Celebrating its 40th anniversary and its influence on North Texas, Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport received the High Impact Legacy Award from the Fort Worth Chamber of Commerce during the chamber’s third annual High Impact Breakfast Nov. 20 at the Fort Worth Convention Center. The award honors a person, place or organization for years of commitment and dedication to Fort Worth.
This is the first time the Legacy Award has gone to an entity. “Most of the corporate relocations in our region would not have occurred without D/FW International Airport,” said Chamber President and CEO Bill Thornton. “It’s truly a regional force and a source of great pride for Fort Worth.” D/FW Airport now serves more than 62 million customers a year with more than 200 worldwide destinations, contributing nearly $32 billion to the region annually, according to CEO Sean Donohue.
“The support we have with our partners in Fort Worth and throughout North Texas is an integral part of the airport’s success and its tremendous impact on the community,” Donohue said. The chamber cited numerous accomplishments of the airport, including its growth this year as a global hub. In June, American Airlines began service to Hong Kong and Shanghai, connecting D/FW with two of the world’s most powerful economic centers and opening new avenues of trade and tourism. Qantas Airways and Emirates recently launched nonstop A380 superjumbo service to Sydney, Australia, and to Dubai, United Emirates, respectively.
The chamber praised D/FW Airport’s expansion of new services for international travelers, becoming the only U.S. airport to offer Automated Passport Control with automated passport processing for eligible international travelers, customers from all 38 visa waiver countries, customers with only carry-on bags and Lawful Permanent Residents (citizens with “green cards”). More than 70-percent of all international customers now automatically process through the APCs. The chamber also cited the airport’s upgrades to customer service, including the August launch of light rail service aboard Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART), which now connects travelers to downtown Dallas. By 2018, plans call for the TEX Rail line to carry travelers from the Intermodal Transportation Center in downtown Fort Worth to the Airport. The chamber also lauded the airport’s $2.7 billion Terminal Renewal and Improvement Program (TRIP) for ongoing renovations in Terminals A, B and E and an all-new parking garage added to Terminal A. Betty Dillard bdillard@bizpress.net