Travelers flying American Airlines out of DFW International Airport this holiday season are more likely to find themselves at Terminal A, where a new pier extension opened Wednesday.
The 140,000-square-foot addition holds 10 gates, five of them new and five rebuilt, The Dallas Morning News reported in a story syndicated on Yahoo. It is part of the airport's $12 billion expansion program.
American has started flying from four of the gates, said Jim Moses, the airline's senior vice president for DFW hub operations. Two more are set to open next week, and he said all 10 will be in service before the holiday travel period, which usually begins in mid to late November.
Why flights are moving
The extension lets American move flights out of Terminal C so construction on a new Terminal C can speed up, according to the report. Terminal C has been handling close to 200 daily American departures while work goes on around it.
Terminal A will take on roughly 200 flights per day, and the five added gates could allow as many as 50 more daily flights, Moses said. He expects Terminal A to be the airport's busiest terminal for a few years, until the Terminal C work is done.
"Every day 30% of our customers come through DFW, 30% of baggage, 30% of our crew members," Moses said. American holds more than 80% of the airport's market share, the newspaper reported.