There is a DFW Airport Employee Store, open to the public, that sells airline and aviation-themed paraphernalia inside of Terminal C at Dallas/Ft. Worth International Airport. The store is open 7 days a week from 9 AM to 6 PM, including holidays, except for Christmas and New Years Day. It is located near C2.
I was shocked to stumble upon this location the other day while I was in Terminal C visiting the Lost and Found. I grew up in Dallas and I have never even heard of it before. For those who frequent DFW airport during layovers, or who happen to travel here often, or who are based here, this is a place worth checking out! They even have an online store that you can visit to make purchases in the event that you aren’t traveling to DFW anytime soon.
What Items Can I Buy?
Almost everything. There are vintage and modern licensed products that can satisfy almost any aviation buff or friend/relative of an airline employee (plus more). There is apparel for men, women, children, and infants, along with bag tags, key tags, caps, hats, shoes, coasters, magnets, coffee mugs, toy models, puzzles, travel gear, travel accessories, games, and more.
While most of the apparel is heavy on American Airlines and Envoy gear, you can also find other airlines, like Delta and Spirit. You’ll find that there are retro US Airways gear, America West Airlines polos, along with old logos from American Airlines. There are also some AvGeek-oriented T-shirts that are great for people who are pilots, flight attendants, or work in flight operations. The American Airlines polos look exceptionally smart, in my opinion!
Here are some photos of the things that I saw on the display racks:
Apparel
Caps
Mugs, Tags, and Coasters
Mug collectors – beware! This may be where the store really crushes it. You’ll find mugs featuring TWA Lockheed L10/11s, Qantas Airbus A380s, American DC-10s, Northwest Airlines 747-400s, Pan Am, Piedmont, PSA, Ozark, Air India, Braniff, Southern, Eastern, Air New Zealand All Blacks, Continental, British Caledonian, you name it!
I was in shock by how many mug collector’s items were here.
There are also tags that seem to be specific to American Airlines’ and former TWA crew-bases, like DFW, BOS, STL, LAX, etc. Pretty neat!
Models, Beer Coozies, and Toys
Looking for a United 777 die-cast airplane with the Rising Blue livery? How about a TWA 767, or an Icelandair 757 in the Northern Lights livery? You can find it here.
Popular children’s gifts are also here as well, such as airport play sets, Captain hats, legos, toy planes, and stuffed animals.
DFW Employee Store – Models
Keychains, Pins, Jewelry, and Ties
Much like the above categories, you can get bars, earrings, pins, ties, lanyards, and other swag from various airlines at this store. Those who want to go super patriotic can buy the American flag theme ties.
DFW Airport Employee Store: Bottom Line
This place is magical. Though it is great that there is an online store, this place is worth visiting in the physical location when you have an opportunity, especially because the items are so unique, retro, and can connect with humans of almost any generation. The staff is also super helpful and friendly, and the operating hours are pretty generous. I’m just surprised it took me so long to discover it unless I’ve just been living under a rock.
Have you ever been to the DFW Airport Employee store? What has your experience been like?
