US: The US airport that’s buzzing as covid shuts down world travel

There’s an occasional line at the Chick-fil-A counter, and an occasional line of airplanes waiting to take off, too. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport looks…sort of busy. And that’s enough to make DFW the busiest airport in the world. The sprawling Texas hub, with seven runways and five terminals, has more than 90% of its gates and half its restaurants in operation. DFW typically ranks behind Atlanta, Chicago O’Hare and Los Angeles in takeoffs and landings. But due to the instant transformation of the airline business, DFW finds itself at least temporarily on top, with long-lasting implications for travellers. For the past two decades, airlines have moved to more nonstop flights, bypassing big hubs in the middle of the country. Now the midcontinent hub is back. For years to come, many travellers will find they must connect rather than go nonstop.American Airlines, which makes its home at DFW, has been pushing connecting service more than its competitors, focusing mainly on DFW and Charlotte, N.C. American even announced it was dropping five routes to Asia from Los Angeles, making DFW its main trans-Pacific gateway. From a low of about 200 flights a day at DFW, American will hit 667 flights a day later this month. Last summer it flew more than 900 a day, and with larger airplanes. In May, DFW had 12,109 departing passenger flights, edging out Chengdu, China, by 86 flights for the title of busiest in the world, according to Cirium. In June, DFW widened its lead over Chengdu, Cirium says. Story has more.<br/>