American Airlines is a major economic driver for North Texas according to new study out of TCU.
Rodger Mallison
MCT
North Texas is a top destination for companies looking to relocate their corporate headquarters, but a strong economy, a sizable workforce, a geographically central location and a business-friendly regulatory environment may not be the only reasons why.
American Airlines’ hub at Dallas-Fort Worth International Airport is itself a major magnet for business growth, with an overall regional economic impact worth tens of billions of dollars, according to a report published this week by TCU’s Center for Supply Chain Innovation.
The study determined that airport connectivity is important when companies consider moving offices to a new city. Researchers concluded that Fort Worth-based American’s robust route network in and out of DFW gave North Texas the edge over other U.S. metropolitan areas in the eyes of corporate leaders.
“Headquarters, regional offices and major operational sites are highly sensitive to air connectivity, and a growing body of research documents the relationship,” the report read.
An analysis by Dallas-based commercial real estate firm CBRE found that more than 100 companies have relocated their headquarters to Dallas-Fort Worth since 2018. Citing that data, TCU researchers conservatively estimated that relocations and other corporate projects in 2025 alone brought about 1,200 jobs to North Texas, generating between $72 million and $76 million in annual employee income and between $222 million and $231 million in annual economic output.
The highest estimates put the economic impact of the 2025 corporate moves as high as $645 million a year, with more than 3,000 jobs created.
While TCU’s study did not directly credit American for all of that, it did draw a plausible connection between corporate relocations and the airline’s DFW presence.
“The hub increasingly shapes which companies choose North Texas, how easily global business can reach the region and how confidently long-term capital is committed here — the largest value of all, and the hardest to put a single number on,” the report reads.
Travis Tokar, a professor of supply chain management who worked with students on the TCU report, said the research team looked closely at companies that have moved to Dallas-Fort Worth recently and gauged how critical air travel is to their businesses.
He said that consulting firms and other companies with a global presence and heavy travel needs probably viewed American’s DFW network as a crucial selling point.
“The hub network probably was an impactful factor in their decision-making process,” Tokar said.
In a statement provided to TCU, American CEO Robert Isom said the study “demonstrates just how deeply interconnected our shared success has become.”
Overall, the study said, American’s DFW hub contributes between $68.8 billion and $71.1 billion to the North Texas economy each year. Tokar said that figure represents money spent at places such as hotels, rental car counters and restaurants — essentially spending that trickles down beyond the airport’s boundaries.
The economic impact number also takes into account job creation and associated personal spending. According to the TCU study, American’s DFW hub supports upwards of 350,000 jobs in this area, including those for the 37,000 people American directly employs.
All told, the TCU study estimated, North Texas workers can trace about $23 billion in wages back to the airline in some way.
How big is American’s presence at DFW Airport?
More than 69 million passengers travel through DFW on American flights each year, which accounts for 82% of the airport’s total commercial passenger traffic.
On a peak day, American operates more than 930 flights from DFW, serving 230 destinations in 30 countries. The airline moves more than 250 million pounds of freight through DFW each year.
A study conducted last year by the Perryman Group valued DFW’s 2024 gross product — the overall value of goods and services produced or performed in connection with the airport — at more than $78 billion. That was up from $46.4 billion a decade earlier.
The TCU study said the annual gross product for American’s DFW operations is between $36 billion and $38 billion a year, or roughly half the airline’s total regional economic impact.
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Matt Adams is a news reporter covering Fort Worth, Tarrant County and surrounding areas. He previously wrote about aviation and travel and enjoys a good weekend road trip. Matt joined the Star-Telegram in January 2025.