DFW Airport News

DFW Airport caters to travelers on DART rail's new Orange Line extension

The new DART rail DFW Airport Station opens at Terminal A on Monday, August 18, bringing convenient transportation to travelers from around Dallas. If you get there early, there is plenty to keep you from being bored.

If you decide to explore the horseshoe-shaped Terminal A, it has 30 gates with lots of amenities, services, restaurants and shops for travelers with time on their hands.

For breakfast, options include Einstein Bros. Bagels at Gate A11, Au Bon Pain at Gate A38, and Dunkin’ Donuts at gates A13 and A28. There are three Starbucks, at gates A29, A33 and A37.

Full-service restaurants include TGI Fridays at Gate A13, Pappadeaux Seafood Kitchen at Gate A24 and Pappasito’s Cantina at Gate A28, plus more restaurants spread throughout the terminal.

Passengers with scuffed shoes can find two branches of Shoe Shine by Goodfellows, at gates A14 and A35. Additional amenities include a FedEx drop box at Gate A13 and free wired Internet (and plentiful power outlets) at gates A10 and A28.

If you have more time on your hands, hit the other four terminals by transferring from DFW Airport Station to one of the airport’s internal transportation modes:

Passengers taking American Airlines flights from other terminals can check their bags at Terminal A and then take Skylink, the airport’s people-mover, which is located inside the terminal beyond airport security.
Passengers using other air carriers who need to check bags should take their bags with them and use Terminal Link, the airport’s inter-terminal bus shuttle, which stops near the rail station.
Passengers with carry-on luggage only can go through security and take Skylink to their terminals.

Both Skylink and Terminal Link are free services. The trip to the airport on DART rail will be covered by a regular local two-hour pass, which costs $2.50.

Terminals A, B, C and E offer complimentary DFW Airport travel lounges, with work stations and power outlets at every seat. The lounge at Terminal D is even fancier, with large flat-screen televisions. DFW Airport travel lounges are located near gates A29, B8 and B28, C8 and C27, and E8.

More information about DART’s new Orange Line service to DFW Airport is available at DART.org/DFWAirportStation.

DART's DFW Airport Station is part of the Orange Line.

Photo courtesy of DART

DART's DFW Airport Station is part of the Orange Line.

unspecified

Island Travel News

Dallas' Southwest Airlines to add Virgin Islands as a new destination

Southwest

undefined

Dallas-based Southwest Airlines is adding a tropical new destination: The Caribbean. According to a release, the carrier intends to add new service at Cyril E. King International Airport (STT) on St. Thomas, in U.S. Virgin Islands, with service expected to begin in early 2026, subject to governmental approvals, and available for purchase soon.

Southwest Airlines president and CEO Bob Jordan says in a statement that the new service is in response to customer demand.

"We are listening closely to what our Customers want—from new products and loyalty benefits to new destinations," Jordan says. "We want to make Southwest Airlines the easy and obvious choice every time, and this is another meaningful step in our ongoing transformation."

About 40 miles east of Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands comprise a U.S. territory in the northeastern Caribbean Sea. The three islands are St. Croix, St. John, and St. Thomas, where the capital of Charlotte Amalie is located. The U.S. Virgin Islands, which is on Eastern Standard Time, features world-renowned beaches, an international marine industry, European architecture, and a burgeoning restaurant industry.

Perhaps best of all, no passports are required from U.S. citizens traveling from the U.S. or Puerto Rico.

There are currently flights to St. Thomas from DFW Airport, flown by American Airlines, Delta, and Spirit. A nonstop flight from DFW to St. Thomas is a little under 5 hours.

St. Thomas is the first of three new destinations for 2026 the carrier expects to announce this summer. It will be the ninth island destination served by Southwest in the Atlantic Basin – joining Aruba, The Bahamas, Cayman Islands, Cuba, Dominican Republic, Jamaica, Puerto Rico, and Turks and Caicos Islands.

Southwest also offers international service to Belize, two destinations in Costa Rica, and three destinations in Mexico.

In addition to offering new destinations, Southwest also is set to begin selling assigned and premium seating in the third quarter of this year and plans to operate with its new fare bundles and a reconfigured fleet, including extra legroom seating, in the first quarter of 2026.

vacation transportation