Airport comparison
DTX vs DFW
McKinney National against DFW International for a Collin County traveler: drive time, parking, door-to-gate time, and where each one actually wins.
The short answer
From McKinney, DTX lets you leave home about an hour later for the same flight — nearly an hour and a half if you would otherwise use DFW's cheaper Remote lot. DFW wins on route choice, and often on fare. Which matters more depends entirely on where you are going.
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How the two airports differ
These two airports are not competing for the same trips, and pretending otherwise is how people end up disappointed. DFW is one of the largest airports in the world: five terminals, roughly 170 gates, 250-plus nonstop destinations, and every alliance you might need to connect through. McKinney National opens on November 11, 2026 with four gates, one airline, and five destinations, growing to nine by mid-December. The comparison is not DFW versus a rival — it is DFW versus a shortcut that exists for a specific handful of trips.
Where the shortcut is real, it is very real. From McKinney the drive to DTX is about 6 miles and 12 minutes; to DFW it is about 37 miles and 45 minutes. Add what happens once you arrive and the gap widens: DFW recommends being inside the terminal two hours before a domestic departure, and if you park in Express or Remote you are adding a 20-to-30-minute shuttle on top. DTX's own guidance is 90 minutes, its parking is a surface lot beside the terminal, and there is one checkpoint and no Skylink train between you and your gate. For an 8:30 a.m. departure that works out at leaving McKinney around 6:45 for DTX, against about 5:35 for DFW — or 5:15 if you are using the Remote lot and its shuttle.
Money runs the other direction more often than Collin County boosters like to admit. DFW's cheapest on-airport parking is $14 a day in the Remote lot — rising to $16 by credit card from October 1, 2026 — against $32 in terminal parking, which rises to $37 with a TollTag on October 1. DTX's public lot is reported at $15 a day, a September 24, 2026 figure the airport's own site had not yet posted. That is less than half DFW's terminal rate and about level with its Remote lot, without the shuttle. On parking alone, DTX now wins or ties.
Fares are the larger variable and they are entirely trip-specific. A single ultra-low-cost carrier on a nine-route map prices differently from a hub airline defending a route against three competitors. Sometimes Avelo will be dramatically cheaper. Sometimes American out of DFW will undercut it, especially on dates where Avelo only flies twice a week and you are forced onto an inconvenient day. Enter both fares below and let the arithmetic settle it, because there is no general answer.
The practical rule: if Avelo flies your destination on a day that works, DTX is almost certainly the better trip from anywhere in Collin County, and the time saving is large enough to survive a moderately higher fare. If it does not — anywhere international, anywhere requiring a connection, most business travel, or simply a date Avelo does not serve — DFW is not a compromise, it is the only sensible answer.
The three airports at a glance, from McKinney
Fixed figures that do not depend on your trip — the calculator above adds your fares, bags, and parking days.
| Airport | Drive from McKinney | Cheapest published parking | Be at the terminal | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DTXMcKinney National | 12 minabout 6 miles | $15/dayPublic lot (980 spaces) | 1 hr 30 minbefore a domestic departure | 4 gates1 terminal |
| DFWDFW International | 45 minabout 37 miles | $14/dayRemote parking | 2 hrbefore a domestic departure | 170 gates5 terminals |
| DALLove Field | 37 minabout 32 miles | $18/dayGarage B, roof uncovered | 2 hrbefore a domestic departure | 20 gates1 terminal |
Parking rates as published by each airport, checked 2026-09-16. Drive times are non-rush-hour estimates. McKinney National's $15 rate is as reported September 24, 2026. Full rate table.
Common questions
Is DTX cheaper than DFW?
On parking, yes: DTX's reported $15 a day is less than half DFW's terminal rate and about level with its Remote lot. On fuel it wins too — about 6 miles from McKinney against 37. Airfare is the variable that decides it, and that depends entirely on the route and date.
How much time does DTX actually save over DFW?
From McKinney, roughly an hour each way on a domestic trip. About 33 minutes of that is drive time; the rest is DFW's longer recommended arrival buffer, the shuttle from its cheaper lots, and the walk or Skylink ride to a gate.
Can I fly internationally from DTX?
No. McKinney National has no scheduled international service. Any international trip starts at DFW, which is the region's long-haul gateway.
Does DTX have more than one airline?
Not at launch. Avelo Airlines is the sole commercial carrier, flying to Las Vegas, Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, and Fort Myers from November 11, 2026.