 19 of which are operated by American
Airlines. Other airlines which will serve DFW at Terminal D include
foreign flag carriers AeroM�xico, Air Canada Jazz, British
Airways, Grupo TACA, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Mexicana Airlines, and
charter carriers Champion Air, Ryan International and Sun
Country.
International Terminal D By The Numbers
-
2,000: Passengers that can be
ticketed per hour at Terminal D
- 2,500: People that can be screened through security per
hour
- 2,800: International passengers that can be processed through
Customs per hour
- 37,000: Total passengers International Terminal D can handle
per day
- 12.8 million: Total passengers International Terminal D can
handle per year
- 30,000: Pieces of luggage that can be processed per day
- 4: Number of American Airlines Centers that can fit in Terminal
D's footprint
- 3: Number of Texas Stadiums that could fit in the footprint of
Terminal D and its Parking Garage
- 21: Number of NCAA/NBA basketball courts that can fit inside
Terminal D
- 37,000: Square footage of Terminal D's stainless steel roof,
one of the largest stainless steel surfaces in the world
- 1.84 billion: Pounds of concrete used in International Terminal
D (enough to build a typical sidewalk from DFW to Montreal, a
distance of 1,742-miles)
- $1.2 billion: Total cost of building Terminal D, Grand Hyatt
and parking garage
- $30.5 million: Average monthly cash flow during
construction
- $98 million: Amount spent during October 2002, the peak month
for International Terminal D expenditures
- $47 million: Money spent on security upgrades post 9/11
- 10-million: Man-hours spent on construction of Terminal D
complex
- 53: Number of Architectural/Engineering Firms on Project
- 120: Number of Construction Firms on Project
- 12,000: Number of people who worked on the project