Airport News

Braniff Airways flight attendant college to become Dallas boutique hotel

They'll keep some original features including the famed "Passion Pit."

Photo courtesy of Braniff

A vintage building near Dallas Love Field that was once part of Braniff Airlines is being redeveloped into a boutique hotel.

Located at 2801 Wycliff Ave., the building was home to Braniff International's Hostess College, built in 1968 as a dormitory and training center for flight attendants.

Braniff Airways is the former airline, based in Dallas; the company is now a branding/marketing and tour firm.

According to a release, Braniff Airways chairman Richard Ben Cass signed a deal with MM Property Holdings, Inc. (Centurion American); "MM" is Mehrdad Moayed, who restored the Statler Hilton Hotel in downtown Dallas in 2018.

The property will be a luxury hotel with approximately 75 hotel rooms, plus pool, restaurant, and gift shop.

The building itself is minimal: a five-story rectangle with windows on the top three floors — "mid-century internationalism style," according to the Texas Historical Commission.

Braniff went out of business as an airline in 1982. But nostalgia for the airline's mid-century modern flair, embodied by the iconic colorful Pucci uniforms the flight attendants wore, lingers.

The renovation of the building will retain some of its original character, including most famously a sunken fireplace lounge nicknamed the Passion Pit.

A Braniff boutique will sell Braniff-branded goods such as model airplanes and T-shirts. Braniff designs include creations by big names such as Alexander Girard, Emilio Pucci, Halston, Harper and George, and Alexander Calder.

Braniff also has an online retail store, and administers an employee discount travel progam.

This will be the only Braniff hotel in existence in the United States, but the release says that additional Braniff hotels are planned for other former Braniff destinations.

The hotel is part of a larger renovation of Braniff's operation and maintenance base. In 2019, the company signed an agreement with the Dallas Cowboys, TACAir, Lincoln Property Company, and Randall Reed Enterprises authorizing their use of the Braniff name at the former 1958 Braniff International Operations and Maintenance Base located at 7701 Lemmon Ave., with whom they're working to preserve their signature hangar, which boasts a mid-century-era dual butterfly design.

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Module News

DFW Airport shares peek of pre-fab modules at new Terminal F

DFW Airport

Ooooh nice module, DFW.

Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) has completed its latest construction milestone: what it calls the "historic" move of six prefabricated module structures that will form the framework for the first phase of the airport’s new Terminal F.

The modules, some nearly as large as a football field, were moved overnight during a two-week period using self-propelled modular transporters along one of DFW’s airside taxiways. The structures were then placed onto the foundations constructed at the Terminal F site, where the facility will now proceed to the next stage of construction.

This is DFW’s third project to deploy the innovative module-based method to reconstruct or expand its terminal facilities, with the most recent moves being the largest modules for a terminal expansion at any airport.

The modules for Terminal F are approximately four times larger than the structures moved earlier this year for the ongoing expansion of Terminal C. The largest of the six modules measured 278 feet long by 136 feet wide and weighed 3,320 tons – about as heavy as 12 Boeing 787-9 Dreamliner widebody aircraft.

According to DFW CEO Chris McLaughlin, embracing modular construction is faster, with less impact on travelers. He's not the only fan of modular construction and the benefits it brings to airports.

DFW Executive VP of Infrastructure and Development Mohamed Charkas is also a fan of modular construction. ““DFW is at the forefront of innovation in terminal construction, continually redefining what's possible,” Charkas says.

In May, DFW and American Airlines announced the decision to expand the scope and accelerate the phasing of the new Terminal F. With the first phase of construction already underway, DFW has been designing the subsequent phases while concurrently building the modules offsite.

The first phase of the Terminal F expansion program is anticipated to open with 15 gates in 2027.

Terminal F is planned to ultimately deliver a total of 31 gates to be serviced entirely by American Airlines, expand capacity for international operations and widebody aircraft, and include areas to facilitate parking, ticketing, check-in, security screening and baggage operations.

American will return some gates in other areas of the airport, which will help facilitate the growth of other airlines at DFW as well.

In addition to a new centralized Skylink Station, which is included with the first phase of construction, the final configuration will provide a walking connection with Terminal D.

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