Dallas hosts three major airports: Dallas/Fort Worth International (DFW), Dallas Love Field (DAL), and Addison Airport (ADS). 

The best Dallas airport overall is DFW International since it has the most terminals, airlines, restaurants, and on-site hotels. 

DAL comes in second because it’s larger than ADS and is a hub for more major airlines, but it doesn’t have the amenities that DFW has. 

These three airports serve different types of travelers. Here’s an overview of how they compare.

How many airports are there in Dallas?

Dallas has three airports: Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport, Dallas Love Field, and Addison Airport. 

Dallas/Fort Worth International and Dallas Love Field primarily cater to commercial flights, while Addison Airport is for general aviation.

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport

Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) is the primary airport serving the Dallas-Fort Worth metroplex. It is also the third-largest airport in the world.

DFW serves 906 daily flights to 224 destinations across the globe. It serves as a major hub for American Airlines and UPS.

Aside from being one of the largest, it’s also got a stellar reputation with its customers for its excellent service and commitment to environmental sustainability.

Since 2007, it’s gained a total of 52 awards for its excellent service quality and in-house food concessions. 

In recent years, it’s been dubbed the Best Large Airport in North America in 2017, Global Airport of the Year by Air Transport World in 2018, and achieved top customer satisfaction in Airports Council International’s Airport Service Quality surveys.

Airports account for around 2.8% of the world’s total greenhouse gas emissions. 

As such, DFW has made efforts to reduce its carbon footprint through renewable energy, reducing power consumption, and switching to electronic vehicles.

All these measures make DFW not just the first airport in the world to achieve a Level 4+ Airport Carbon Accreditation, but also one of the most advanced and pleasant airports to be in.

When it comes to accidents, DFW has only had 8 since 1973, with the most recent being in 2001. 

Dallas Love Field Airport

Dallas Love Field (DAL) is the first airport in Dallas, serving as a hub for Southwest Airlines. It mostly handles domestic flights, serving about 180 daily flights.

Similar to DFW, DAL has won numerous customer service awards from Airports Council International (ACI) and other organizations like Trip Advisor. Since 2015, it’s collected a total of 32 awards.

DAL’s most notable awards are its consistent top 3 placement in ACI’s Airport Service Quality surveys and JD Power & Associate’s Airport Satisfaction Studies. 

As of 2022, DAL is the third-best large North American airport, according to the Airport Satisfaction Study.

In addition, since its opening in 1917, it’s had a total of 19 accidents, with the most recent being in 2000. 

Addison Airport

Addison Airport (ADS) is a small general aviation airport.

Being for general aviation, it does not have scheduled flights and mostly caters to private aviation companies like Million Air and Atlantic Aviation.

ADS serves as a hub for Ameristar Jet Charter, Martinaire, Flight Express, and GTA Air. 

Despite its small size, this airport is the busiest general aviation airport in Texas and the fifth-busiest in the country. In addition to servicing about 400 flights per day, ADS also houses 15 different flight schools.

Since 1954, Addison Airport has only had 5 accidents. 

What is the difference between Dallas airports?

The main differences between DFW, DAL, and ADS are in their size, main airlines, and flight destinations.

Here’s an overview of their differences.

Which Dallas airport is closer to Downtown?

The Dallas airport closest to Downtown is Dallas Love Field, followed by Addison Airport, then Dallas/Fort Worth International.

DAL is 6 miles away from Downtown Dallas, ADS is 9 miles, and DFW is 20 miles away.

All three airports are connected to Dallas’ DART bus system. Through the DART bus, the trip to the Downtown area takes about 16 minutes from DAL, 25 minutes from ADS, and 49 minutes from DFW. 

In addition to public transport, DFW and DAL have taxi services available, but ADS does not. DFW’s taxis cost about $40 for the first 9 miles and $2.1 per mile after that.

DAL’s taxis have a base rate of $2.25. Using a taxi, the trip to Downtown Dallas would take about 30 minutes from DFW and 15 to 20 minutes from DAL.

Which Dallas airports are bigger?

DFW airport is the biggest airport in Dallas, followed by Dallas Love Field, then Addison Airport. DFW is 17,207 acres in size, DAL is 1,300 acres, and ADS is 368 acres.

DFW is the third-largest airport in the world and has a total of 5 terminals with 160 gates. DAL has 1 terminal and 20 gates, while ADS has none.

Which airlines fly out from DAL, DFW, and ADS?

DAL’s main airlines include Southwest Airlines, Braniff International, Texas International Airlines, Legend Airlines, and TranStar.

DFW’s main airlines are American Airlines, Ameriflight, Southern Airways Express, and UPS. ADS services Ameristar Jet Charter, Martinaire, Flight Express, and GTA Air.

Aside from DAL’s main airlines, Alaska Airlines and Delta also fly out of the airport. 

Alaska mainly operates out of gates 11 and 13, Southwest operates out of Gates 1 to 10, 12, and 14 to 20, and Delta operates from gate 15.

All of DFW’s terminals mainly service American Airlines, except for terminals D and E. 

In addition to serving American Air, terminal D serves Air France, British Airways, Emirates, Japan Airlines, Lufthansa, and Qatar Airways.

DFW’s terminal E services Alaska Airlines, American Airlines, Delta, JetBlue, Spirit Airlines, and United Airlines.

ADS services Million Air and Atlantic Aviation in addition to its main airlines. Since it’s a general aviation airport, private planes are allowed to fly out of the airport too.

Here’s a quick list of what airlines these airports host.

What car rental companies are at DAL, DFW, and ADS?

DAL’s companies are Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Payless, and Thrifty.

DFW’s car rental companies are Advantage, Alamo, Avis, Budget, Dollar, Enterprise, Hertz, National, Payless, Sixt, and Thrifty. ADS does not have any car rental companies.

Among the three, DFW has the most car rental options followed by DAL.  

DFW has 11 car rental companies available, DAL has 9, and ADS has none.

Where are the places to sleep near DFW, DAL, and ADS?

DFW has four on-site hotels: Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, Hyatt Place, and Minute Suites.

DAL doesn’t have on-site hotels, but it’s close enough to the city that there are plenty of nearby options such as La Quinta and Gaylord. 

ADS is similar, and its best options are Radisson and Courtyard.

DFW’s Grand Hyatt, Hyatt Regency, and Hyatt Place can be found on airport property, while Minute Suites is inside the terminal. 

Rates for an overnight stay in a single-bed bedroom are about $240 to $330 for the Hyatt hotels and $175 at Minute Suites.

In DAL’s La Quinta Inn & Suites by Wyndham, an overnight stay costs about $100. If you want something more luxurious, Gaylord Texan Resort by Marriott’s overnight rates starts at $350.

ADS’ options are Radisson Hotel and Courtyard. Radisson’s overnight rates start at $120, while Courtyard by Marriott’s starts at $99.

Here’s a better look at your hotel options.