D/FW AIRPORT -- Early-morning travelers arrived Saturday at the new Terminal D at Dallas/Fort Worth Airport to find energetic dancers, live Latin music, a ribbon-cutting and grand-opening speeches from men in suits.
It was the first day for American Airlines to operate from the $1.2 billion facility.
Some travelers were not only amazed by the pageantry -- they didn't even know the building existed.
"I was very surprised to see D28 on the screen," said Martin Snelgrove, a Toronto resident who was waiting to board American's first international departure from the 28-gate terminal. "I didn't know there was a Terminal D. I was trying to figure out if it was an old terminal that was never used before."
Fliers said they were impressed by the architecture and concessionaire offerings. But they also said it wouldn't affect their purchasing decision, which ultimately depends on the cheapest ticket.
"It's nice to be reasonably comfortable in the spaces while you're waiting," said Snelgrove, who owns a computer-chip design company and connects through D/FW Airport about 10 to 12 times a year. "I appreciate it, but I can't say here's a business decision because it's a prettier terminal."
Jeff Solheim of Keizer, Ore., agreed.
"It just makes the flight experience nicer," he said while munching on a pretzel.
Solheim was traveling with four friends to Belize for vacation. Like two-thirds of D/FW's travelers, Solheim was connecting through the world's third-busiest airport.
After waiting several hours for the second leg of their trip, the friends decided they liked the bright light and open feel of the new terminal.
Designers started planning the terminal's look about six years ago. Construction began a year later.
"It's kind of a surreal feeling seeing it empty for the past four or five years and now seeing people walk around like it's always been here," said Clay Paslay, D/FW's executive vice president of airport development.
Nine mostly foreign-based airlines started flying from Terminal D on July 23. But American delayed its opening by 98 days to continue testing the complex, new inline baggage system.
Jim Crites, executive vice president of operations at D/FW, said the only morning glitch he knew of came when the Skylink people mover stopped running for about 10 minutes. The airport hauled people from terminal to terminal on buses until it was fixed.
Gunilla Craven and her husband, Larry, found another slight problem with Skylink when the train failed to stop at the D34 station. Everything is so new that the train didn't get programmed to make a second terminal stop at the north end, she said.
"I'm sure they'll have that fixed tomorrow," she said while browsing at Simply Books.
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