If you’re a North Texas local and celebrated this Thanksgiving holiday away from home, we’re here to provide you with savvy ways to navigate your arrival back into town. In fact, you may even be flying back home to DFW on one of the busiest days of the year.
Regardless, our top travel tips for arriving customers are designed for any traveler flying into DFW during this busy period.
📅 Expect Heavy Traffic Upon Your Return – Especially on Sunday, Nov. 30
Travel crowds are expected each day of the Thanksgiving travel period, set to run through Tuesday, Dec. 2. Roadways and terminal curbs are expected to be most congested after Thanksgiving on Saturday, Nov. 29 and Sunday, Nov. 30, with Sunday expected to be the single busiest day of the holiday period. If you’re landing that day, the most impactful traffic is expected to begin in the early evening.
🏗️ Avoid Major Construction and Congestion at Terminal C
While every terminal will be bustling, Terminal C is anticipated to have major congestion due to construction. If you’re traveling without checked bags, you can stay in the gate area to take the Skylink train to a less congested terminal before exiting the secure area for curbside pickup.
🚉 Take the Train to a Station Outside of DFW
You can bypass the holiday traffic at the airport altogether by meeting your pickup ride at a train station closer to home. There are several public transportation options available, connecting customers to communities throughout the area directly from DFW’s terminals.
- DART’s Silver Line: This new service departs from Terminal B and travels north through Coppell, Carrollton, Addison, Richardson and into Plano – bypassing downtown Dallas for a faster northern route.
- DART’s Orange Line: Service departs Terminal A, then continues through Irving and downtown Dallas before reaching Plano.
- Trinity Metro’s TEXRail: Service departs Terminal B, then continues through Grapevine and North Richland Hills before reaching downtown Fort Worth – offering an easy connection to the west.
🚗 Help Keep the Terminal Curbside Traffic Flowing
If your ride is ready while you’re taxiing to the gate or waiting for your bags, let them know there are cell phone lots readily available near the north and south entrances of the airport or one-hour parking in every terminal garage at no extra cost. They can either wait in their car and swing around to the curb when you’re ready or stretch their legs in the terminal and help with your bags. We appreciate customers using terminal curbs for active loading or unloading only.
Additionally, providing whoever is picking you up with flight details ahead of time makes all the difference. Wait to have all your bags in hand before asking your ride to pull up to the curb.
🎫 Ease Airport Entry and Exit with TollTag Readiness
Our entry and exit plazas have dedicated lanes for TollTag users to ensure the quickest experience when arriving and exiting the airport. If you don’t have a TollTag, make sure to have your required digital payment ready – Apple Pay, Google Pay, credit or debit.
📲 Use Helpful Tools Available on the DFW Airport Mobile App
From the airport’s Interactive Terminal Map to the Airport Shuttle Tracker, the DFW Airport mobile app is here to help. The interactive map will guide you to the appropriate pickup locations along the terminal curb or provide directions to the DART and TEXRail stations. If you’re looking to get back to your car parked at a different terminal, use the Airport Shuttle Tracker to find when the next Terminal Link is scheduled to arrive.
For more holiday travel tips and updates, visit dfwairport.com/holidaytravel.