Is there anyone familiar with Dallas-Ft. Worth airport here?

After all of your very kind help I decided to try to get my flight changed back to the early one. Miraculously I was able to do this without paying any additional money. (She was at first going to charge me but I assume because they are the ones who changed me ~ without informing me, even after the change ~ my protests made sense to her.) Anyway, now I have 3 hours :) to find my way and I have to get up at 3 a.m. to get to the airport on time, BUT I will not spend the next 6 weeks stressing out about my plane being late into Dallas. Peace of mind is worth a lot to me. Again, thank you. You all are great!

I've flown through DFW many times.

DFW consists of five terminals. Without knowing which airlines you're flying in an out of, it's hard to give you any specific help.

My suggestion is you utilize the following website and learn your options. See which terminal(s) your airlines are flying in and out of and learn how to travel between them if this is the case. It will save time trying to figure it out once you get there.

DFW Airport Guide

"If perchance you have to change terminals, there is a moving sidewalk between the terminals." Actually, no there isn't. The terminals are connected by a system of monorails. Provided your earlier flight isn't late, 1 hour should be enough time.

Tally so far in response to the title of the original post:

2 yes

1 no

I am flying American for both legs, so it sounds like that will help matters. I will study the terminal website. I guess I just have to hope my first flight isn't late, or see if the airline will switch me back to the earlier flight. Traveling in mid-May so weather shouldn't be an issue, but there are always those mechanical issues....

Oh, Frank II, could you post the website you mentioned? Thanks!

I hate DFW, but then, I fly through there all the time as it's one of the big hubs in my area. The only problem that you'll have is the sheer size of the airport -- it's big and generally very crowded. All things being equal, though, if you get an idea of the layout and your plane is on time (and you run :)) you'll most likely be fine. I feel your pain -- I've got just over an hour to make my international connection in Philly this May. Have you checked to see if there are additional flights to Paris leaving after the one you're ticketed for?

Sorry...the bad thing about typing HTML...miss one letter and the whole thing is kaput. I've fixed it.

I didn't say you couldn't make it in a hour...I've done it in less. But if your two gates are on different ends of a terminal, don't expect to walk it. Use the airside train.

American is spread across three terminals next to each other. Assuming your first plane isn't late, you shouldn't have a problem. Just make sure you stay in the secure area...otherwise you won't make it. Become familiar with SKYLINK which is the train you take between terminals.

Kathy - One suggestion. Go to the AA web site and check the flight info of your flights, arrival and departure gates. I do this to get a rough idea of connections.

The Sky Link is the system to get you from terminal to terminal inside security at DFW.

Kathy, DFW has great signage and the monorail between terminals runs very frequently and is fast - works great. station announcements are loud and clear and are posted over the doors as well. However, the last few times I've gone through DFW there were terminal and gate changes at the last minute. You should be ok with the terminal for international flights, however, be sure to check the gate.

Kathy, I had the same problem flying from Phoenix to London once, with only a 40-minute layover, barely a legal layover.

The advice above is correct, although just scanning it, I don't know if anyone mentioned that the international flight will probably take off from a different terminal, so I suspect you will need to use the skytrain to get there.

We were fortunate, our flight got in early, so no problem. But I have to admit that when we first got into the DFW terminal I couldn't imagine how they thought 40 minutes would be enough time.

My advice would be to use the link above and print out the diagram of the airport, so you are familiar with how it is laid out. The American website may help. You could also look at where your domestic flight number generally comes into DFW and where the international one leaves from in the days leading up to your actual flight. No guarantees the gates will be the same, but it should give you a terminal pattern.

And don't be afraid to ask for help when you land, rather than wasting time figuring it out yourself, if in doubt. I found the American staff at DFW to be outstanding. And try to sit near the front.

All my rambling is to say that I think you can do it -- just plan ahead. :>)

If your flight from Portland is AA - then you will be arriving at either Terminal A or C. International departures are from Terminal D. Make sure you go to dfwairport.com and look at Airport Guide--Connecting/Transfers and will give you the locations of the skylink train (and the shuttle bus).

Once DFW built Terminal D (the international terminal) and built Skylink and got rid of the obsolete and frequently inoperable monorail, moving between terminals became quick and easy! You would have enjoyed the experience, but I know not having to change terminals is always less stressful.
Enjoy your trip!

Now that you have solved your initial problem, if you are returning to the states with DFW as your initial point of entry, be aware that you have to leave the secure area to go through customs and you will have to go back through security. They do NOT have a lot of sympathy for people trying to make connecting flights and the line can be really long. I generally do not worry about a one hour connection in the states on my way out of the country, but I DO worry if I am returning to the states. Because I live in Texas, I prefer to have DFW as my initial point of entry because if worse comes to worse and I miss my connection, my folks live in the burbs there and I have a place to spend the night for free if necessary or someone who is willing to drive me the 3 1/2 hours it takes to get to my home. People without that luxury need to be sure they have plenty of time on the return home.

You have just confirmed my other fear. We have one and a half hours, I believe. No more than that, and I have already wondered about the customs/connection situation. That is how I found out they switched my original flight, actually ~ I called to question the feasibility of making my next flight with this amount of time upon our return. Of course the woman assured me it would be fine. I'll see if there's a later flight to PDX (and DEN, for my companion). If not, sounds like we need to plan to stay in Dallas. :(

I've been through DFW many times. Believe me, it's a breeze compared to LAX, Chicago O'Hare or even Dulles. I think you will be able to make your flight.

I'm assuming you are on American. Also assuming you are on a big plane coming into Dallas rather than a smaller commuter plane. If those assumptions are correct, there are only two terminals you have to worry about Terminal A and C, both are next to each other (maybe a two to three minute ride on the Skylink monorail system). If you're lucky, you will be in the same terminal for both arrival and departure, it may be a little bit of a walk but you don't have to do security again.

Worse case, you have to take Skylink to the next terminal. Make sure you pick the one going the right way or your two minute ride will become a nine minute ride (still not that big of deal) and you still won't have to go through security again.

International flights have a bit more going on at the gate but nothing that should keep you from making your flight.

Other things to look for when considering possible delays:

Is your flight originating in Portland? By that I mean is the plane on the ground in Portland and this is it's first flight of the day? Chances are much better for the first flight to be on time. Even in the fog, your plane can take off with 1/4 mile visibility but can't land unless conditions are better.

What time of the year are you flying? I usually try to connect in the northern tier states in the summer and southern states in the winter. In the north, winter storms create delays. In the south, summer thunderstorms cause most of the problems; they tend to start up in the afternoon.

Kathy,

It might be worth it to get away from the international terminal and go to another terminal to go through security after you are through in customs. Once you are through security, you can then use the Skylink to get to your proper terminal. Print out a map of the airport to help you find your way to a different security checkpoint from customs and be glad you have an hour-and-a-half. My parents and I only had 45 minutes at JFK last fall on our return from Ireland. The only thing that got us through in time was the fact that my father uses a wheelchair and they actually took pity on us at the check in desk. It didn't hurt that the line to board our plane was long so we got there with about 5 minutes to spare. I will NEVER AGAIN accept less than 2 hours on the return and as long as I live in Texas, I will ONLY return through DFW unless I absolutely have no choice.

DFW is my home airport. If you are flying American, look at the ontime data for your flights on their website. Our experience is that American is always late. If you are late, you won't make your flight. You will depart from terminal D, which is the international terminal. You might possibly come into terminal D, but most likely you are are going to have take the skytrain (up at the top of the buildings) to get to terminal D. That is very easy, but it can take some time. I wouldn't trust a 1 hour connection, but you might be OK. You have probably made all your reservations and arrangements in Europe based on making that particular flight, so missing the flight could cause you a lot of grief.
Oh, I just read your post about changing flights. Good. three hours will give you time to get something to eat, buy some water for the flight, and relax a bit. Good move.

Yes, Thomas, I had those worries about all my arrangements in Europe, as well as the fact that my daughter is meeting me in Dallas from her hometown, and what if she was there and I wasn't ~ oh, what a pain!! Once I changed my flights I felt a big sense of relief. And yes, it's American, and a bummer to hear they are usually late. I rarely (if ever) fly that airline but they had a schedule that worked perfectly for us to meet up in Dallas.