Airport News

Uniquely charitable concession store to open at Dallas-Fort Worth Airport

Busy DFW Airport concourse.

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There's a new store opening at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport that'll have a nonprofit component. Called The Bridge News and Convenience, it'll be an airport concession that not only sells sourvenirs and items to travelers, it'll also create jobs, fund services, and improve community for local homelessness nonprofits.

The store is a partnership between The Bridge Homeless Recovery Center in Dallas and Presbyterian Night Shelter's Upspire in Fort Worth with R.S. Harris LLC and Gideon Toal Management. According to a release, it'll open in spring 2023.

Throughout the seven-year contract, five percent revenue shared by The Bridge and Presbyterian Night Shelter is expected to generate an estimated $200,000 for The Bridge.

A licensing fee for use of The Bridge brand will fund the homeless recovery support network in the Dallas area to help people get back on their feet.

Upspire, a Fort Worth-based Presbyterian Night Shelter Enterprise will provide staff through its workforce program that helps individuals facing barriers to employment.

In a statement, Dallas Mayor Eric Johnson says that this creative partnership will give a boost to one of the city’s most important homelessness services centers.

"I hope this concept serves as a model for how we can help move Dallas forward while helping us serve the most vulnerable people in our city, and I look forward to shopping there before my flights out of the second-busiest airport in the world, DFW International Airport," Johnson says.

The Bridge Travel Essentials store in DFW airport will be an 800-square-foot storefront, showcasing the region by highlighting partnerships with local markets and up-and-coming businesses. Merchandise will include travel and souvenir needs, grab and go snacks, personal care items, and local memorabilia.

The Bridge president and CEO Dr. David Woody, III says that this has been in the works for nearly two years.

"The Bridge Travel Essential Store in Terminal A at DFW Airport will provide a medium for communicating The Bridge brand and marvelous social impact model of homeless recovery to literally the world, while also establishing a revenue stream to help offset operating expenses through the partnership with Gideon Toal Management and R.S. Harris LLC," Woody says. "We look forward to pursuing opportunities to grow this unique business, social entrepreneurship, and revenue building model, while continuing work with The Bridge Guests, and facilitating their recovery from homelessness.”

shopping openings

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