OREANDA-NEWS. Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) International Airport dedicated the second phase of its Terminal A Parking facility today with a traditional Chinese Lion dance for good luck and recognition that this summer begins DFW's first flights to China. Today is the unofficial start to an anticipated big summer of achievement for the world's third busiest airport. For the summer season running from June 1 through August 31, DFW expects to host 17 million customers, which would make the summer of 2014 the busiest summer ever at DFW and 2.4% above the same period last year.

“We are making great progress in improving the customer experience at DFW and the opening of phase two of our Terminal A Parking facility is another step in that process,” said Ken Buchanan, Executive Vice President, DFW Airport. “This summer, we are eager to show our customers even more new advances at DFW Airport, as we continue to build our global hub and provide our customers with outstanding service and experiences.”

The summer of 2014 also shapes up to be one of DFW's busiest summers ever for major milestones, highlighted by the arrival of new flights to Shanghai, Hong Kong and Doha as well as the Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) light rail system.

Here are the recent and upcoming major milestones at DFW Airport:

• May 7: DFW opens a new ten-gate concourse in Terminal B

• May 17: DFW opens the second phase of Terminal A Parking structure, providing more convenient and easy-to-find parking spaces for customers

• June 11: American Airlines to launch new flights to Hong Kong and Shanghai, China, marking DFW's first nonstop connections to those cities

• July 1: Qatar Airways to launch new daily service to Doha, Qatar

• July: DFW to formally open the second phase of its Automated Passport Control system, adding 24 more kiosks (for a total of 54) and the ability to electronically process customers from 38 visa waiver countries and customers who are Legal Permanent Residents

• August 1: DFW to release second version of its popular Official DFW Airport Mobile App, featuring voice command capability, a new look and more customer-focused information

• August 18: Dallas Area Rapid Transit (DART) to begin the first commuter rail service directly to DFW, with the DART Orange Line from Terminal A to downtown Dallas

• Late August: DFW to open second phase of Terminal A ticketing and baggage claim area renovations completed under TRIP

The summer travel months bring many leisure travelers to DFW Airport, so for those infrequent travelers, the best word of advice is to arrive at the Airport with plenty of time to spare. DFW recommends arriving two hours early for international flights and 90 minutes early for domestic flights. This will allow time for maneuvering through new roadways, construction zones and unfamiliar parking venues.

For Memorial Day weekend, DFW Airport will be deploying porters and parking assistants to help travelers in the Terminal Parking areas of Terminals A, C and E, starting Wednesday May 21 and going through Tuesday, May 27. The porters will provide luggage assistance and the parking attendants will help with directions and information inside the new parking structure.

The Terminal A Parking facility can direct drivers to available parking spaces by a new and intuitive parking guidance system, consisting of easily visible overhead lights informing them which spaces are open. Green lights highlight unoccupied spaces, blue lights mark spaces available for handicapped drivers, white for 1-hour parking and red lights indicate spaces that are filled.

Another recent addition to DFW Airport is making international arrivals much easier and more efficient for customers. The Automated Passport Control system in Terminal D has virtually eliminated lines for U.S. and Canadian passport holders to re-enter the country from international flights. DFW Airport will be installing 24 more kiosks later this summer to augment the 30 kiosks that went into service last fall.

In addition, the International Arrivals Hall now has “Carry E-Z” lanes which allow customers traveling only with carry-on bags to clear the U.S. Customs and Border Patrol arrival area in one step at a kiosk, rather than having to wait in another line for luggage checks. The “Carry E-Z” kiosk lanes are located next to the Automated Passport Control area.