Love Field plans major upgrades to enhance access, efficiency and passenger experience
In Dallas, you'll find a lot of "love" for the city's in-town airport, Love Field.
"I travel a lot," said passenger Valerie Bustillos, "and this one is a lot better."
Bustillos remembers Love Field prior to the recent upgrades and appreciates the changes, like the dedicated rideshare pickup. But there's more.
"Well, for one, it's so much easier to get to," said passenger Justin Renshaw. "The lanes right out here work very well (gesturing to the curbside drop-off), whereas at DFW you have that massive thing that they funnel you through and that can back up real quick."
"Actually, I don't know how much better you can get," Bustillos said with a laugh.
But city staffers say "better" is a part of the plan.
Work will begin soon on a 20-year master plan that aims to maintain the ease of access, while preparing for passenger traffic at Love Field to jump from about 18 million passengers a year to some 24 million in the next decade.
"So, more waiting space, more concessions, more restrooms, just more space in general so we can accommodate those travelers," says Patrick Carreno, Dallas' Director of Aviation.
He says federal law already limits the number of gates at Love Field, so the upgrades proposed in the long-term plan will focus on maximizing efficiency.
The master plan for the airport calls for Garage A to be replaced with expanded, multi-level curb access.
"So, you have separated arrivals and departures that you typically will see at airports," said Carreno. "It gives us a single level from check-in to gate instead of going up and down conveyances."
Out of sight from passengers, the reconfigured space will create room for a more efficient baggage handling system. That will help the airlines turn flights around faster, a key component in increased efficiency because adding more gates is not an option. Improvements are also planned in the terminals.
"We don't have enough concession space. There are lines at the restrooms. We know that there's not enough space to wait at the gate," said Carreno. "So, we have to maximize the space we have and add to that. So we're really looking at bumping out from the windows [in the terminal area] out for the full length and getting more depth on the concourse so that we can add those amenities to those restrooms, more waiting spaces, things like that."
Construction could begin on some projects as early as next year or in early 2027. The work would happen in phases to minimize impacts on air travel.
"You're going to see a lot of changes coming, but we're going to try to make them as painless as possible," said Carreno, adding there will be "good things on the back end."