There’s an old adage that says “the wheels of progress grind slowly.” With regard to the recent decision related to Love Field operations, it is easy to recognize that changing the Wright Amendment has certainly been a slow process and, of course, it’s not finished yet.
Hopefully, should Congress approve, over the next eight years, as suggested by the agreement signed last week by representatives from Fort Worth-based American Airlines, Dallas’ Southwest Airlines, DFW International Airport, and the cities of Fort Worth and Dallas, the headaches and inconveniences that so many travelers have faced for almost three decades will gradually fade into forgotten memories.
As you may recall, in the 1960s, the Federal Aviation Administration judged that the two major airports in the Dallas-Fort Worth area, i.e. Dallas’ Love Field and the Greater Southwest International Airport in Fort Worth, were unsuitable for the expectations of the future. The result was the creation of the Dallas/Fort Worth International Airport (DFW International), which opened for commercial air traffic in 1974.
In order to ensure the viability of DFW operations, officials of Fort Worth and Dallas had earlier agreed to restrict commercial operations from their local airports. Southwest Airlines, however, which was founded in 1971, was not a party to this agreement, and in 1973, the US Supreme Court granted permission for the airline to operate from Love Field.
Following the deregulation of the airline industry in 1978, Southwest entered the larger passenger market with plans to promote interstate service the following year.
Concerned that such operations might negatively impact DFW, Texas congressman Jim Wright sponsored a bill to place certain restrictions on passenger service from Love Field. Passed in 1979 and named the Wright Amendment (as it was an amendment to an unrelated law), it limited operations from Love Field to most parts of the country. The primary beneficiary of the law, as intended, was the DFW Airport.
The bill originally restricted passenger service from Love Field to the adjoining states on regular mid-sized or large aircraft. (Subsequent changes enabled the service to be expanded to a few additional states.) The Amendment did authorize long-haul service to other states, but only on aircraft that carried less than 56 passengers. This restriction was a considerable deterrent to most major airlines which normally operated aircraft with capacity well beyond that number.
In spite of the limitations, Southwest Airlines persevered over the years by using multiple short-haul flights to strengthen its Love Field operations. An abbreviated attempt to by-pass the Amendment was made by Legend Airlines in 1996 with reconfigured airplanes. This effort failed with the folding of the company in 2000.
In 2004, serious efforts got underway to repeal the Wight Amendment. Opponents and proponents engaged in a variety of tactics to promote their views. In the end, common sense—swayed by the fact that competition usually proves beneficial and that needs change as times change—won out. The fact that DFW has become one of the busiest airports in the nation was also a consideration.
In all the marathon sessions and extensive deliberations that led to the recent agreement eventually allowing direct flights from Love Field to numerous locations throughout the nation, a key element should not be overlooked: representatives from the various parties involved, each with a separate mission and agenda, compromised for the sake of progress.
Though no particular side got everything it wanted, the willingness to work together to accomplish what all participants considered to be in the best public interest was the guiding influence and the final determinant.
If Congress concurs with the agreement and repeals the Wright Amendment, then we will undoubtedly witness economic advancement for Texas, particularly the air industry and the travelers for which it provides services. If Congress delays and fails to approve the plan by the end of 2006, then, for all practical purposes, the unprecedented compromise will have been for naught.
Hopefully, our elected representatives will recognize the value of cooperative decision-making and realize the benefits this change can bring. If so, their positive votes will clearly be a significant step in the “Wright” direction for the Lone Star State.