Impressions of New DFW International Terminal D

 
Old Jun 25, 2005, 2:01 pm
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Impressions of New DFW International Terminal D

I took a busman's holiday and ventured to the Open House for DFW Terminal D. Some random, unscientific observations:

1. Only the AA "half" (Gates 23-40) of the terminal was open for strolling.
2. Not ready for prime time. Still lots of work to be done. The gates are close to ready but no concessions are finished.
3. The terminal itself seems well designed...very spacious and airy. Lots of windows and views are quite stunning. Lots of plasma monitors and Samsung-signed TVs.
4. The much-touted art really blends in. I had to look for it.
5. The Admirals Club is on the mezzanine with elevator access. It was not open but there were drawings to show what it will look like. Very nice.
6. There will not be a Flagship Lounge but there is something called a "VIP Waiting Area" in the Club.
7. There is another elevator entrance a little ways down from the AC for "Airline Clubs." No mention or signage indicating what clubs might be present.
8. The new Grand Hyatt (distinct from the existing Hyatt Regency) was not open. I'm supposed to attend its open house next week so I suspect it is closer to being finished.
9. The parking garage is going to take some practice to master. The computer guidance was operational but two sections that were indicated full had many open spaces.
10. The garage has "corners" rather than curves so the flow doesn't (yet) seem as smooth as the existing garages.
11. The upper levels of the garage feed down thru a common ramp to Level 3 for exit. Turning onto the ramp requires a full stop and then a 90-degree turn. Once down to Level 3, you still have to drive the length of the garage to exit. Today, there were backups on both the ramp and on Level 3 to exit. If someone is "stopped" for any reason (waiting, clueless, etc.) on Level 3, it could back up all the way up the ramp. Doesn't bode well for Friday afternoons.
12. I was amazed by the number of police in and around Terminal D. I never knew the airport had so many officers. Since they are all "on duty" at the new terminal, I felt safe speeding on International Parkway.
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Old Jun 25, 2005, 2:14 pm
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sign

Originally Posted by dayone
I took a busman's holiday and ventured to the Open House for DFW Terminal D.
If this is what we do on our day's off a sign that we FT'ers need emotional help.... Maybe a relaxing flight somewere?

Next: flagship suite themed home offices.

Prediction: Weekly thread "what are the entry rulesfor the DFW VIP Waiting Area?"
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Old Jun 25, 2005, 2:20 pm
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Originally Posted by seaskybound
Prediction: Weekly thread "what are the entry rules for the DFW VIP Waiting Area?"
^ Very likely. With a question beginning, "I'm EXP but not travelling International..."
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Old Jun 25, 2005, 3:10 pm
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Originally Posted by dayone
4. The much-touted art really blends in. I had to look for it.
What is the point of buying much-touted art if it blends in with the paint, glass, and steel?

Where's the free WiFi!
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Old Jun 25, 2005, 7:28 pm
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I went to the Open House as well. Good synopsis... I am going to add a few comments.

Originally Posted by dayone
1. Only the AA "half" (Gates 23-40) of the terminal was open for strolling.
As far as I could tell, only AA's gates have branding. It appears that the rest of the gates will be neutral. As best I could tell reading the directory, it doesn't appear that airlines will share gate space in D. It appeared that Lufthansa, BA, Korean, etc., all have their own gates. Oddly enough, even though AA has two-thirds of the gates, they only have half of the check-in stands. The south side is 1-99 and, again, unbranded and for the other airlines. The north side is 100-199, American-branded, just for American. Of course I think that's more than enough space for AA, but I get the feeling that the South side of the terminal is going to be dead much of the day similar to Terminal B's north side now. Seeing a Korean 744 at Terminal B (even with DL's departure) and a Mexicana jet touching down, however, did give me an inkling of hope that D might see some added business from foreign carriers in the future. I know they could sure use it.


3. The terminal itself seems well designed...very spacious and airy. Lots of windows and views are quite stunning. Lots of plasma monitors and Samsung-signed TVs.
I thought that the plasma TVs were a good idea by DFW. Let Samsung throw their name up and (I assume) provide the TVs at no cost while Terminal D gets much better displays. They are much more useful than the ones in the other terminals as they aren't hanging from the ceiling, but rather, mounted on glass stands on the floor with Samsung and DFW logos etched on the glass with blue lighting piped through.


4. The much-touted art really blends in. I had to look for it.
I thought that the art was good. Not too showy/flashy, not too dull. Especially the medallions on the floor between gates (a nice touch). And the giant wishbone at American's ticket counters is interesting and as DFW mentioned, provides a great meeting point.


5. The Admirals Club is on the mezzanine with elevator access. It was not open but there were drawings to show what it will look like. Very nice.
I missed those drawings... where were they? I did see the entrance which looked very classy and similar to Terminal's A/C Clubs, but perhaps a bit more upscale and private. I couldn't tell, but it appeared that the Admirals Club overlooked ticketing and the terminal.


Some other observations:

Deplaning passengers are completely segregated from the terminal's main level. They go up a level from the jet bridge and through glass-enclosed corridors to immigration which overlook the airfield and interior public areas. Similar to the current set-up, but the walks will surely be shorter and the views much nicer. There are moving walkways up there, too.

Despite not being the classic DFW horseshoe design, Terminal D still features relatively short walks from the parking garage to gate. It's not 100 or so feet like at the other terminals, but it's still pretty good for a modern airport. At the same time, the squared-off horseshoe shape allows for more gates to be seen at once, instead of the never-ending loop feel one can get at the other terminals. And concessions are all conveniently grouped at two 'villages', with what appears to be nicer, more 'sit-down'-type restaurants on the top level overlooking the terminal areas and out of the foot/cart traffic below.

There were representatives from many airlines, including AA, BA, Mexicana, and others, showcasing their product.

In sum, a great facility and one which I hope will be open soon without much further delay.
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Old Jun 25, 2005, 7:54 pm
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Hey, fellow FTers, THANKS for the previews!

seaskybound, you've given me some food for thought... a Flagship-themed home office!
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Old Jun 25, 2005, 9:40 pm
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Also previewed it

Also went this afternoon. Will just add a few things to what tismfu said...the AC is positioned near the North Village area and the agent said the views are not interior ones, but outside views...toward B to the east and the outside sky to the north and west. Should be nice.

As far as ticketing, 23-40 are definitely branded AA/AE with the only other one listed as TACA but I also noticed that the Gates 1-22 signage had AA/AE as well in addition to Lufthansa, Korean, BA, etc., meaning I think there will be ticketing for AA at that end, too although it is not branded yet.

Skylink: The nice thing is that the stations are right next to the North/South Village concession/shopping areas so you can take Skylink to either one quickly if you have a layover and want to try the restaurants. They are mixing in shops with the restaurants, too. There is a Fossil in the North Village and a Reata Grill there, too, that was visible. In addition, if you take the right exit out of Skylink (every station has 2), you will end up not far at all from any gate in D since those 4 exits cover about 10 gates each.

Linking with B/C: At the end of the north side (Gates 23-40--all AA), there will be a direct link into those side gates in B that are currently used by Eagle. There is a escalator up and crosswalk over Int'l Parkway to get to C.

Spacing: Some areas have "bunched" gates (3 or 4 together) where I imagine a lot of the domestic flights will go out from.
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Old Jun 25, 2005, 10:24 pm
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Originally Posted by ProTexana
Also went this afternoon. Will just add a few things to what tismfu said...the AC is positioned near the North Village area and the agent said the views are not interior ones, but outside views...toward B to the east and the outside sky to the north and west. Should be nice.
Thanks for the clarification. Do you (or anyone else), know what lounge/area was visible above the north ticketing area? I saw lots of club-like seating and assumed it was the AC.


As far as ticketing, 23-40 are definitely branded AA/AE with the only other one listed as TACA but I also noticed that the Gates 1-22 signage had AA/AE as well in addition to Lufthansa, Korean, BA, etc., meaning I think there will be ticketing for AA at that end, too although it is not branded yet.
Ah, that makes sense. Thanks.
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Old Jun 25, 2005, 11:34 pm
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D/FW's Terminal D draws crowd
Artistic fare meets international flair

08:23 PM CDT on Saturday, June 25, 2005
By SUZANNE MARTA / The Dallas Morning News
Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport's new Terminal D came alive Saturday as area residents jammed the generous concourses of the massive building.

They were admiring the towering atriums, touring the art installations and even picking up job applications.

For people like Jane Schlansker, who worked with the airport when it was launching the project five years ago, Saturday's "Texas Day" meant finally seeing the airport expansion project come to life.

"It's just fabulous," Ms. Schlansker said, and she congratulated D/FW chief executive Jeff Fegan.

"We can see the light at the end of the tunnel," Mr. Fegan said, beaming as he pivoted from side to side to greet well-wishers. "This has turned out better than we even imagined."

[...]

D/FW officials estimated that 40,000 people visited Saturday, getting a sneak peek before the new $1.7 billion terminal opens next month.

[...]

The terminal isn't quite finished, as evidenced by the partitions that blocked under-construction areas at its south end and near some of the shops and restaurants.

The airport is planning a phased opening, with the first flights using the terminal as early as July 23. All international flights from D/FW will eventually be shifted to Terminal D, which will also host some domestic flights.

The terminal's onsite hotel, the 298-room Grand Hyatt, will open Friday.
For full article (including some photos) click on the headline above (registration required).
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Old Jun 27, 2005, 11:24 am
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We also went out to see Terminal D on Saturday and were impressed. The airport did a pretty good job publicizing the open house...I hope the place is never that crowded again! Nice spread of continental breakfast and lots of giveaways from the vendors and airlines.

As noted, AC will not have a FL, but it appears to be a pretty nice AC. BA reps said that they will not have a Terraces/FIRST lounge but rather a shared airport-run lounge.

From the terminal maps, it appears as though the "major" international carriers (BA, LH, KL) will have dedicated gates, while the south half of Terminal D (gates 6-12) will be shared use (including Air Canada).

I agree 100% with the OP's comments on the garage...it is currently a nightmare and a traffic jam waiting to happen. Poor signage, idiotic traffic flows, too many tight turns and bottlenecks. I predict a major revamp before the terminal is one year old.

Another fearless prediction...most of the fancy sit-down restauarants will pull out before the terminal is a year old as well. Nice concept, but there aren't going to be enough departing flights from Terminal D to support that many sit-down restaurants inside the security area. Friday's will survive, and perhaps one other, as well as the more typical fast-food places.
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Old Jul 23, 2005, 5:11 pm
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Walked through terminal D this morning at 11AM. All I can say is WOW! The only plane that was at a gate was a Korean Air 747. Most of the shops and restaurants aren't open yet, but it was pretty impressive (well compared to C and A). The AC was not open either. I hope AA starts operating out of D this week. As was mentioned before, I wonder how many non fast food restaurants will pull out before one year?
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