Southwest Airlines (Dallas) has issued this statement concerning the City of Dallas and Delta Air Lines (Atlanta):
Southwest supports the City’s efforts to manage Love Field in accordance with its obligations under airline leases and the Wright Amendment Reform Act. Southwest disagrees with guidance provided by the U.S. Department of Transportation regarding the use of Love Field gates by non-tenant airlines like Delta. That guidance not only violates Southwest’s legal and contractual rights but would also reduce competition, costing consumers millions of dollars in higher airfares.
Delta’s temporary license to use gate space at Dallas Love Field expires at midnight on July 6, 2015. Beginning August 9, Southwest will fully utilize its 18 Love Field gates by operating 180 flights a day to 50 nonstop destinations resulting in an industry-leading gate utilization of ten flights a day per gate. Southwest will therefore be unable to accommodate any other airline, including Delta, on its gates after that date. Tickets on these Southwest flights have been for sale to our Customers since February or earlier.
The lawsuit filed by the City of Dallas allows the City and Southwest to ask the court to properly interpret applicable law as well as the contractual agreements entered into by the City and Southwest relating to Love Field, which clearly give Southwest the right to expand upon and maximize the usage of its leased gates in the best interest of the citizens of Dallas. Every other air carrier serving North Texas, including Delta, can grow without restriction at DFW Intl. Airport, which Delta currently serves. Southwest is restricted from growing beyond its 18 Love Field gates, which is a small fraction of the total 185 gates in the Dallas Ft. Worth market.
Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-76N N7705A (msn 32744) prepares to land in Las Vegas.
Southwest Airlines aircraft slide show (current livery):
Southwest Airlines (Dallas) today published 16 additional flights, including service to eight new nonstop cities, from Dallas Love Field. The new routes will begin on August 9, 2015. With this latest service enhancement, Southwest will offer a total of 180 weekday departures to 50 nonstop destinations from Dallas Love Field.
Beginning August 9, 2015, the carrier will start once-daily, nonstop service between Dallas (Love Field) and:
Boston (Logan)
Charlotte
Detroit
Omaha
Philadelphia
Pittsburgh
Raleigh/Durham
Salt Lake City
Also on August 9, Southwest will offer additional nonstop service between Dallas (Love Field) and Atlanta, Austin, Baltimore/Washington, Houston (Hobby), Little Rock, Chicago (Midway), and Seattle/Tacoma. Finally, Southwest will upgrade the Saturday-only nonstop service between Dallas and Charleston, South Carolina, that is scheduled to begin on April 11, 2015, to daily service on August 9.
Southwest is able to expand at DAL due to the end of the Wright Amendment and the sublease of two additional Love Field gates from United Airlines in the newly rebuilt 20-gate facility, which is a collaborative effort between the City of Dallas and Southwest Airlines.
Airfield construction continues with additional taxiway capacity scheduled to open in mid-March and mid-July and additional ramp space scheduled to open in late August and in November of this year.
Copyright Photo: Tony Storck/AirlinersGallery.com. Southwest continues its fleet modernization efforts to replace its Boeing 737-300 and 737-500 Classic aircraft with more fuel-efficient and longer-range aircraft with winglets. Boeing 737-8H4 N8653A (msn 37037) with the Aviation Partners Boeing Split Scimitar Wings arrives at Baltimore/Washington (BWI).
Southwest Airlines aircraft slide show (new livery only):
Southwest Airlines (Dallas) has announced it will add new destinations with more nonstop flights made possible by acquiring the rights to two additional Love Field gates.
Beginning in April, Southwest will offer daily nonstop flights to nine new cities from Dallas (Love Field), including Memphis, Milwaukee, and Seattle/Tacoma, and will increase the number of nonstop flights to recently introduced destinations added after the October 2014 expiration of the Wright Amendment restrictions on long-haul flying at Love Field.
Details on numbers of flights as well as the full list of the cities and fares will be announced soon. The new flights will be made possible through a long-term sub-lease agreement that will transfer usage of two gates in the newly rebuilt 20-gate facility from United Airlines to Southwest Airlines. Terms of the deal are confidential. The transaction was reviewed and cleared without conditions by the U.S. Department of Justice Antitrust Division. The City of Dallas, the owner and operator of Love Field, also has approved the sublease.
Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Boeing 737-790 N560WN (msn 30542) taxies to the runway at Fort Lauderdale-Hollywood International Airport.
Southwest Airlines aircraft slide show (current livery):
Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) has won a reprieve with the City of Dallas. The airline will be able to retain Delta Connection service to the Atlanta hub from Love Field in Dallas through the end of this year according to the Dallas News.
Last week as we reported, Delta had received notice from the airport that it had to vacate the airport on October 13. The carrier had been subleasing two gates from American Airlines which go to Virgin America on this date.
Delta had been threatening to sue the airport according to the report.
Read the analysis by Bloomberg Businessweek: CLICK HERE
Copyright Photo: Bruce Drum/AirlinersGallery.com. The route is operated with Bombardier CRJ200s operated by ExpressJet Airlines (formerly ASA). Bombardier CRJ200 (CL-600-2B19) N848AS (msn 7339) arrives in Atlanta.
Dallas Love Field will dramatically change on October 13 when the Wright Amendment expires. With an expanding new terminal design and a different set of airlines, the airport is evolving with new long-range routes.
Delta Air Lines (Atlanta) will end its Delta Connection operations at Dallas’ Love Field on October 12. According to the Dallas News, the City of Dallas has served notice to the carrier that it can no longer accommodate the carrier after that date with gates in the new Terminal 2. Delta has served DAL since 2008 with service to Atlanta from Terminal 1. Previously Delta served Love Field when it was the only airport for Dallas. Delta currently subleases the two gates from American Airlines. Those two gates will go to Virgin America. On October 13 the Wright Amendment will expire.
According to Wikipedia, the Wright Amendment of 1979 was a federal law governing traffic at Dallas Love Field with some provisions also applying to other airfields in the Dallas-Fort Worth Metroplex including Fort Worth Meacham International Airport and Addison Airport. It originally limited most nonstop flights from Love Field to destinations within Texas and neighboring states. Additional states were added to the permissible area in 1997 and 2005. In 2006, the amendment was repealed but left some restrictions intact until October 13, 2014 but with an added restriction on the number of gates allowed.
Dallas Love Field is named after Moss L. Love, who while assigned to the U.S. Army 11th Cavalry, died in an airplane crash near San Diego, California on September 4, 1913, becoming the 10th fatality in U.S. army aviation history. His Wright Model C biplane crashed during practice for his Military Aviator Test. Love Field was named by the United States Army on October 19, 1917.
Meanwhile the City of Dallas has issued this description of its new DAL Terminal 2:
The new Love Field Airport will increase efficiency for travelers while maintaining the convenience that Love Field currently offers passengers. In the new design, the terminal will decrease in size approximately 25 percent by replacing a large amount of unused and outdated space with modern and efficient facilities. The three original concourses will be demolished and consolidated into one convenient, centrally located concourse for all airlines. In addition to the new concourse, the check-in and baggage claim areas will be redesigned. The main lobby space will be renovated but will retain the overall structure and volume of the original design. This portion of the facility is the symbolic heart of the terminal complex and a vital part of the passenger processing operation. In addition, the LFMP will more than double the amount of available airport concessions – yet another tremendous benefit for Love Field Customers.
Terminal 2 Baggage Claim.
Southwest Airlines has been operating from the new Terminal 2. Southwest Airlines previously announced that it would be adding new flights to Baltimore/Washington, Denver, Las Vegas, Orlando, Washington (Reagan) and Chicago (Midway) on October 13, 2014. Southwest also announced that on November 2, 2014, it would add new service to Atlanta, Nashville, Fort Lauderdale/Hollywood, Los Angeles, New York (LaGuardia), Phoenix, San Diego, Orange County and Tampa. On March 10, 2014, Southwest announced that in 2015, it would add new service to Boston, Oakland, Panama City Beach, Portland (Oregon), and San Jose, California.
Virgin America begins Los Angeles, San Francisco and Washington (Reagan National) service on October 13, 2014) followed by New York (LaGuardia) on October 28, 2014.
In the new Terminal 2, Southwest Airlines operates from Gates 1-10, 12, 14, 16, 18-20, On October 1, 2014 United Express will operate from Gates 15 and 17 and Virgin America will operate from Gates 11 and 13.
Read the analysis by Bloomberg Businessweek: CLICK HERE
Terminal 1 closes on October 1, 2014.
Current Terminal Map (City of Dallas)
The original Dallas Municipal Airport, Love Field (City of Dallas).
All images by the City of Dallas.
Video by Southwest Airlines of the new DAL Terminal:
Video by Southwest Airlines: A Day at Dallas Love Field:
Virgin America (San Francisco) has won the “Battle of Dallas”.
According to the Star-Telegram, Dallas City Manager A.C. Gonzalez stated he would approve an agreement with American Airlines (Dallas/Fort Worth) to transfer its lease on two gates at the city-owned Love Field to Virgin America rather than hometown Dallas-based Southwest Airlines.
Previously Virgin America announced it was launching its “new business-friendly flights” from Dallas’ Love Field (DAL) to New York’s LaGuardia Airport (LGA), Ronald Reagan Washington National Airport (DCA), Los Angeles International Airport (LAX) and San Francisco International Airport (SFO). The new flights take off in October 2014.
Copyright Photo: Brian McDonough/AirlinersGallery.com. Airbus A320-214 N839VA (msn 4610) completes the final bank on the River Approach into Washington’s Reagan National Airport (DCA).
