Love Field Operators To Be Free Of Restrictions -- In Eight Years

A long-standing law restricting non-stop, long-distance flights to and from Dallas' Love Field may finally fade away -- if President Bush signs a compromise bill which passed Congress on Friday.

The Wright Amendment, enacted in 1979, was intended to generate growth at the Dallas-Fort Worth International airport. The agreement limits flights to and from Love Field to airports in New Mexico, Oklahoma, Kansas, Arkansas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and Missouri.

Southwest's customers wishing to fly from Love Field must purchase a ticket to an airport in one of those states, then another from there to their final destination. Southwest's customers have been paying for the use of Love Field in cash, time for a layover and the inconvenience of booking a second flight.

For some time now, Southwest has argued the growth intended by the original law has occurred, and it's time to eliminate artificial constraints on competition.

American has strenuously resisted Southwest's attempts to have the law repealed. Since the Wright Agreement went into effect, Southwest has become one of American Airlines' biggest competitors.

The bill now before President Bush is a compromise. If signed into law, it would eliminate provisions of the Wright Agreement restricting flights to and from Love in place for another eight years. It would also eliminate the requirement for customers to purchase two tickets; flights will still connect thru another airport, but like other airlines selling tickets with connecting flights, passengers will only have to book one flight.

Additionally, the law reduces the number of gates at Love from 32 to 20 -- the lion's share of the remainder will go to Southwest, with American and Continental getting a few.

City officials cited noise and safety as their reasons for wanting to limit Love Field to only 20 gates. Presumably fewer gates would mean fewer flights over the city. Those gates, at the old Legend terminal, are currently unused -- Southwest's 737s can't use them.

Several other airlines, particularly JetBlue, vehemently opposed the reduction in gates at Love, citing anti-trust concerns. Between the gate reduction... and language in the original bill giving Southwest, American and Continental -- as well as the cities of Dallas and Fort Worth -- broad protection from anti-trust lawsuits... carriers left out in the cold cried foul.

The anti-trust wording, while not eliminated in the bill sent to President Bush, was severely watered down in eleventh-hour wrangling among lawmakers. Congressmen left what they called "adequate" legal protections for the parties.

How adequate remains to be seen... as the agreement, even if signed into law, likely has not seen its last legal challenges.

FMI: www.house.gov, www.senate.gov, www.aa.com, www.southwest.com, www.fortworthgov.org, www.dallascityhall.com