Before iPhones and checked luggage fees, American Airlines had actual ticket offices in Dallas and Fort Worth

Back in the days before we printed  tickets with our inkjet printers or could have a QR Code boarding pass sent to our iPhones, American Airlines had actual ticket offices all over the world.

Starting in the late 80’s, when I was a young adult, I’d grab system timetables every time I flew or went to the airport.  I still have a box filled with old tickets, system timetables, boarding passes, and route maps for several airlines: American, Pan Am, Delta, Southwest, Midwest Express, USAir, Philippine Airlines, Lufthansa, British Airways, Northwest Airlines, Continental, MarkAir, TWA, America West, even CSA Czechoslovak Airlines circa 1991 (when CSA was the abbreviation for Czechoslovak State Airlines).  I even found my original AAdvantage Program welcome kit, complete with awards chart and an invitation to join the Admirals Club for only $175.

I was looking through this box and came across an American Airlines DFW Quick Reference Timetable from May 1990, with a list of 39 actual ticket offices in the Dallas/Fort Worth metro area, including an AAirlink ticket office on Midway road and LBJ freeway.  It’s hard to believe that American had that many ticket offices at one time, even more difficult to fathom how they were able to support the cost.   I don’t remember the AAirlink location, or what it was even, but I think it was some kind of park and fly/ticket office location, though I may be wrong about that.

I plan to scan my original AAdvantage Program welcome kit and post it later this month, for now I thought I’d share a photo of the back of the AA Quick Reference timetable with a list of all those DFW ticket offices.  Let me know if you remember the old AAirlink location or can explain in more detail what purpose it served.