Flying to Midland, Texas
Midland International Air and Space Port (MAF) serves the Permian Basin's energy capital and the surrounding West Texas region. FareOptic compares American, Delta, and Southwest for the cheapest fare into the Permian Basin.
Flights to Midland International Air and Space Port (MAF)
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Why Visit Midland?
The Petroleum Museum's Permian Sea diorama, two presidents' childhood home, the US's second-largest meteor crater 20 miles west, and the Grand Canyon of Texas 2 hours north
Petroleum Museum of the Permian Basin -- The Most Comprehensive Oil and Gas Industry Museum in the United States, Telling the Story of the Industry That Powers America on the Land Where It Was Discovered
Full-Scale Oilfield Equipment, Replica Permian Sea Marine Ecosystem from 265 Million Years Ago, Interactive Drilling Simulators, and the Collection That Explains How the Permian Basin Became the Most Productive Oil-Producing Region in the WorldThe Petroleum Museum of the Permian Basin (1500 Interstate 20 West, Midland -- established 1967, expanded in 1983 and 2012; the most comprehensive museum dedicated to the petroleum industry in the United States and one of the largest energy industry museums in the world) tells the story of the Permian Basin's oil and gas industry from the geological formation of the source rock (265 million years ago, when the Permian Sea was a shallow tropical ocean in what is now west Texas) through the discovery of oil in 1920 (the Santa Rita No. 1 well, Upton County, 1923 -- the first commercial Permian Basin oil well), the development of increasingly sophisticated drilling technology, and the current unconventional revolution (horizontal drilling and hydraulic fracturing) that has made the Permian Basin the most productive oil-producing region in the United States and one of the most productive on earth. The museum's exhibits: (1) the Petroleum Hall (full-scale oilfield equipment from the 1920s through the present -- walking-beam pump jacks, Christmas tree wellheads, blowout preventer stacks, and a reproduction of a 1920s cable-tool drilling rig in a working demonstration setting); (2) the Permian Sea Diorama (a 200-foot-long representation of the Permian Sea marine ecosystem 265 million years ago, showing the reef structures and marine organisms whose organic material, buried under millions of feet of subsequent sediment, became the oil and gas that underlies the Permian Basin today); (3) the Marine Petroleum Gallery (explains petroleum geology -- source rock, migration pathways, reservoir rock, trap structures, and the role of the Wolfcamp, Spraberry, and Bone Spring formations in the Permian Basin's unconventional production boom); (4) interactive drilling simulators; and (5) the Permian Basin Oil Boom gallery (the 1920s-1950s boom era that created Midland as the Permian Basin's financial center -- landmen offices, royalty trusts, and the social structure of an oil boom town).
The Permian Basin Unconventional Revolution -- How Horizontal Drilling and Hydraulic Fracturing Made the Permian Basin the World's Most Productive Oilfield and Changed the Global Energy Balance
The Permian Basin's transformation from a conventional oilfield in managed decline (production peaked in the late 1970s at approximately 2 million barrels per day and declined through the 1990s as conventional reservoirs depleted) into the world's most productive oilfield (production exceeded 6 million barrels per day in 2023, the highest production rate of any single oilfield in history, exceeding the peak output of Saudi Arabia's Ghawar field) resulted from the application of two technologies developed in other regions: horizontal drilling (pioneered in the Austin Chalk formation of south Texas in the late 1980s) and hydraulic fracturing ('fracking' -- pumping water, sand, and chemicals at high pressure into low-permeability rock formations to create fractures that allow oil and gas to flow) combined in the early 2000s as 'unconventional' or 'tight oil' production. The Permian Basin's Wolfcamp, Spraberry, and Bone Spring formations -- shale and tight carbonate rock layers that contain enormous oil volumes but almost no natural permeability -- became economically productive when Pioneer Natural Resources (headquartered in Dallas) and other Permian operators demonstrated in 2012-2015 that horizontal wells drilled into these formations and hydraulically fractured with multi-stage completions could produce at economical rates. The result: Permian Basin production increased from approximately 1 million barrels per day in 2011 to 6 million barrels per day in 2023, a 6-fold increase in 12 years. Midland's economy expanded accordingly: the city's unemployment rate dropped below 2.5% by 2018 (the lowest of any major US metro area), median household income exceeded $75,000, and median home prices tripled between 2010 and 2022.
George W. Bush Childhood Home -- The 1948 Rancho-Style House in Midland Where the 43rd President Lived from 1948 to 1953 and Where His Father George H.W. Bush Began His Career in the Permian Basin Oil Business
A Preserved 1950s Midland Ranch House Where Two Presidents Lived, Now a Museum Dedicated to the Bush Family's Midland Years and the Post-War Oil Boom That Shaped George W. Bush's Texas IdentityThe George W. Bush Childhood Home (1412 West Ohio Avenue, Midland -- a 1,583-square-foot 1948 single-story frame ranch house in Midland's Roswell neighborhood; George H.W. Bush, his wife Barbara, and their children lived at this address from 1951 to 1955, during which time George W. Bush [born July 6, 1946, New Haven, Connecticut] lived here from age 5 to 9; now operated as a museum by the non-profit George W. Bush Childhood Home Museum) is one of the most historically significant presidential childhood homes in the post-World War II era and the physical center of the narrative about how the Bush family transformed from Connecticut blue-blood patricians (Prescott Bush, George H.W.'s father, was a Yale-educated investment banker and US Senator from Connecticut) into Texas oilmen and political figures who identified with the culture and values of West Texas. George H.W. Bush moved to Odessa, Texas, in 1948 directly after Yale University (where he had been a baseball team captain and Phi Beta Kappa member) to work as a salesman for Dresser Industries (an oil equipment manufacturer) -- his decision to forego a Wall Street career for West Texas oil was contemporaneous with hundreds of similar post-war decisions by East Coast college graduates who saw the postwar Permian Basin boom as the opportunity of a generation. The Midland house preserves the interior as it appeared in the early 1950s: period furniture, family photographs, Barbara Bush's kitchen, and the backyard where George W. Bush played as a child. The museum's exhibits cover: (1) the family's Midland years; (2) George H.W. Bush's Zapata Petroleum Corporation (co-founded 1953 with Hugo Liedtke [later Pennzoil CEO] in Midland -- the company that established Bush's oil wealth); and (3) Midland's postwar oil boom culture.
The Bush Family in West Texas -- How George H.W. Bush's Permian Basin Oil Career Laid the Foundation for Two Presidential Campaigns and the Political Dynasty That Defined American Conservatism for 30 Years
George H.W. Bush's West Texas oil career (1948-1966 -- from equipment salesman in Odessa to co-founder and president of Zapata Petroleum Corporation in Midland and Zapata Off-Shore Company in Houston) represents one of the most consequential entrepreneurial careers in American political history: the company Bush built, the contacts he made, and the money he earned in the Permian Basin provided the financial foundation and the Texas identity that enabled his political career (Harris County Republican Party chairman 1963; US Representative from Houston's 7th Congressional District 1967-1971; US Ambassador to the UN 1971-1973; CIA Director 1976-1977; US Vice President 1981-1989; 43rd President 1989-1993). George W. Bush's political career also drew on the Midland connection: his 1978 Texas Congressional campaign (unsuccessful -- he lost to Democrat Kent Hance) was based in Midland, and his partial ownership of the Texas Rangers baseball team (purchased 1989, sold 1994 for a $15 million profit) gave him the public visibility that enabled his 1994 Texas gubernatorial campaign. The 2000 Bush-Gore presidential race and the subsequent Bush presidency (2001-2009) were shaped in part by the West Texas oil-patch values and relationships George W. Bush developed in Midland -- he has said that his most formative years were spent in Midland and that his Texas identity, rather than his Connecticut birthplace or Harvard Business School education, defines his political worldview.
Odessa Meteor Crater -- The Second-Largest Meteor Crater in the United States, 20 Miles West of Midland, Created by an Iron Meteorite Impact Approximately 50,000 Years Ago
A 550-Foot-Diameter Impact Crater in the Chihuahuan Desert, Only 100 Feet Smaller Than Arizona's Barringer Crater, with a Small Museum and Walking Trail That Reaches the Crater's Edge -- One of the Most Accessible Meteor Impact Sites in the WorldOdessa Meteor Crater (Meteor Crater Road, Odessa, TX -- 21 miles west of Midland via I-20 west to Exit 108; a Texas Historical Site operated by the Odessa Meteor Crater Museum nonprofit; a 550-foot-diameter, 15-foot-deep impact crater created by the collision of a nickel-iron meteorite with the Chihuahuan Desert landscape approximately 50,000 years ago -- during the late Pleistocene epoch, when woolly mammoths, mastodons, and camels roamed the area) is the second-largest meteor impact crater in the United States (after Arizona's Barringer Crater / Meteor Crater at 4,000 feet in diameter and 570 feet deep) and one of the most accessible impact sites in the world: visitors can walk to the rim and look into the crater from a walking trail, and the small on-site museum displays iron meteorite fragments (shrapnel from the original impactor) recovered from the surrounding desert. The Odessa crater's geology: the original impactor is estimated to have been an iron meteorite approximately 100 feet in diameter, traveling at approximately 8 miles per second (10 times the speed of a rifle bullet) when it struck the west Texas caliche and limestone surface. The impact's energy release (estimated at approximately 50 times the Hiroshima atomic bomb) instantly vaporized much of the impactor, shattered and displaced approximately 1 million tons of rock, and created a crater initially 500+ feet deep that has been filled by 50,000 years of wind-blown sediment (caliche dust and sand) to the current 15-foot depth. The surrounding desert contains a field of iron meteorite fragments ('shrapnel') from the impact that have been collected since the crater's scientific documentation in 1892 -- the Smithsonian Institution holds several of the largest Odessa meteorite specimens.
The Permian Basin's Geology -- Why the Same Ancient Seabed That Created the Oil Under Midland Also Creates the Flat Terrain, the Caliche Soil, and the Chihuahuan Desert Landscape That Defines West Texas
The Permian Basin's geological character derives from two distinct chapters in Earth history separated by 265 million years: (1) the Permian Period (299-252 million years ago) -- a time when what is now west Texas was a shallow tropical sea (the Permian Sea) containing extensive reef structures built by sponges, algae, and corals; the organic material from this sea's marine life, buried under thousands of feet of subsequent sediment and transformed by heat and pressure over millions of years, became the oil and gas that the Petroleum Museum documents; and (2) the Quaternary Period (2.6 million years ago to present) -- the current geological epoch characterized by glacial cycles, during which the Permian Basin's surface (sitting at approximately 3,000 feet elevation on the southern High Plains) was shaped by wind erosion, the deposition of caliche (calcium carbonate precipitated from groundwater), and the gradual drying that created the Chihuahuan Desert climate. The Permian Basin's flatness (the Midland-Odessa area has less topographic relief than almost any other region of the continental United States outside of the Great Plains) results from the exceptional thickness of caliche and eolian (wind-blown) sediment deposited on the Permian-age bedrock -- the flatness that makes the Permian Basin's pipeline infrastructure cheap to install, its drill pads easy to construct, and its landscape immediately recognizable as 'west Texas oil country.'
Palo Duro Canyon State Park -- The Grand Canyon of Texas, 120 Miles Long, 1,500 Feet Deep, and 2 Hours North of Midland via US-87 -- the Second-Largest Canyon in the United States
Red, Orange, and White Striped Canyon Walls Carved by the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River, the 1934 CCC-Built Visitor Facilities, the TEXAS Outdoor Musical Drama Running Every Summer, and One of the Most Dramatic Landscapes in the Southern PlainsPalo Duro Canyon State Park (11450 Park Road 5, Canyon, TX -- 2 hours north of Midland via US-87 north; a 29,182-acre Texas State Park preserving the most dramatic section of Palo Duro Canyon -- a 120-mile-long, up to 20-mile-wide, up to 1,500-foot-deep canyon carved by the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River in the Triassic-age Tecovas Formation and the older Permian-age Quartermaster Formation) is the second-largest canyon in the United States (after the Grand Canyon, which is larger in both depth and width, but Palo Duro is comparable in length) and one of the most visually striking landscapes in the Great Plains: bands of red (hematite-stained Tecovas mudstone), yellow (Trujillo sandstone), orange (Quartermaster formation), and white (gypsum layers in the Tecovas Formation) stacked in canyon walls that rise 800-1,500 feet above the canyon floor in vertical relief comparable to the Grand Canyon's upper walls. The canyon's formation: the Prairie Dog Town Fork of the Red River (a tributary of the Red River, which drains the Texas Panhandle east to the Oklahoma border) has been cutting through the Triassic and Permian sedimentary rocks of the Southern High Plains for approximately 1 million years, exploiting the Caprock Escarpment (the dramatic erosional boundary between the flat Llano Estacado [Staked Plains] surface and the eroded landscape below it). The canyon's facilities: (1) the Visitor Center (designed in 1934 by the Civilian Conservation Corps, whose work at Palo Duro Canyon is considered some of the finest CCC rustic architecture in Texas); (2) a 16-mile paved scenic drive along the canyon floor; (3) 64 miles of hiking and equestrian trails; (4) mountain biking on the Lighthouse Trail (the park's most popular hike, 5.8 miles round-trip to the Lighthouse Rock formation -- a 310-foot-tall hoodoo that is the park's iconic feature); and (5) the TEXAS outdoor musical drama (running every summer since 1966 in an outdoor amphitheater in the canyon -- the story of the Panhandle's settlement told through music, dance, and special effects projected on the canyon walls).
The Battle of Palo Duro Canyon -- The 1874 Red River War Engagement That Broke the Comanche and Kiowa Resistance on the Southern Plains and Opened the Texas Panhandle to Ranching Settlement
The Battle of Palo Duro Canyon (September 28, 1874 -- Colonel Ranald S. Mackenzie, 4th US Cavalry, versus approximately 1,400 Comanche, Kiowa, and Cheyenne warriors and their families encamped in the canyon's protected lower reaches) was the decisive engagement of the Red River War (1874-1875 -- the US Army's final campaign to force the Southern Plains tribes onto Indian Territory reservations in what is now Oklahoma). The battle's outcome: Mackenzie's troops descended into the canyon via a narrow trail, surprised the encampment, destroyed approximately 400 lodges (containing the tribes' winter food stores, robes, and equipment), and captured or killed over 1,000 horses. The human casualties were remarkably low (approximately 4 warriors killed) -- but the destruction of the horses and winter supplies left the Comanche, Kiowa, and Cheyenne bands unable to survive another winter on the Llano Estacado. Over the following weeks and months, the bands straggled into Fort Sill in Indian Territory and surrendered. Quanah Parker (the Comanche war leader who had organized the resistance since the 1864 Battle of Adobe Walls) led the last holdout Comanche band into Fort Sill in June 1875. The surrender ended the Comanche Empire on the Southern Plains and opened the Texas Panhandle to the cattle ranching industry: within 5 years of Palo Duro Canyon, Charles Goodnight had established the JA Ranch in the canyon itself (1876) -- one of the first and most famous Texas Panhandle cattle operations.
How to Find Cheap Flights to Midland Texas
MAF Is a Business-Heavy Airport -- Midweek Flights Are Often More Expensive Than Weekend Leisure Flights
Midland International Air and Space Port (MAF) is dominated by business travelers from the Permian Basin energy industry, which means Monday and Friday flights (the standard business travel days) can be more expensive than Tuesday-Thursday or weekend flights. Unlike most leisure-destination airports, Midland's demand curve follows the business travel calendar -- check midweek and weekend fares and compare.
American Airlines DFW-MAF Has Multiple Daily Departures -- It's the Most Convenient Connection for Most US Cities
The DFW-MAF route has more daily departures than any other Midland connection, typically 6-8 flights per day in each direction. For travelers from any major US city, routing through DFW to MAF is usually the fastest and most frequent option. Book DFW connections early, especially for Monday-morning and Friday-afternoon flights, which are often sold out days in advance.
Palo Duro Canyon Is a 2-Hour Drive -- Plan a Full Day or Overnight for the Canyon and TEXAS Musical
Palo Duro Canyon State Park (120 miles north of Midland via US-87 -- approximately 2 hours) is worth a full day or overnight. The TEXAS outdoor musical drama runs nightly Tuesday-Saturday June through mid-August. Combine the canyon's daytime hiking (the Lighthouse Trail is 5.8 miles round trip, allow 3-4 hours) with the evening musical for the most complete Palo Duro experience.
Midland and Odessa Are Twin Cities -- Odessa Airport (ODE) Is Midland's Neighbor but MAF Has All Commercial Service
Midland and Odessa are adjacent cities (18 miles apart via I-20) that share a metro area. All commercial airline service uses Midland International Air and Space Port (MAF). The Odessa Meter Crater, the University of Texas Permian Basin (in Odessa), and several Permian Basin industrial sites require a short I-20 drive from Midland.
Airlines Flying to Midland International Air and Space Port (MAF)
American Airlines
DFW, ORD, CLT, and PHX Hub Connections to MAF -- American's Dominant Midland Service for Energy Industry Business Travelers and Permian Basin VisitorsAmerican Airlines is Midland International Air and Space Port's (MAF) dominant carrier, reflecting the Permian Basin oil and gas industry's heavy reliance on American's Dallas/Fort Worth (DFW) hub for business travel between Midland and major US cities. DFW-MAF is one of the highest-frequency short-haul routes in Texas: the 45-minute flight connects Midland's energy executives to American's full network and DFW's international connections. Midland's business aviation market (MAF also handles a significant volume of corporate and charter aviation for the energy sector) complements American's commercial service at the airport.
Key Routes
DFW to MAF (45m nonstop -- multiple daily departures; ORD to MAF (via DFW; CLT to MAF (via DFW; PHX to MAF (via DFW; LAX to MAF (via DFW; MIA to MAF (via DFW; JFK to MAF (via DFW; BOS to MAF (via DFW
Delta Air Lines
ATL Hub Connections to MAF -- Delta's Southeastern US Access to the Permian Basin via AtlantaDelta Air Lines serves Midland (MAF) through its Atlanta (ATL) hub, providing coverage for southeastern US business travelers in the energy industry and connecting Midland to Delta's broader network. ATL-MAF service reflects the strong Atlanta-Midland business travel market driven by energy company headquarters and financial services connections between Atlanta and the Permian Basin. Delta's ATL-MAF service is typically operated by Delta Connection carriers (SkyWest Airlines) on CRJ-900 or similar aircraft.
Key Routes
ATL to MAF (2h 20m nonstop or via DFW; JFK to MAF (via ATL or DFW; BOS to MAF (via ATL; MSP to MAF (via ATL or DFW; DTW to MAF (via ATL; LAX to MAF (via ATL or DFW
Southwest Airlines
Budget Low-Cost Service to MAF -- Southwest's Midland Routes for Price-Sensitive Business and Leisure TravelersSouthwest Airlines serves Midland International Air and Space Port (MAF) from Dallas Love Field (DAL), Denver (DEN), Las Vegas (LAS), and connecting points, providing a budget alternative to American's DFW-dominated Midland service. Southwest's two-free-bags policy makes it attractive for travelers who check luggage, and DAL-MAF (approximately 50 minutes) provides an alternative to DFW-MAF for Dallas-based travelers who live closer to Love Field. Southwest's Midland capacity is smaller than American's, reflecting the market's heavy business-travel orientation.
Key Routes
DAL to MAF nonstop; DEN to MAF (via DAL or HOU; LAS to MAF (via DAL or HOU; MCO to MAF (via HOU; MDW to MAF (via DAL or HOU; Southwest.com for complete schedule and availability
United Airlines
ORD and DEN Hub Connections to MAF -- United's Alternative Routing for Midwest and Western US Energy Industry TravelersUnited Airlines provides service to Midland (MAF) through Chicago O'Hare (ORD) and Denver (DEN), offering an alternative to American's DFW routing for Chicago-based, Denver-based, and West Coast energy industry travelers. United's MAF service is relatively limited compared to American but provides useful schedule alternatives for Midland's significant energy company executive traveler base, particularly for connections to Houston (IAH -- United's largest Texas hub and the center of the global oil and gas industry) via Denver.
Key Routes
ORD to MAF (via DFW or IAH; DEN to MAF (via ORD or IAH; IAH to MAF (via DEN; SFO to MAF (via ORD or IAH; LAX to MAF (via ORD or DEN
Things to Do in Midland and the Permian Basin Region
Essential Info for Your Midland TX Trip
State / County
Midland County, Texas. Population approximately 140,000 city; 360,000 metro (Midland-Odessa MSA). Capital of the Permian Basin energy industry.
Airport
MAF -- Midland International Air and Space Port, 10 miles west of downtown Midland and 8 miles east of downtown Odessa via I-20. Airlines: American (DFW), Delta (ATL), Southwest (DAL, DEN), United (ORD).
Currency
USD -- US Dollar
Time Zone
CST (UTC-6) / CDT (UTC-5) in summer -- Central Time, same as Dallas and Chicago
Petroleum Museum
1500 I-20 West, Midland. Daily admission ~$15 adults. Exhibits on Permian Basin geology, oil industry history, and the unconventional revolution.
Bush Childhood Home
1412 W. Ohio Ave, Midland. Admission ~$10. Tuesday-Saturday 10-5, Sunday 2-5. Self-guided tour of the restored 1948 ranch house.
Palo Duro Canyon
120 miles north via US-87, approximately 2 hours. Texas State Park, $8/person entrance. TEXAS outdoor musical June-August. Lighthouse Trail 5.8 miles round trip.
Emergency Number
911
Most Popular Airlines
Best Airlines for Domestic & International Routes
Frequently Asked Questions on Flights to Midland Texas
Airport info, Petroleum Museum, Palo Duro Canyon distance, and travel planning for the Permian Basin
What airport serves Midland Texas?
Midland International Air and Space Port (IATA: MAF) serves Midland, TX. It's located between Midland and Odessa, 10 miles west of Midland and 8 miles east of Odessa via I-20. Airlines: American (via DFW -- multiple daily departures), Delta (via ATL), Southwest (from DAL, DEN, LAS), United (via ORD).
What is Midland Texas famous for?
Midland is the financial and administrative capital of the Permian Basin, the most productive oil-producing region in the world. The city is known for: (1) Permian Basin oil and gas industry; (2) the Petroleum Museum of the Permian Basin; (3) George W. Bush's childhood home (the 43rd president lived here 1948-1953); and (4) as a gateway to Palo Duro Canyon (2 hours north) and other West Texas destinations.
How far is Palo Duro Canyon from Midland?
Palo Duro Canyon State Park is approximately 120 miles north of Midland via US-87 north to Canyon, TX -- about 2 hours by car. Take US-87 north through Big Spring and Lamesa to Canyon, TX, then follow the signs to Park Road 5. A full day is recommended: Lighthouse Trail hike plus the TEXAS outdoor musical (June-August) makes for a complete Palo Duro experience.
What is the Permian Basin?
The Permian Basin is a 250-mile-wide sedimentary basin in west Texas and southeastern New Mexico containing the largest known oil and gas deposit in the United States. Named for the Permian Period geological formations that contain the reservoirs, the Basin has produced over 30 billion barrels of oil since 1923. The unconventional oil revolution (horizontal drilling + hydraulic fracturing) boosted production from 1 million to 6 million barrels/day between 2011 and 2023.
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