2011 CHANGES: DFW International Airport - Grand Hyatt DFW's Home

The Grand Hyatt DFW opened its doors for business on July 1, 2005 as part of the new International Terminal D at the Dallas/Ft Worth International Airport.  We are proud to be a part of the DFW Airport family and look forward to the exciting new changes, beginning in 2011, that we think travelers will appreciate.  But before we get into what the future holds, I thought it would be fun to see just how far the airport has come since January 1974.

If you've flown through this airport recently, you've seen the sign that states "DFW Airport is larger than the island of Manhattan".  Don't believe it?  DFW’s acreage is 18,076.297 (or 29.8 square miles), while Manhattan Island is 22.7 square miles in area.  See more fun facts below!

DFW AIRPORT FUN FACTS (excerpts taken from 2004 DFW Airport press release):

• From DFW, a traveler can reach all major cities and 95% of the U.S. population within 4 hours or less.
• The following airports combined can fit within the confines of DFW Airport: LAX, ORD, and MIA.
• 1989- Space shuttle Atlantis is piggybacked into DFW on May 16, making it the first landing by a space shuttle at a commercial airport.
• The Airport has protected more than 60 acres of existing watershed on its property and constructed 15 acres of new wetlands.
• The fossilized bones of a marine reptile, or plesiosaur, were found during the preliminary excavation of the Airport. They are now on display in the Airport’s Central Utilities Plant. (See photo below).

Plesiosaur Unearthed During Preliminary Excavation for the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, Photograph, n.d.; digital image, (http://texashistory.unt.edu/ark:/67531/metapth28009/: accessed July 15, 2010), University of North Texas Libraries, The Portal to Texas History, http://texashistory.unt.edu; crediting Tarrant County College NE, Heritage Room, Hurst, Texas.
• DFW Airport covers parts of four cities and two counties: the cities are Coppell, Grapevine, Euless and Irving, and the counties are Dallas and Tarrant.

WHERE DOES IT GO FROM HERE?

Below is a great video illustrating a "brief overview of DFW International Airport, the third-busiest airport in the world, including a look at its history and the Airport's future plans."  Enjoy!



Highlights:
1:29 - Airport history
2:25 - Terminal D & Grand Hyatt DFW
2:39 - Renovations (to begin after Super Bowl 2011)
4:20 - Welcome Home a Hero program
4:41 - Message from Jeff Fegan, CEO - DFW International Airport