Latest news with #Dallas-FortWorthInternationalAirport
Business Insider
16-07-2025
- Business Insider
I tried a private airport sleeping room that's $65 an hour — it had perks, but I think lounges offer a way better value
Usually, airport lounges are my go-to when looking to escape the hustle and bustle of a busy terminal. They offer perks like food, bar service, and showers, all of which can be a lifesaver on long travel days. Yet even the nicest lounges aren't without fault. Some face overcrowding, and they're not always as quiet as you'd expect. Plus, if you don't receive complimentary lounge access through your airline status or credit card, single-use lounge passes can be pricey — typically around $60 to $80 per person. So, on a recent layover in the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, I looked for an alternative and found Minute Suites, a company that rents out private sleeping rooms in airport terminals across the US. By the time I arrived in Dallas for my layover after an early morning flight, I was already exhausted. I couldn't wait to wind down in a private room and take a break during my busy travel I reserved one hour in a private suite. The reservation normally costs $65, but I received the first hour free of charge through my Priority Pass membership. I used the desk and daybed. The room's daybed was ideal for a brief rest — albeit not as plush as a standard hotel bed — and the desk was a useful space where I could get some work done before my flight. I appreciated the space's special touches, such as the sound-masking device, which blocked enough noise to make me forget I was in an room also came with several varieties of snacks and drinks that were available for purchase.I could've paid an extra $20 to use the space's showers, but the cost seemed a bit too high to justify during my short reservation. I felt relaxed after my stay, but the price felt a little hard to justify. My hourlong rental passed by quickly, and I left the suite feeling refreshed and ready for my next flight. The private room gave me a much-needed break from the busy terminal I found the price somewhat high since I was alone, and Minute Suites are priced by the room and not per personAt $65 for the first hour, I'm not sure a short reservation was worth the cost as a solo traveler. If I were with friends or family, this rental's cost would be easier to justify. Nonetheless, I see the appeal of renting a suite on an overnight layover. An eight-hour rental, for instance, runs $215. Given that the suite is directly in the airport and post-security, there's no doubt it's convenient for an overnight addition, booking a Minute Suites space could be the ultimate travel hack for families with young children. There's no need to chase kids around a crowded terminal — the private room provides space for them to nap, watch a movie, and wind down before a flight. I find that airport lounges offer a better value for my travel style. I appreciated the privacy of Minute Suites, but ultimately missed the amenities offered in an airport I fly, I love stopping by a lounge for a complimentary meal and pre-flight drink, whether an espresso martini, gelato, or made-to-order Suites only has snacks and drinks that can be purchased. The lack of an included shower was a downside, too. Not all airport lounges offer free-to-use showers, but it's an amenity I frequently seek out when flying I prefer the pricing structure of airport lounges over the hourly rates at Minute Suites. For example, United Airlines' United Club offers single-use passes for $59 that provide lounge access for three hours before your first flight or your entire layover during a connection.I can spend a lot more time in an airport lounge for roughly the same price as an hour at Minute Suites. Even so, I'm not opposed to trying Minute Suites again. If I ever found myself stuck in an airport overnight, a private room would almost certainly be times out of 10, though, I'd probably choose an airport lounge instead for the best value.
Business Insider
04-07-2025
- Business
- Business Insider
We moved from Salt Lake City to a small Texas town. The high property taxes shocked us, but the small-town vibe is worth it.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Lance Koster, a 61-year-old Pilot instructor, and his wife, Michelle, who moved to Justin, Texas, in 2024. Justin is a small town about 40 minutes north of Fort Worth. According to recent Census data, its population is 6,197. The essay has been edited for length and clarity. Lance: In my career as a pilot, my family and I moved around the country a lot. In 2010, we ended up in Salt Lake City and lived there for 14 years. We loved Salt Lake City. Its landscape was amazing, especially the mountains. We were always skiing, biking, or camping. And while we didn't have much family there, we made a lot of friends. However, we needed to make a change. The job was getting a little difficult, and my traveling was starting to increase. I was spending a lot of time away from home. My wife and I are getting a little older, and I was ready to slow down — I wanted to be home at night and not on the road. I thought it was best to take a position training up-and-coming pilots, which would give me a more stable schedule. Throughout my career, when I was training, my family and I spent some time in Texas. There are a couple of large jet training facilities in the state, so I knew there would be opportunities for me to become a pilot instructor. My family and I have also always been intrigued by Texas. Every time we've visited, it's been a pleasant experience. When it was finally time for us to make a change, it was the most logical destination. We moved to a small North Texas town Lance: In June 2024, I got a job as a pilot instructor at a company located at the Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport. In September, we bought a home in Justin, just north of Fort Worth. It's a small town, but it's growing quickly. A lot of the people who live in Justin have lived and worked here their whole lives, so it's actually a little uncomfortable for them that it's growing at such a rapid pace. Still, we've had nothing but pleasant experiences. Our home in Justin is 3,500 square feet and has five bedrooms and three bathrooms — enough space for my wife, me, and our two teenage sons. We live in a new neighborhood developed by homebuilder KB Homes. We really like our neighborhood. It has both larger and smaller homes, which was perfect for us. My wife's mother was living with us in Salt Lake City, and when we moved to Texas, we wanted to find a home with a mother-in-law suite, but we weren't having much luck. So, we decided to buy a larger home that would fit the four of us, and a smaller home for my mother-in-law, also in the same neighborhood. She now lives about a quarter mile from us and is fully independent. There are pros and cons to living in Texas Lance: Salt Lake Valley, where Salt Lake City sits, has a population of almost 2 million people, so even though we lived in a suburban area, it still felt pretty busy. Life is a lot slower in Justin. The town has a little downtown, with a small grocery store and a couple of restaurants. We have to drive about 15 or 20 minutes toward Fort Worth to do most of our shopping at places like Costco or Walmart. Our younger son likes living in Justin. He works at the grocery store, which is about half a mile from our house. However, it's taken our older son a little more time to adjust. The biggest change we've noticed since moving is the culture — it's a lot different. Justin is a lot more diverse. Utah has a large Mormon population, and when you're not part of that, it doesn't always feel like you're included. The weather is a lot different in Texas, too. Salt Lake City was a lot cooler, and while it does get warm in the Summer, it's nowhere close to how hot it gets in Justin. We started building a pool in December and finished it a couple of months ago, so we have our own little oasis in the backyard to beat the heat. Michelle: Another big difference in Texas is that you do not have to pay income tax. But the property taxes are high. Our house in Salt Lake City was 1,000 square feet larger than our home in Justin, but our property taxes here are three times the amount. Everything here is also so spread out compared to what we were used to. We lived at the south end of the Salt Lake Valley and it would take us 25 minutes to get downtown. If we go to Dallas from Justin — almost 40 miles away — it can take us anywhere from an hour to two. We're happier than ever Michelle: We do miss our friends in Salt Lake City — we made some very good, lifelong friends — but we don't plan on moving back. They all come out to visit us, and we see them when we go back. Our son misses the mountains in Utah, especially in the south. We had really nice views everywhere, and based on the mountains, you could always tell if you were facing north, south, east, or west. Everything about it was beautiful. That said, we've accepted our new home, and the locals have accepted us, too. We've already started making friends. We've even hosted parties at our house on cool nights, and it's been great. It's hard for us to quantify, but we all agree, we enjoy it here more.
Yahoo
26-05-2025
- Climate
- Yahoo
Memorial Day storms cause travel delays as millions prepare to head home
A series of destructive storms across parts of the south and central United States could wash out Memorial Day plans and snarl millions of Americans' return trek home. As of Monday afternoon, hundreds of flights had been delayed in the U.S., with dozens of others canceled, according to data on The Dallas-Fort Worth area, which has seen several rounds of thunderstorms and gusting winds over the weekend and into Monday, has been the most affected by those delays, the flight tracking site said. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, American Airlines' largest hub, said it was expecting to serve about 1.4 million travelers over the holiday. Over the weekend, lines of hundreds of people deep snaked around the airport's terminals. Delays also continued into Monday at Denver International Airport after thunderstorms caused a temporary ground stop on Sunday. Officials said a Southwest Airlines flight originating from Tampa, Florida, that landed in Denver on Sunday night may have been struck by lightning; no injuries were immediately reported. This was also the first Memorial Day and major holiday travel weekend since the requirement that passengers have either a REAL ID or a passport for domestic flights went into effect earlier this month. The storms on Sunday produced more than 180 severe weather reports, including six preliminary tornadoes in New Mexico and Texas. Extremely large hail, some up to 6 inches, was also reported near Afton, Texas, east of Lubbock. Isolated severe weather threats are expected to continue from Texas through the Deep South and parts of Florida into Tuesday, according to forecasts. Through Memorial Day, a severe thunderstorm watch was in effect for parts of Louisiana and Mississippi. Eleven million people were at risk to damaging winds and large hail across parts of Texas, including Abilene, Austin and San Antonio; Louisiana; and Alabama. There's also a continued chance of isolated tornadoes. In addition, 12 million people remain under flood threats across the South into Tuesday morning, with the alerts stretching across the Texas, Arkansas and Louisiana regions. NBC affiliate WESH reported that the potential for pop-up storms Monday across Florida, a popular holiday destination, could lead to ground stops late in the day at Orlando International Airport. Officials said about a million people were expected to pass through the airport over the weekend, and the high volume could potentially lead to delays. AAA expects a record 45.1 million people to travel at least 50 miles from home over this long holiday weekend. But most people — an estimated 38 million people, according to the association — are doing so by car. And they're benefiting from gas averaging $3.18 per gallon — the lowest Memorial Day price in more than four years, AAA reported. For the majority of the U.S., outdoor cookouts and travel plans home should remain on track. Seasonal temperatures were anticipated across the Northeast with sun and clouds, while conditions were dry in the western third of the country. This article was originally published on
NBC News
26-05-2025
- Climate
- NBC News
Memorial Day storms cause travel delays as millions prepare to head home
A series of destructive storms across parts of the South and central U.S. could wash out Memorial Day plans and snarl millions of Americans' return trek home. As of Monday morning, hundreds of flights had been delayed in the U.S., with dozens of others canceled, according to data on The Dallas-Fort Worth area, which has seen several rounds of thunderstorms and gusting winds over the weekend and into Monday, has been the most affected by those delays, the flight-tracking site said. Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport, American Airlines' largest hub, said it was expecting to serve about 1.4 million travelers over the holiday. Over the weekend, lines hundreds of people deep snaked around the airport's terminals. It's also the first Memorial Day weekend and major holiday travel weekend since the requirement that passengers have either a REAL ID or a passport for domestic flights went into effect earlier this month. The storms on Sunday produced more than 180 severe weather reports, including six preliminary tornadoes in New Mexico and Texas. Extremely large hail, some up to 6 inches, was also reported near Afton, Texas, east of Lubbock. Isolated severe weather threats are expected to continue from Texas through the Deep South and parts of Florida into Tuesday, according to forecasts. Through Memorial Day, 9 million people were at risk for damaging winds and large hail across parts of Texas, including Abilene, Austin and San Antonio, and Louisiana, including Shreveport. There's also a continued chance of isolated tornadoes. In addition, 12 million people remain under flooding threats across the South into Tuesday morning, with the alerts stretching across the Texas, Arkansas, and Louisiana regions. NBC affiliate WESH reported that the potential for pop-up storms on Monday across Florida, a popular holiday destination, could lead to ground stops late in the day at Orlando International Airport. Officials said about a million people were expected to pass through the airport over the weekend, and the high volume could potentially lead to delays. AAA expects a record 45.1 million people to travel at least 50 miles from home over this long holiday weekend. But most Americans — an estimated 38 million people, according to the association — are doing so by car. And they're benefitting from gas averaging $3.18 per gallon — the lowest Memorial Day price in more than four years, AAA reported. For the majority of the U.S., outdoor cookouts and travel plans home should remain on track. Seasonal temperatures were anticipated across the Northeast with sun and clouds, while conditions were dry in the western third of the country.
NBC News
25-05-2025
- Climate
- NBC News
Severe weather threatens Memorial Day travel rush
Millions of people were at risk of severe weather on Sunday, threatening a potentially record-breaking Memorial Day travel rush. NBC News' Ryan Chandler reports from Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport.
