The Dallas-Fort Worth area has two commercial airports: DFW Airport and Dallas Love Field. If you have flexibility in your booking or you are connecting through a U.S. city, choosing the right airport affects your transit time, cost and access to the stadiums.
If you are arriving from outside the United States, fly into DFW Airport. It handles nearly all international flights and has customs and immigration facilities at Terminal D.
If you are already in the United States and flying Southwest Airlines, Love Field may be more convenient depending on where you are staying.
DFW Airport is the third-busiest airport in the United States, handling approximately 78 million passengers per year. It has five terminals (A through E) connected by the free Skylink train. Terminal D handles international arrivals with full customs and border protection.
DFW is about 22 miles from downtown Dallas (35 minutes by car) and about 20 miles from the Arlington Entertainment District where Globe Life Field and AT&T Stadium are located (20 to 25 minutes by car).
Public transit options include the DART Orange Line from Terminal A, TEXRail from Terminal B and the TRE LINK shuttle from Terminal D.
Love Field is a smaller, single-terminal airport with 32 gates. Southwest Airlines operates approximately 95% of the flights at Love Field, making it essentially a Southwest hub. Love Field handles very limited international service and has no major international carriers.
Love Field is about seven miles from downtown Dallas (15 minutes by car) and about 22 miles from the Arlington Entertainment District (25 to 30 minutes by car).
The Love Link 55 bus ($2.50) connects Love Field to the Inwood/Love Field DART station on the Green and Orange Lines. From there, DART rail connects to downtown Dallas.
Downtown Dallas: DFW is about 35 minutes; Love Field is about 15 minutes. Arlington Entertainment District: DFW is about 20 to 25 minutes; Love Field is about 25 to 30 minutes. Downtown Fort Worth: DFW is about 30 minutes; Love Field is about 40 minutes.
A rideshare from DFW to downtown Dallas costs $35 to $55. A rideshare from Love Field to downtown Dallas costs $20 to $30. The DART Orange Line from DFW to downtown costs $2.50 to $3 for a single ride.
Coming from outside the United States. Renting a car for a multi-city Texas road trip (the Rental Car Center is consolidated at DFW). Staying in Fort Worth or Arlington. Need public transit options.
Already in the United States and flying Southwest. Staying in Uptown, downtown or East Dallas. For someone who wants a faster, smaller domestic airport experience.
From DFW: a rideshare takes about 20 to 25 minutes and costs about $35. A rental car takes about the same time via TX-360. The budget option is the TRE LINK shuttle to CentrePort Station, then Arlington On-Demand for $3.
From Love Field: a rideshare takes about 25 to 30 minutes and costs $25 to $40. A rental car takes about 30 minutes via I-30.
Love Field has very limited international service. Nearly all international flights arrive at DFW Airport Terminal D.
DFW is slightly closer at about 20 miles. Love Field is about 22 miles. The drive times are comparable at 20 to 30 minutes depending on traffic.
To downtown Dallas, yes. Love Field rideshares run $20 to $30 compared to $35 to $55 from DFW. To Arlington, the costs are similar.
The Love Link 55 bus ($2.50) connects to Inwood/Love Field DART station, then DART rail runs downtown. Rideshare takes about 15 minutes.
It depends on the airline and route. Southwest, which dominates Love Field, often has competitive domestic fares. DFW has more carriers and routes, which can create price competition on popular routes.
Love Field has very limited customs capability. If you are arriving from outside the United States, fly into DFW Airport.
