Anne Marie Flint quickly sizes up business travelers. By the time the manager of the Yellow Rose of Texas — one of the nearly 200 retail offerings at Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) — delivers a great big handshake, she's ready to steer shoppers toward a purchase that fits like a well-worn pair of boots.
The retail and service offerings at DFW possess more of a regional flair than the shops at most other airports provide. Down-home barbecue from Dickey's, a Dallas institution since 1941, is available in three different passenger terminals. A legacy Dr Pepper (another Texas native) dispenser occupies the wide-plank wood floors of Texas Marketplace (Terminals B and E). And pint-size Dallas Cowboys cheerleader outfits can be purchased at outlets in Terminals A and E. Flint, who manages five retail stores in DFW's four terminals, oversees shelves of Texas T-shirts and local-label edibles as well as Beanie Babies, SpongeBob dolls, and other standard airport fare. She emphasizes that her stores and merchandising are designed to give visitors the feeling that they're not at the airport.
That strategy is apparent at most large airports. Major brands have made inroads into retail lineups. Some airports, like Minneapolis-St. Paul International, have designed their shopping areas to resemble mall interiors. And higher-end shops, such as Brooks Brothers (Terminal E) and Details (a small, but well-equipped women's wear shop in Terminal B) at DFW, have begun to enter the picture. Yet, no matter how many Frappuccinos (Terminals A and B), pairs of Calvin Klein underwear, or Pizza Hut slices (Terminals B, C, and E) a business traveler scoops up, the sense of being in an airport is a taste that never quite leaves the mouths of frequent flyers.
Tex Mex and Tex Wines
Although I touched down at DFW 14 months after the 2001 terrorist attacks, Sept. 11 remains on the minds and lips of concessionaires, airline administrators, and airport employees. At DFW, passenger traffic was down about 16 percent through most of 2002 compared to the previous year. While per-passenger airport spending at DFW was about 14 percent higher in 2002 ($5.39) than it was in 2001 ($4.72), retailers have been cut off from revenue generated by nonticketed visitors due to post–Sept. 11 security restrictions.
The three different security checkpoints I passed through on my chaperoned tour were smoothly managed — thorough but quick, with polite guidance. The sight of dozens of white-shirted Transportation Security Administration (TSA) employees and armed police officers at each security checkpoint reminds passengers that Sept. 11 remains a jarring event in the air-travel business.
Most retail managers mention Sept. 11 with a frown and gritted teeth. Some, like Flint, make special arrangements to continue to sell and deliver goods to "outside customers" who no longer have access to the terminals without an airline ticket. Others, like Gina Puente Brancato, president and owner of La Bodega Winery (Terminal A), have gone after the increase in passenger spending with fewer resources. "We were limited to two corkscrews after Sept. 11," she says, while using one of them to uncork a Johannesburg Riesling for a regular customer.
Besides the music room at American Airlines' flagship Admiral Club (also in Terminal A; see more below), La Bodega provides the best opportunity to transport from the airport doldrums at DFW. The fully licensed, bonded winery opened in August 1995. It is the first "micro-winery" to operate in a United States airport. "Airport winery" is an odd-sounding combination. At La Bodega, the emphasis is not on production (the fermentation tanks aren't currently in operation) and volume, but on variety and tasting.
And atmosphere. A home architect designed the 435-square-foot space, and it shows. The bar, with its curved archway, cool floor tiling, and handcrafted cabinetry, looks like an airport oasis rather than an airport bar. Three wines can be tasted for $5, and individual glasses range from $4.95 to $8.95. Bottles (which can still be stowed in carry-on bags), cases, and custom labels (on bottles from La Bodega's off-site winery) are also available. Although there is an emphasis on Texas wines, each month Brancato rotates a 30-label selection picked from wineries throughout the world. The staff also serves appetizers. A small gift shop occupies one side of the tasting room, and the other connects through a side door to an adjacent bookstore and newsstand that Brancato also operates.
DFW was voted one of the best airports for grabbing a quick meal in a recent survey of business travelers by travel management company e-Travel. Offerings like Dickey's, Harlon's Barbecue, Los Amigos (good Tex Mex in Terminal A), Hot Dog Construction (Terminal B), and the typical chain offerings (Sbarro's, Taco Bell, Subway, Manchu Wok, and more) bolster that recognition.
The selection of longer-meal options (including a long wait for a mediocre lunch at TGIFriday's in Terminal A) is less inspiring. A handout, "Things to Do While Waiting for a Flight," at one of the airport's many information kiosks, suggests that travelers with a three-hour cushion dine at Mister G's, an upscale steakhouse in the Hyatt Regency hotel connected to Terminal C.
An informal survey of concessionaires and DFW travelers pointed to Vintage Texas (Terminals A and E) as a good bet for a sit-down lunch or dinner. The menu promises cooked-to-order fare, which includes American and Southwest offerings. The wine and micro-brew selection is impressive, and carryout is available. Anton Airfood, Inc., the airport foodservice company that operates Vintage Texas, also operates The Fort Worth Art Bar (Terminal E), which features works from the artist community in and around Fort Worth.
Nesting Opportunities
Art may provide a temporary respite from the travel grind, but gizmos pack more bang from the buck when it comes to alleviating frequent flyer funk. In-plane power adapters ($100–$120), which connect armrest power supply ports to laptops to conserve precious battery life, and noise-reducing headphones ($45–$299) are the best-selling items at the cellular and computer accessories kiosk in Terminal A. Ditto at nearby Laptop Lane (Terminal A), where power chargers for cell phones also move quickly.
Laptop Lane is operated by Wayport Inc., an Austin company that provides travelers with high-speed fixed-line and wireless Internet access in hotel rooms, airports, and meeting rooms. Passengers with wireless-enabled laptops can access the Wayport's wireless network at DFW — an icon will appear on the desktop with instructions and billing information — for $6.95. Laptop Lane provides private workstations (with high-speed Internet access, fax machines, desk, a comfy chair, and a roomy enclosed office) at $5 for the first minute and 65 cents for each additional one. A helpful Laptop Lane clerk noted that rates are sometimes negotiable, particularly when the workstations are empty.
DFW provides Internet phones (look for the green and blue signs) in the phone banks in each terminal. Additionally, the airport's guest services center in Terminal B provide private workstations at no charge. The services center, which also offers a quiet sitting area and Internet connections (50 cents per minute), was nearly empty at midday — even when two nearby gates looked particularly cramped with departing passengers.
The airport's best waiting area is located in the American Airlines Admiral Club in Terminal A. The impressive stone fa
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