Two congressmen from Texas yesterday introduced a bill to repeal the Wright Amendment, a controversial law that for 26 years has prohibited all long-haul service from Southwest Airlines' Dallas Love Field base. If the new legislation is approved, Southwest would add a substantial number of nonstop flights from the airport to many of its stations beyond the current perimeter encircling Alabama, Kansas, Mississippi and states bordering Texas.
U.S. Reps. Jeb Hensarling and Sam Johnson said the Right to Fly Act would foster competition to and from the Dallas Metroplex and lower fares. "It is wrong for the federal government to play favorites between airlines or airports," Hensarling said. "The Wright Amendment has outlived its usefulness and it needs to be repealed." The amendment was created in 1979 to promote a then-fledgling Dallas Fort Worth International Airport.
The introduction of the bill came amid increased but familiar rhetoric on both sides of the debate. Southwest said it should be allowed to compete in an open marketplace, as all other U.S. carriers can at all other airports around the nation. DFW, and its dominant operator American Airlines, said easing Love restrictions would harm the airport and therefore the North Texas economy. Those who favor the Wright Amendment said Southwest instead should consider adding services at DFW.
"Unfortunately, DFW is not built for point-to-point operations like Southwest Airlines," said Southwest chairman Herb Kelleher during a press conference in Washington yesterday. He noted that average taxi times at the airport run near 29 minutes, while Southwest on average turns its planes around at the gate in 25 minutes. "We would have to raise our fares by substantial percentages at DFW, not because of landing fees or terminal rentals, but because of lost utilization of our airplanes."
Southwest late last year
(BTN, Jan. 17) became more aggressive in advocating for the repeal as a result of two concurrent developments: sagging demand for short-haul flights after 9/11 and Delta's decision to cut 90 percent of its DFW operations. "The main thing is to eliminate the hassle for our customers who have to work their way through this labyrinthine obstacle course in order to fly beyond Wright Amendment states," Kelleher said.
Should Congress ultimately act to abolish or phase out restrictions dictated by the Wright Amendment, Southwest would add more nonstop and connecting services from Love Field. Other carriers also would consider new services into Love Field, a more convenient option for many Dallas-area travelers.
Kelleher reported favorable reactions from many members of the U.S. House of Representatives and Southwest said it now would seek similar support in the Senate. "Now it is in the hands of Congress," he said. With the exception of Reps. Hensarling and Johnson, however, none of the Texas congressional delegation publicly has stated support for repealing the Wright Amendment.