The latest wrinkle in the Wright Amendment War was creased and starched yesterday when President George Bush allowed an exception to the rule, enabling flights from Love Field to Missouri…and American Airlines announced plans to resume some flight operations from the in-town airport.
Apparently, Missouri loves company, and American knows it.
American also knows that it could lose market share without a presence at Love Field—which would seem to be a departure from the hard line alliance with D-FW airport, and another mark on the tote board for rescinding The Wright Amendment.
Missouri is the 9th state to nail down service from Love Field. The new market includes lucrative connections to St. Louis and Kansas City…and this might be the nail in the coffin for the restrictions imposed by the Wright Amendment.
Isn’t it interesting to see competition at work?
For a company that was such a staunch ally of the Dallas-Ft. Worth airpot, American will be going after the new market in a big way--literally--flying its larger 710 jets out of Love Field. American is going to match Southwest's ticket pricing, too.
Amazing what unfettered competition can do.
Here are the next questions—who’s next at Love Field? Continental?
And what about Dallas’ master plan for development around Love Field? What of the politicians who were so vocally against rescinding the Wright restrictions (Rep. Eddie Bernice Johnson) as well as suspiciously silent either way (Sen. Kay Baily Hutchinson)?
It may take a tower full of air traffic controllers to coordinate lawmakers' flight plan revisions as the windsock of change seems to be doing a Wright one-eighty.
1 comment:
I think we'll be waiting a long time to see a change of heart out of our ethically-challenged elected leaders, Rep. E.B. Johnson and Sen. K.B. Hutchison.
My daddy always told me that when things don't make sense, follow the money.
In the present case, we've seen repeated polls by a variety of parties showing that the overwhelming majority of North Texans are in favor of repeal. So, why the stubborness of these two congresscritters?
Well, DFW Airport has been, how shall be say, "very, very good" to both politicians.
The Airport Board handed Rep. E.B. Johnson two retail concessions for her to do with as she liked (I think she sublet them at huge profits) whereas Sen. Hutchison is the DFW Airport Board's attorney.
Huge conflicts of interest... but, I suppose, since the conflicts span both sides of the political spectrum, no one has an incentive to go after either party, lest their own interests be tarnished.
Pretty sickening.
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