After much ado and a very long wait, Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport and American Airlines are unveiling renovations to Terminal A and the attached Terminal A parking facility.
The renovations are a joint effort between both the airport and the Fort Worth-based airline and include improvements to not only the terminal, but the parking structure as well.
The overall goal is to enhance the customer experience and includes updated facilities for parking, ticketing, security and concessions.
The terminal and parking improvements are key components of the Terminal Renewal and Improvement Program, which is a seven year, $2.3 billion program to renew DFW’s four original terminals which were built in 1974 when the airport opened.
Eventually, all of the other terminals will get the same extreme makeover as Terminal A.
The new parking structure includes new technologies to easily guide drivers to available spaces through the installation of lights above each parking spot that change from green to red to indicate whether the spot is available. Blue lights indicate spaces available for handicapped drivers.
“We believe this new parking facility will be an instant hit with passengers while giving us much needed new capacity to accommodate our parking customers,” said Jeff Fegan, CEO of DFW Airport, in a statement released to the media Tuesday. “The structure will have great improvements, while solving the age-old problem of finding a space quickly and easily.”
The airport said that, when complete, the new parking structure will add 7,793 parking spaces to the airport -- bringing the total number available to 42,000. The structure also includes enhanced terminal entries with covered walkways, better lighting, higher clearances, improved ADA compliance, improved traffic flow and a pedestrian bridge from infield parking to the parking structure.
Additionally, those who use the airport's smartphone app can access up-to-the-minute information on space availability.
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In the terminal, American Airlines is also unveiling its prototype for future airport terminals that incorporates the airline's fresh new look with technology designed to improve the traveling experience.
Work to Terminal A will be completed in 2014, while work to all four terminals are scheduled to be completed by 2017.
NBC 5's Frank Heinz contributed to this report. The original headline to this article said the renovations to Terminal A are complete and that was not accurate. They are scheduled for completion in 2014.
