Holiday News

All of your essential Thanksgiving holiday travel tips for Dallas-Fort Worth

All the key info for buses, planes, and trains.

Travel is always a big thing during the holidays, and while it's down due to COVID-19, people are still moving around and still need tips. In fact, with COVID-19, they may need tips more than ever.

Here's a summary of everything you need to know about holiday travel in Dallas-Fort Worth, whether it's trains, planes, and buses.

DART
Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) buses, light rail trains and the Dallas streetcar services will operate on a Sunday schedule on Thurs., Nov. 26, and a Saturday schedule Fri., Nov. 27 for North Texas riders.

The Trinity Railway Express (TRE) will not operate Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26 and will provide Saturday service on Friday, Nov. 27.

DART and TRE holiday changes will continue until regular scheduled transit service resumes Saturday, Nov. 28.

DART Mobility Management's Paratransit Call Center will be closed Thursday through Sunday. Clients wishing to schedule trips by phone for any of the four days will need to do so by Wednesday, Nov. 25. Clients can also now schedule, view and cancel trips 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at www.DART.org/paratransit.

DART's Customer Information Center will be closed Thanksgiving Day and open Friday from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The administrative offices, Customer Care Center, and Lost and Found will be closed both Thanksgiving Day and Friday.

Schedule information can be found at DART.org, TrinityRailwayExpress.org or by calling 214.979.1111.

TEXRail
On Thanksgiving Day, Nov. 26, TEXRail and The Dash will operate on their regular schedules. Trinity Railway Express (TRE) and the ZIPZONEs in Crowley and Mercantile will not operate. Bus, ACCESS paratransit, and ZIPZONEs in Alliance and Near Southside will operate on Sunday schedules.

Customer care locations will be closed, but representatives are available from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. Thursday by calling 817-215-8600.

On Friday, Nov. 27, TEXRail, buses, ACCESS paratransit, all ZIPZONEs and The Dash will operate on regular schedule. TRE will operate on a Saturday schedule.

The customer care kiosk at Fort Worth Central Station will be open 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. The retail sales office will be closed. Customer care representatives will be available from 5 a.m. to 10 p.m. Friday by calling 817-215-8600.

DFW Airport
American Airlines is offering limited-time availability to its exclusive Five Star Service for purchase to all customers, no matter what cabin they are traveling in. Even, shudder, coach, at a discounted rate of 50 percent off for families or groups of three or more. This limited-time promotion is only available for travel November 20-January 10, 2021. It's at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport as well as airports in Austin, Boston, Chicago, Los Angeles, Miami, New York, Philadelphia, Phoenix, San Francisco, and Washington, DC.

Benefits include Flagship First Check-In, access to the Admirals Club lounge, escort to the departure gate, boarding on-demand and priority re-accommodation, escort to luggage retrieval, and curbside greeting. Call Five Star Service at 877-578-2702 and use code Holidays50.

Buses
Dallas-based Greyhound was one of the few transportation providers that remained open throughout the past year and has gathered valuable insight on navigating these challenging times and promoting safe practices.

Some of their tips include:

Know the COVID-19 rules in the city and/or state you’re traveling to
Bring a mask. If you forget one, ask a Greyhound team member for assistance.
Bring wipes and hand sanitizer to keep at your seat for added comfort
Create as much space between you and other passengers as possible
Socially distance yourself when lining up to board the bus and when waiting in the terminal
Travel during the week or overnight to avoid crowds

They also recommend that you plan ahead on getting to and from the station, as some cities may not have rideshare options.

Carry cash as a backup, keep your important items in your carry-on bag, bring a blanket or neck pillow, and bring snacks.

transportation holidays

Shopping for a cause

Dallas nonprofit Bonton Farms spreads its wings with 2 DFW Airport stores

DFW Airport

Bonton Farms stand at DFW Airport

South Dallas nonprofit Bonton Farms is going international without straying too far from home. The organization is debuting two storefronts at Dallas Fort Worth International Airport: one that just opened and another coming this fall.

The larger Bonton Farms marketplace, a 2,895-square-foot space in Terminal A, quietly opened in mid-August.

A second, smaller 551-square-foot newsstand near the A-Pier will open in October, when the airport's A-Pier expansion is scheduled to open, a spokesperson says. (Exact date is still TBA.)

The shops are called, simply, "Bonton Farms" and are operated by Marshall Retail Group, a subsidiary of WHSmith North America, which is partnering with Bonton Farms on the airport concept.

According to a release, both stores will sell Bonton Farms products such as locally made honey, handmade jam, and goat-milk soap, along with apparel, merchandise, and products made by "Bontonpreneurs," the local entrepreneurs supported through the nonprofit's business-development programs.

Bonton Farms' goods are now sold at DFW Airport Terminal A. Photo courtesy of Bonton Farms

The stores will also offer fresh grab-and-go food, including sandwiches, wraps, salads and sweet treats, as well as travel essentials and souvenirs and gifts.

The airport project was first announced in 2024 as a partnership between Bonton Farms, WHSmith, and DFW Airport. The plan called for Bonton Farms products to be sold alongside goods from other North Texas businesses, including Fort Worth's Sons Coffee, Lettuce Cook, and Pearl Honey Spreads.

Bonton Farms began in the Bonton neighborhood with a small beekeeping operation and has grown into a nonprofit farm, market and community hub. Its operations now include two farm sites, a coffeehouse, farmers market, preservatory and farm-to-table Market/Café, along with programs focused on workforce development, education, health and wellness, economic opportunity and access to fresh food.

"This opening represents an exciting milestone for Bonton Farms and the community we serve," says Mark Jones, President & CEO of Bonton Farms, in the release. "For the first time, our products and our story will reach travelers from around the world. Through this partnership with WHSmith North America, we're creating new opportunities to share the mission of Bonton Farms while generating additional support for programs that help our neighbors thrive."

The airport shops are designed to introduce Bonton Farms to travelers who may not otherwise encounter the organization or its products.

"This store isn't just retail space, it's a front door to our mission," says Kendra Charisse Smith, Director of Operations at Bonton Farms, who oversaw execution of the partnership. "From sourcing and packaging our products to meet the demands of a whole new scale of distribution, every step was about making sure Bonton Farms shows up authentically in one of the busiest airports in the world. This launch reflects the same care and intentionality we put into everything we do in South Dallas.”

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