Getting to and about Dallas is pretty easy, You've heard the song, "Trains and Boats and Planes," well it's not quite that easy since you can't take a boat to Dallas but you can catch a plane or a train and driving is easy too. With two airports in the area, Dallas Fort Worth International and Love Field, finding a plane flight is easy. Union Station in downtown Dallas is where the Amtrak trains arrive. Interstates, 20, 30, 35 and 45 all converge in Dallas as well. Once in Dallas, the highway system and the public transportation makes getting from one place to another relatively easy as well.
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Deciding how to get to Dallas is your choice. Love Field is the home for Southwest Airlines and Dallas Fort Worth International Airport, or DFW, is the home of American Airlines, but just about every other airline in the country flies into one or the other. From any direction, you'll find a major interstate coming into Dallas and then once here you'll find major highways to get around. Amtrak runs into Union Station downtown. From there you can connect with local transportation including Trinity Railway Express and DART light rail. So welcome to Dallas read below for more specifics on getting here and getting around.
Airline Tickets to Dallas
If you are looking to fly to Dallas, start early to find the lowest price on plane tickets. You actually have a choice of airports. The largest of course is the Dallas Fort Worth International Airport. It is about halfway between the two cities and is one of the largest airports in the country. There are five terminals at DFW. The biggest carrier is American Airlines, which is headquartered in Dallas. American Airlines dominates two terminals A and C. Terminal B handles flights for United and American Eagle. Terminal D is the international terminal with flights for Sun Country, American and American Eagle and a number of foreign carriers, including Air Canada, British Airways, KLM, Korean Air, Lufthansa, Mexicana and TACA. Terminal E hosts many other U.S. carriers including AirTran Airways, Alaska Airlines, Continental Airlines, Delta Air Lines, Frontier Airlines, Mesa Airlines, Midwest Airlines, Northwest Airlines and US Airways. DFW has an efficient tram/monorail system that moves people from one terminal to another. The rental car companies are all located in one building on the southern end of the airport and operate a single set of shuttle busses to the site. You don't have to wait for just your company's shuttle, the general one gets you there.
The other Dallas Airport is Love Field. The major air carrier is Southwest Airlines. Southwest offers over 100 direct flights daily to destinations throughout Texas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma, New Mexico, Mississippi, Alabama, Missouri, and Kansas. Federal rules limited Southwest to direct flights only to adjacent states for many years. Those rules have changed and Southwest is expected to expand its direct flight to Dallas in the coming years. American Eagle also offers flights daily to destinations throughout Kansas and to San Antonio and Austin in Texas.
Plane tickets are available from the various airlines, travel agents or your favorite online travel broker.
Train Tickets to Dallas
It isn't the fastest way to get there but it can be one of the coolest. Amtrak arrives in downtown Dallas at historic Union Station. Union Station sits in the shadow of Reunion Tower and next to the Hyatt Hotel. The Texas eagle runs right through Dallas on its trip from Chicago to Los Angles. This same train goes to Austin and San Antonio, as well as El Paso in Texas and Tucson, Arizona. To the north, it stops in places like Little Rock, Arkansas and St. Louis, Missouri. Tickets are available from Amtrak.
Driving to Dallas
Driving to Dallas can take awhile. Texas is a big state. From the East you are going to want to take Intestate 30 or 20. I-30 comes from the northeast and places like Little Rock and Memphis. I-20 comes from Louisiana, Mississippi and Atlanta. From the North and the South its Interstate 35 that comes to Dallas. Interstate 45 is the route from Houston. The western route, from places like El Paso, Midland and New Mexico is Interstate 20. In Dallas, there are many freeways and toll roads that go through and around the city. The city streets are not laid out in a usual grid pattern so watch out. The main thoroughfares tend to run on a diagonal northwest to southeast and northeast to southwest.
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Rental Cars
Rental cars are easy to come by in Dallas. All of the major rental car companies, Hertz, Avis, Budget, Alamo, Dollar, Enterprise, National and Thrifty operate at both DFW and Love Field. In addition, they have a presence in many other locations in Dallas.
Light Rail
In addition to being the terminal for Amtrak, Union Station in downtown Dallas is the place to catch the DART Rail Red Line and Blue Line and the Trinity Railway Express Line. DART stands for Dallas Area Rapid Transit. DART is operated by 13 cities in the Dallas area. It is more than just a light rail system it also operates busses. There are DART stops near most of the major attractions in Dallas, including the Zoo, the American Airlines Center where the Mavericks and the Stars play, the Historic West End and the arts District. Trinity Railway Express links downtown Fort Worth, downtown Dallas and DFW Airport.
McKinley Ave Trolley
The McKinney Avenue Transit Authority operates a traditional trolley line in the Uptown neighborhood. The McKinney Avenue Transit Authority maintains, restores and preserves historic streetcars and operates on a route that travels up and down, you guessed it, McKinley Avenue. It's a great way to get around the Uptown neighborhood to tryout the various attractions and restaurants. Oh and one other thing, it's free.
