Fifty years ago, American Airlines flight 341 touched down at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, and since then, the carrier has continuously invested in what is now the airline’s largest hub, and the second busiest airport in the world.
On Wednesday (January 17, 2024), American Airlines announced the 50th anniversary of operations at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport (DFW), with flight 341 touching down at the airport on January 13, 1974. Since that time, American has invested continuously in DFW, now the airline’s largest hub and the second busiest airport in the world. Five years after the opening of the airport, American Airlines relocated their headquarters from New York to Fort Worth, Texas, and currently contributes nearly $43 billion to the Texas economy annually, while employing 35,000 team members in the Dallas-Fort Worth region.
In Wednesday’s announcement, American Airlines’ Senior Vice President – DFW Hub, Jim Moses, said,
“DFW is the cornerstone of American’s global operation, and we’re proud of the growth and investment that comes with a legacy of five decades and counting. As we celebrate this milestone, we are grateful for strong ties with our partners at the airport, throughout the community and in the region, as well as the leadership of visionaries in Dallas and Fort Worth who had the foresight to unite two cities with a world-class airport fifty years ago.”
Also commenting on the airline’s 50th anniversary at DFW, American Airlines’ Customer Service Agent, George Zee, said,
“I’m proud to celebrate 50 years as an American Airlines team member this year and to have witnessed so much growth at DFW throughout my career. There are many reasons why I’ve stayed with the airline for so many years, but mainly it’s because of the people. I love helping our customers and my coworkers every day.”
American Airlines Celebrates 50 Years of Service at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport - Courtesy American Airlines
Currently, American serves 240 destinations worldwide from DFW, and the carrier is planning a record summer schedule for 2024, with over 10,000 one-stop connections worldwide. New routes from DFW for summer 2024 include Barcelona, Spain (BCN), Tulum, Mexico (TQO) and Redmond, Oregon (RDM).
American Airlines doubled-down on their commitment to DFW in May 2023 with a new 10-year Use and Lease Agreement, which includes a pre-approved capital plan of nearly $5 billion in investments. In celebration of the official 50th anniversary on January 13, 2024, American team members gathered at DFW to commemorate the inaugural flight by welcoming the arrival of flight 3589 from Little Rock, Arkansas.
Source: American Airlines