Will Dallas ever see a third commercial airport?
For decades the DFW area has experienced growing pains with public transportation. The international hub that DFW is has always been the core focus of transportation officials, until recently. Commuting in or out of the DFW area is a blood-boiling task to many travelers, especially driving. But if you want to fly out of Dallas directly to your destination, chances are, you’re going to fly out of the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. If you live in DFW, getting to this airport is just as stressful as leaving the city to some. The entire area is road centric, with only a few public transit lines, none of which are to the standards that the majority want.
The minority that lives in the heart of Dallas (5 minute radius of downtown) however, have a much easier commute to the airport. As Dallas Love Field, located just north of downtown, offers sufficient flights to the surrounding states via Southwest’s hub and a few Delta Airlines flights. However, as Dallas’ growth exceeds beyond boundaries of the service area Love Field was inteded to provide easier availability to fly, some residents are stranded having to either drive nearly an hour through DFW traffic or drive to their destination instead. Public transit is also not an option in these parts of DFW, making traveling even more restricting.
About a year ago, news came about that the McKinney National Airport (roughly 30 minutes north of Downtown Dallas) was looking for a $200M allocation of funds to construct a commercial aviation terminal to serve the northernmost parts of the DFW area. The money however, were to be majority taxpayer funds. This obviously didn’t pass over well for the surrounding population, as this would have dramatically increased tax rates. The airport stated the new terminal would also provide 12 daily flights, a low number for such a huge investment from the local cities.
However the bond did not pass, and northern-central DFW is still left without direct access to air service.
The Author’s Opinion:
DFW is still the main option for most of the region’s residents, and it is most likely going to stay that way until other ways of gathering funds for the McKinney Airport is available. The main issue for travelers remain, little to no access to public transit. However, if DFW’s public transit network is somehow revolutionized, the demand for three or even two airports would significantly decrease.
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