ROA Celebrates Inaugural DFW Flight on American Airlines

On June 5, 2026, passengers, regional leaders, and Airport staff gathered to commemorate inaugural non-stop service from Roanoke-Blacksburg Airport (ROA) to Dallas Fort Worth International Airport (DFW) on American Airlines.

The celebrations included a gate party complete with cowboy cookies and boot glasses, a ribbon cutting with Commission and regional business leaders and elected officials, and a water canon salute.

On the new Dallas service, Roanoke Regional Airport Commission President and CEO Mike Stewart said, “It’s the number one destination request for this area. The demand for it has been number one for 10-15 years at least and American Airlines has seen the demand for it because we keep filling up their Charlotte flights, Philadelphia flights, New York flights.”

“So, this a great opportunity for us to continue to support them so they continue to put new air service in. We’d like to see this turn into two or three a day or bigger airplanes. The way we do that is to keep filling it up,” Stewart noted.

Fast facts:

• Outbound flights: Daily service will depart ROA for DFW at 7 a.m. EST

• Inbound flights: Daily service will depart DFW for ROA at 7:16 p.m. CST

• American operates the service on the dual-class CRJ-900 aircraft

About Roanoke-Blacksburg Airport 

The Roanoke-Blacksburg Airport is the gateway for travelers visiting Virginia’s Blue Ridge and the New River Valley and provides an easy getaway to global destinations. ROA welcomes more than 827,000 passengers annually through its terminal, via four airlines (Allegiant, American Airlines, Delta Airlines and United Airlines) offering daily nonstop service to major hub cities, including Atlanta, Charlotte, Chicago, Dallas Fort Worth (beginning June 2026), New York LaGuardia, Philadelphia, and Washington Dulles, as well as weekly nonstop flights to Florida’s Orlando Sanford and St. Pete-Clearwater.