Minute Suites DFW Airport

DFW Airport ushers in nap time with new sleep-by-the-minute suite

It's nap time at Minute Suites.

Photo courtesy of Minute Suites

Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport travelers looking to grab a little shut-eye have another place to roost. On March 21, Minute Suites opens a location in Terminal A, next to gate A38.

This is the second location at DFW. It will have seven suites, consisting of four regular and three "premium" window suites, which have more room than standard suites, including a connecting suite for groups and families.

The original location opened in Terminal D in 2013. It has 10 suites, plus two showers. With the new location, that makes a total of 17 suites.

Suites require a one-hour minimum reservation. You can also book an eight-hour day rate and a flat overnight rate, too.

A one-hour rental is $42, with $10.50 for every 15 minutes after. The day rate is $160, and the overnight rate (11 pm-7 am) is $140. A 30-minute shower is $30, or $20 with room rental.

Minute Suites was founded in 2008 as a healthier way for people to travel. They're the first company in North America to provide private suites inside security at airports, where travelers can nap, relax, or work. Similar accommodations exist at airports in other countries such as Japan, but they're usually just a simple bed.

Each suite comes with a daybed sofa with a sliding trundle bed, plus pillows, blankets, desk, and office chair. A sound-masking system helps neutralize noise, and a unique Nap26 audio program is available to help deliver a refreshing power nap.

Each room has a computer with a 32-inch screen equipped with high-speed internet, flight-tracking information, and DirecTV. Laptop users can connect with the internet using airport Wi-Fi or a direct connection port. Guests can use the alarm clock in the suite or request a wake-up call.

According to Minute Suites co-founder Daniel Solomon, about 50 percent of users take a nap, 30 percent relax, and 20 percent work.

This opening marks the fourth airport location. The first Minute Suites opened in Atlanta in 2009, and there's also a facility in Philadelphia, with plans to open more in 2017, says Solomon in a release.

hotels

Holiday News

American Airlines expects record-setting travel on Thanksgiving 2024

Photo courtesy of American Airlines

American Airlines ready for takeoff.

The holidays are looming and American Airlines is ramping up. Over the upcoming Thanksgiving weekend, the Fort Worth-based airline expects to process nearly 8.3 million customers across more than 77,000 flights.

According to a statement from American's COO David Seymour, the airline is having a good fall season and canceled fewer flights than its peers during October.

“Thanks to the hard work of our 130,000 team members, we canceled fewer flights than any of our major competitors this October and beat our own records for on-time departures and arrivals,” Seymour says.

That's surely good news. One hates to rain on their parade, but in June 2024, the only flight I booked this year, my flight was canceled less than 24 hours before take-off. I had made hotel reservations, scheduled a pet sitter, planned events, and arranged for a friend to pick me up at the destination airport. One employee speculated that it may have been "insufficient crew." Their only solution offered was: Feel free to reschedule your flight.

Thanksgiving facts and figures
The travel window runs from November 21 to December 3, and the airline expects to carry more than 500,000 more customers than it did last year.

The most-traveled day will be Sunday, December 1. The second most-traveled day will be Monday, December 2.

The peak of peak: 1,035 mainline and regional aircraft will be enroute at 10:45 am on Sunday, December 1 — the highest number of flights handled at any given time during American’s travel period.

The airline expects to serve more than 6.8 million Biscoff cookies on board from November 21 to December 3.

Travel tips
Download the American Airlines app and check in for your flight, noting added any bags to your trip. This will save you time at the airport.

If traveling internationally, download the Mobile Passport Control app, which can speed up your entry into the U.S. Global Entry members can download the Global Entry app, which allows you to submit your entry and go straight to the officer.

Upon arrival at the airport lobby, scan your mobile boarding pass to print bag tags quickly at a kiosk. If you’re not checking bags, go straight to TSA security with your mobile boarding pass.

holidays