Frisco
Frisco to DTX: is it worth it?
Frisco is the closest call in Collin County — DTX, DFW, and Love Field are within three minutes of each other. Here is what actually decides it.
The short answer
For Frisco, drive time does not decide anything: all three airports are within about three minutes of each other. The terminal experience and the fare do.
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Flying from Frisco
Most cities in Collin County have an obvious answer to this question. Frisco does not. It is about 19 miles and 24 minutes to McKinney National, about 26 miles and 27 minutes to DFW, and about 25 miles and 29 minutes to Dallas Love Field. Five minutes separates the best and worst options. Whatever decides your airport, it will not be the drive.
That makes Frisco the most interesting case in the region, because it strips away the argument everyone else leads with and leaves only the parts that are harder to talk about. Three of them matter.
The first is what happens after you park. DTX is a four-gate airport with a surface lot beside the terminal and a single checkpoint — its own guidance is to be inside 90 minutes before departure. DFW asks for two hours, and if you take its cheap Remote lot you are adding a shuttle ride of twenty to thirty minutes before that clock even starts. Love Field sits in between: one terminal, 20 gates, garages directly across from the door, and a two-hour recommendation. For an 8:30 a.m. departure that means leaving Frisco around 6:30 for DTX, against about 5:55 for either Dallas airport — closer to 5:35 if you use DFW's Remote lot. Half an hour, sometimes more, for a drive that is a wash.
The second is parking, and here Frisco travelers are being asked to decide without a number. DFW's Remote lot is $14 a day today and Love Field's Garage B roof is $18, both published and verifiable. McKinney has appointed a parking vendor and published nothing. On a four-day trip that unknown is worth up to $80 in either direction, which is more than enough to flip a decision. The calculator below leaves DTX's parking out of the total and says so, rather than filling the gap with a guess.
The third is simply where you are going. Love Field is Southwest's base, which means a broad domestic network and two checked bags included on most fares — for a family of four, that is a few hundred dollars that never appears on the fare comparison. DFW will fly you anywhere. DTX flies to five places. If your destination is Las Vegas, Orlando, Tampa, Fort Lauderdale, or Fort Myers on a day Avelo operates, the smaller airport is a genuinely nicer trip for no extra driving. If it is not, the question answers itself.
So the honest advice for Frisco is narrower than for Prosper or Allen: check the fare, count your bags, and pick on the experience rather than the map. Put real numbers in below and the comparison stops being theoretical.
The three airports at a glance, from Frisco
Fixed figures that do not depend on your trip — the calculator above adds your fares, bags, and parking days.
| Airport | Drive from Frisco | Cheapest published parking | Be at the terminal | Size |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DTXMcKinney National | 24 minabout 19 miles | $15/dayPublic lot (980 spaces) | 1 hr 30 minbefore a domestic departure | 4 gates1 terminal |
| DFWDFW International | 27 minabout 26 miles | $14/dayRemote parking | 2 hrbefore a domestic departure | 170 gates5 terminals |
| DALLove Field | 29 minabout 25 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
How far is McKinney National Airport from Frisco?
About 19 miles via US-380 East, roughly 24 minutes outside rush hour. That is marginally shorter than the drive to DFW (about 26 miles, 27 minutes) or Dallas Love Field (about 25 miles, 29 minutes).
Should Frisco residents fly from DTX or Love Field?
It depends on the destination, not the drive. Love Field's Southwest network is far broader and includes two checked bags on most fares. DTX is a faster terminal experience for the nine destinations Avelo serves.
Is DTX faster than DFW for a Frisco traveler?
Yes, but by less than the usual Collin County margin. For an 8:30 a.m. flight you would leave Frisco around 6:30 for DTX and about 5:55 for DFW — roughly 35 minutes, or closer to an hour if you use DFW's cheaper Remote lot and its shuttle. Almost none of that is drive time.