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Airports Using Speed Dating to Woo Prissy Airlines

March 3, 2009 at 3:26 PM | 0 Comments

Your ears perk up, your heart begins to race and your face flushes--could it actually happen? Could you find your true love at first glance flying the friendly skies? While it may be possible thanks to innovations like Virgin's seat-to-seat messaging and services like AirTroductions, it's more likely that the airline you're flying with has just made its own love connection with your destination airport.

At a convention Inspired by the to-the-point business approach of "wham, bam, thank you ma'am"-style speed dating, the Dallas News reports that airports lined up to use their best lines in order to snare the pretty young thing airplanes being delivered to airlines like American and KLM. Here's how the deals went down:

The Network USA 2009 event brought 300 airline and airport representatives together for a series of 20-minute meetings modeled after the popular dating scheme. In good times, the meetings were flirtatious fun during which airports angled to land some of the new planes that carriers planned to add.

It's meetings such as these which get the ball rolling for seemingly odd routes such as Dallas/Fort Worth direct to Amsterdam or Tampico, Mexico. We can imagine the giggly conversations now: "I totally got Air France's digits! How'd you do with nuzzling up to Swissair?" If this is the case, then Boston-Logan is totally the new big pimp in town.

[Photo: Libyan Soup]

Related Stories:
· Airports Court Airlines in Ft Worth Speed-Dating Event [Dallas News]
· In-Flight Dating: Would You Try It? [Jaunted]
· Airline News Coverage [Jaunted]

Dallas-Ft. Worth Airport Knocks Back a Few Too Many

February 20, 2009 at 4:11 PM | 0 Comments

While we have yet to experience a flight drunk on too many airport margaritas, for many it is the only way to get them on the plane. There is a point, however, at which in-flight drunkenness switches from being humorous and forgivable to annoying and dangerous, and it looks like Dallas/Ft. Worth Airport takes the cake in terms of frequency of these incidents.

According to a report on MSNBC, police at DFW made 78 arrests lasts year for public intoxication and in some cases pulled people off of planes for it.

more ›

Southwest to Prettify Dallas-Love Field

January 23, 2009 at 9:20 AM | 0 Comments

Dallas' Love Field airport has long played second fiddle to its cross-town rival, the behemoth Dallas-Fort Worth International, which ranks as the world's third busiest airport, but finally Love is getting some much-needed attention.

Southwest Airlines uses Love Field as a hub and that's been about the only thing keeping the place alive in recent years. Those flying through Love are accustomed to a no-frills, small-town airport experience. But now that federal restrictions on how far Southwest can fly out of Love are set to be lifted, the airline has big plans for its Dallas hub. Southwest announced this week it will move ahead with a $519 million investment that aims to not just keep Love Field in business, but double its traffic to 8 million flyers a year.

What does that mean for you? Probably a lot more Southwest flights that connect through Dallas, and, coming in 2011, a shiny new terminal with twice as many restaurants. No word yet on whether they'll add a great make-out spot.

Related Stories:
· $519M makeover planned at Dallas' Love Field [Dallas Morning News]
· DFW Revamps Ultimate Airport Make Out Spot [Jaunted]
· Southwest Airlines Coverage [Jaunted]

Photo: [Kaptain Krispy Kreme]

DFW Revamps Ultimate Airport Make Out Spot

September 3, 2008 at 5:04 PM | 1 Comment

Dallas/Fort Worth International for many years had an outdoor observation area called Founders' Plaza where locals and visitors on layovers could enjoy a picnic and watch planes come and go. Later this month, a new Founders' Plaza will open on the northwest side of DFW, with shaded pavilions and speakers hooked into a feed from the airport's air traffic controllers.

The new mini park will celebrate its rebirth with a performance by Olympic gold medalist Carly Patterson on September 17. Meanwhile, DFW is asking aviation obsessives to post photo memories of the plaza online.

Oh, and if you're not in it for the plane spotting, keep in mind that Founders' Plaza was once named the Dallas-Fort Worth area's "Best Place to Make Out."

Related Stories:
· Founders' Plaza [Official Site]
· DFW coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: hsiqueira]

DFW Gets a Spruced up Website

June 18, 2008 at 5:15 PM | 0 Comments

Dallas/Fort Worth International just soft-launched a new website, and it's quite user-friendly. Reason number one? The airport's usually-paid WiFi will let you log on for free. Beyond that, everything you'd actually want to access is right there on the front door.

For example, it's now easier to find shops, restaurants and services. For restaurants, simply go to the home page, and you can filter 'em down to cuisine and terminal--and even see PDF menus (with prices!) before you pick a spot to eat.

The live flight info has also been expanded. The site uses data from FlightStats to track arrivals and departures, also right from the home page. And since you can log on for free, you'll be able to verify if that gate announcement of a 15-minute delay is for real--or if it's time to start calling the airline's reservation number.

And since the airport figures passengers will have even more ideas about how to update the website, officials will be hosting a user feedback blog until July 2. We can only imagine the comments will be more positive than what showed up on American Airline's blog.

Related Stories:
· DFW Airport [Official Site]
· Travel Websites coverage [Jaunted]

Missed Connections: American Airlines Hubs Edition

April 11, 2008 at 3:29 PM | 0 Comments

This week witnessed American Airlines' PR meltdown as the megacarrier canceled thousands of flights due to safety concerns. So you're single and stuck in a hub city far from friends and family... what's a seasoned traveler to do? Make the best of it by making a connection at one of these national hot spots, even in your most wrinkled suit.

In Dallas: Try not to stare at Twisted Root Burger Company (2615 Commerce St.) which serves its juicy hunks of meat with in-house root beer. More Dallas Missed Connections.

In Chicago: Put on your Juicy Couture perfume and order up some margs at the Frontera Grill (449 N. Clark St.), "Iron Chef America" competitor Rick Bayless' Mexican spot. More Chicago Missed Connections.

In Miami: Just try to get some work done at Barnie's Coffee and Tea (169 Flagler St.) More Miami Missed Connections.

In St. Louis: Interrupt someone else's work at the Atomic Cowboy (4140 Manchester Ave.), perhaps the last restaurant in the world to ask "Smoking or non?" (Or, just hang around at baggage claim.) More St. Louis Missed Connections.

Related Stories:
· Missed Connections coverage [Jaunted]

[Photo: wd502]