DFW Airport Gearing Up for NCAA Final Four Visitors

DFW Airport expects to welcome as many as 80,000 of the 150,000 total visitors expected to arrive in North Texas for the culmination of the NCAA March Madness® tournament to crown college basketball’s national champion. The NCAA Men’s Final Four® semifinal and final games will take place at AT&T Stadium in Arlington on Saturday, April 5, and Monday night, April 7, 2014. Fans from the final four schools, the University of Florida, the University of Wisconsin, the University of Kentucky and the University of Connecticut, should begin arriving in earnest tomorrow.

“For many fans, ‘The Road to the Final Four’ involves a flight into DFW Airport, which means the Airport will serve as the first and last impression for our guests who are visiting Dallas/Fort Worth,” said Sean Donohue, CEO at DFW Airport. “We take that responsibility seriously. It’s a slam-dunk that we want to make sure each of our customers has a great experience while they are here.”

DFW Airport will be in the hoops spirit when fans arrive, as the Airport has partnered with the NCAA and the Local Organizing Committee to roll out the welcome mat. Fans will see Final Four signage in the terminals and roadway banners to welcome visitors. Airport concessionaires in each of DFW’s five terminals will be offering authorized Final Four and NCAA-licensed merchandise.

DFW’s ground transportation teams are coordinating NCAA-branded shared rides and buses to transport over 10,000 media members, coaches and other tournament-affiliated personnel to local hotels. The Airport’s Rental Car Center, which hosts ten rental car companies, expects to have plenty of cars available for fans throughout the weekend.

“Our entire DFW Airport team has worked hard to prepare the Airport for college basketball’s marquee event, and we’re excited to be part of it,” said Ken Buchanan, executive vice president for revenue management at DFW. “Our experience with other big events in the Dallas/Fort Worth area in recent years, including the Super Bowl, will help us this weekend.”

DFW Airport Ambassadors will be out in full force in the terminals, greeting and assisting passengers. The Airport has also engaged its Department of Public Safety force for additional patrols through the weekend.

DFW is also gearing up its Corporate Aviation facility for a major influx of private aircraft for the weekend. Anywhere from 1000 to 1200 private planes are expected at airports large and small across North Texas, and DFW expects to see many of those corporate aircraft given its proximity to AT&T Stadium and to the Texas Motor Speedway, which is hosting NASCAR Sprint Cup and Nationwide Series Races this weekend.

NCAA, Final Four, March Madness and The Road to the Final Four are trademarks owned by the National Collegiate Athletic Association.

(re)defining DFW International Airport

DFW International Airport’s $2.3 billion Terminal Renewal and Improvement Program (TRIP) is (re)defining first class for this global gateway. For the latest details regarding TRIP, log on towww.dfwairport.com/redefine.