DFW International Airport Anticipating Three-Percent Rise in Travel for 2010 Holiday Season

Travelers will see parking deals, new flights as the Airport ramps up for Super Bowl XLV

(DFW Airport, TX – Dec. 17, 2010) – DFW International Airport expects about 3 million passengers to pass through the Airport for the 19-day 2010 holiday travel period, a steady 3.8 percent increase over 2009’s holiday travel period.

Even with the projected increase in holiday traffic, DFW customers should enjoy some of the fastest security wait times in the nation. The average peak wait time at DFW’s 16 checkpoints is three minutes or less, according to an October 2010 survey by the Transportation Security Administration.

“Many people will be traveling with their families over the next two weeks and the Airport wants to make it as easy as possible for those travelers to reach their destinations,” said Jeff Fegan, chief executive officer of DFW. “Our security lines continue to move quickly and our entire DFW team including the Airport Ambassadors will be ready to help make this busy travel season go as smoothly as possible.”

The holiday travel period, from December 16 through January 3, will see its busiest air travel days leading up to Christmas on December 22 and 23, and on December 30. DFW expects an estimated 175,000 passengers each of those days, the Airport’s last big expected passenger push before Super Bowl XLV in February.

Just in time for a tropical holiday vacation, DFW added new service to Barbados and Rio de Janeiro, Brazil on American Airlines, which began this week. Virgin America also added its twice-daily service to Los Angeles and San Francisco in early December.

For the holiday travel period, DFW will once again offer parking deals for customers, including coupons handed out at the Express lots when they are full. The coupons offer Terminal parking for $10 per day.

Drivers approaching the Airport’s north entrance (from Interstate 635, or Highways 114 and 121) are also reminded to give themselves extra time to allow for the DFW Connector construction project now underway around the north entrance of the Airport. For the latest information about lane closures and to sign up for electronic updates via email or text message, visit www.DFWConnector.com.